Literature Review: Review Of Wi-Fi In The Philippines

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

WI-FI Techterms.com says, “Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that allows computers and other devices to communicate over a wireless signal” (“Wi-Fi”, 2014). Purplewifi.net says that 1.) It was first released for consumers in 1997. 2.) A basic specification for Wi-Fi was created, which allowed for two mega-bites per second of data transfer. 3.) In 1999, the release of routers sparked the beginning of the wide use of Wi-Fi in our homes (Wood, 2014). According to besthealthmag.ca, Health Canada says that it has determined that exposure to low-level radiofrequency energy, such as that from Wi-Fi equipment (which enables wireless access to the Internet), is not dangerous to the public (Young,

While private options may be prefferred, many Filipinos rely on the public access as they creatively mix technologies and venues to communicate with oversears’ family members.” (Alampay, 2013). With this information, there is a given idea of the impact of Wi-Fi to Filipinos, specifically OFWs, and thus it juxtaposes with possible impacts to Filipinos in the country who they are connected to. In an Infographic on Forward.ph, it is said that “the Philippines has 33.6 million active internet users out of its population of 92, 337, 852”. It is indicated that “3.5 out of 10 Filipinos are online”. Some Information from the Infographic are as follows: For online population, 40 % are 15-24, 31% are 25-34, 16% are 35 – 44, while 9% is 45-54. It also said that the average Filipino Spends 16.4 Hours on the Internet per month, 41.5% of the time is spent on Social Media, 17.3% on services and 14.5% on news and information. Also, 20% of the time, Filipinos access the Internet using a mobile device. Lastly it has 22% the fastest growth in Internet Audience (“The State of Philippine Internet Usage 2013

Nayab which is edited by Ginny Edwards (2014) “Throughout history, developments in technology and communications have gone hand-in-hand, and the latest technological developments such as the Internet and mobile devices have resulted in the advancement of the science of communication to a new level. The process of human communication has evolved over the years, with many path-breaking inventions and discoveries heralding revolutions or a lift from one level to another”. Social media, e-mail and other advancements in technology seem to suggest that face-to-face communication in the business world is “old school,” that people do not miss or desire in person communiqués (Filek, 2010). However, Susan Tardanico (2012) debunked Filek’s statement saying “Social technologies have broken the barriers of space and time, enabling us to interact 24/7 with more people than ever before. But like any revolutionary concept, it has spawned a set of new barriers and threats. In an ironic twist, social media has the potential to make us less social.” Moreover, Shaylin Sanders (2011) found “while emails and text messaging are a very convenient way to communicate, we are losing the personal touch as it relates to human interaction. Emails lack emotion and therefore can often be misinterpreted. Text messages resort to acronyms to avoid losing precious space in the limited character box. Everyone is losing the personal touch that they use to get when having a face-to-face