2011: A Year in Review
by Kevin R. Calderon, Justine N. Dinglasan, Angie V. Garcia, Pia H. Posadas on December 28, 2011
Part 3: 2011 in Top 5 Lists
2011’s Headlining Moments in the Ateneo
Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ became the 30th president of the Ateneo, replacing the longest serving president,Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, who served for more than 18 years.
Ateneans, along with several members of the Loyola Heights community, rallied for good governance along the streets of Katipunan to protest the construction of the SMDC Blue Residences.
3. Political party IBIG-Agila disbands
Partido Isa Buhay IsaGawa – Agila (IBIG-Agila), the Ateneo’s oldest accredited student political party, officially disbanded last November due to member defections and alleged irreconcilable ideological differences.
The university administration’s unexpected decision to replace the Leopard Security and Investigation Agency (LSIA) with Megaforce was the subject of controversy among the student body, who protested the lack of consultation with the student body. Some students also challenged the school’s policy of contractualization.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles were yet again destined for victory, as they secured another championship under their belt. The deadly combination of consistent veterans, highly promising rookies and Coach Norman Black’s effective coaching proved too much for the other UAAP teams.
2011’s Chart-topping, LSS-inducing hits
1. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
2. Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
3. Moves like Jagger – Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera
4. Last Friday Night (TGIF) – Katy Perry
5. Superbass – Nicki Minaj
Honorable mentions: Raise Your Glass – Pink, Price Tag – Jessie J feat. B.o.b, The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars, All of the Lights – Kanye West feat. Rihanna and Kid Cudi, On the Floor – Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull, We Found Love – Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
Top 5 Internet Trends
1. Planking
Participants flocked to the oddest of places to plank, photograph and post it for the world to see. Thankfully, the fad phased out as quickly as it came, but it branched into many less successful variations such as owling and tebowing.
Check out Psychology, Philosophy, and Planking: A Thesis
2. Social mobs
James Soriano, Christopher Lao and Mideo Cruz would be remembered as the victims of social media mobs over their controversial works or pronouncements. Even the unidentified student who allegedly threatened to have Ate Alma fired for his or her stolen phone was at the receiving end of a brief outcry from the photocopying worker’s loyal fans.
Check out Dissecting a Filipino virtual mob
3. 9gag
Even though 9gag has been around since 2008, it was this year that we saw the rapid surge of rage comics and other Internet memes, which highlighted the peculiarities of shared experiences. Even Ateneo got a fair share of popularity, from the “Lila with the golden eyes” advert to the infamous wi-fi name.
4. Facebook groups
Whether used for academic or for marketing purposes, Facebook has become the ultimate breeding ground for both online discourse and promotional spam. The downside? The social networking site has become a little less personal and a little more market-friendly.
5. Pottermore
JK Rowling made sure that Harry Potter’s legacy would not end with the Deadly Hallows Part 2 movie, through the release of Pottermore, a virtual reading experience chronicling Harry Potter and his friends’ enchanting adventures. It is set to make a transition from closed beta to open registration sometime in 2012.
Honorable mentions: Google+, ThoughtCatalog, Facebook Social Readers
