What Social Media Don't Tell You!

By Rolo B. Cena

Correct me if I am wrong!  Nowadays, a click of a button will allow us to see things we want to know, or in some cases, want to have.  While the value for money may be debatable, it doesn’t matter anymore as long as the sensation of being “in it” satisfies the cravings.

In a 2003 documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” by Martin Bashir, the King of Pop predicted that the Internet and social media would ruin the society.  Fast forward 2021, this prophetic view appears to be graphically unfolding in our realm, and take note - mostly in a bizarre and disturbing manner.

In the pre-Internet era, one way of getting connected with people was by postal mails.  If you are miles away from home, surely you’d get mails after a week or two, depending on which part of the globe you are in.   

Undoubtedly today, the fastest way to communicate is through the social media.  The process is as simple as clicking the Add, Follow, or Connect button and you can stay close by.   I wonder if you are already connected with the 73 million Filipino social media users.  Wow, that’s a lot!  

Seriously however, this privilege of getting connected poses the risk of linking with people whose interest may be solely for stalking, preying, or taking advantage of the weakness of their connections.  And experts say that a significant number of the users are prone to these behaviors.  

Take this most recent case:  A medical doctor’s Facebook account was hacked and was taken over by scammers.  Using his Messenger account, the scammers solicited funds from friends of the medical doctor, who only knew about the scam when people started calling him to confirm receipt of the fund transfers.  

And here how it goes:  I can create a post, edit it if I need to, and post.  Instantly, I am in the platform and I can invite my contacts to like, comment and share my post. Ergo, I become an instant sensation, at least, for that particular post.  But what I may have missed is the effect of my post to other people, or even to the community, which could even be greater, or could be blown out of proportion.   

“Kung sa classroom may batas,“ I believe all users should also be guided not just by cyber security laws but by the consequences of the darker side of social media as well.  For example, posting some pictures of our young adult children may give unsuspecting predators to turn these pictures into pornographic materials.  

Recently, Senator Win Gatchalian reported that from March 1 to May 24, 2020, a total of 279,166 online child sexual exploitation cases were reported in Metro Manila alone compared to 76,561 of the same period in 2019. 

Every user must strongly take note that there isn’t backspace, undo or delete function anymore once a post has landed, or in entertaining another user online.  It only takes less than a split second to post, or share, or even screen-shot a post while it takes months or years to correct a post gone wrong.

In 2018, the Philippine National Police reported that cyber libel tops among the cyber cases on hand.  Late last year, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray rushed to the office of the National Bureau of Investigation to file libel and other appropriate charges against a suspect who allegedly circulated her edited nude photos online.  

Undeniably, Internet users have benefited tremendously from the use social media. For one, it makes works easier; two, it makes communication faster; three, it connects families and friends across miles of distance quicker, and a lot more across a universe of freebies ready to be availed of anytime.  

On the contrary, thousands of trolls are dispersed around the Internet space or social media world trawling for issues to magnify and amplify their narratives.  These ethereal creatures are either paid for by their handlers, usually politicians or conspiracy theorists, or simply to increase their engagement.  They are self-proclaimed influencers who come out of nowhere to make wrong the right, nullify logic, or prettify the ugly.

Millions enjoy the benefits of the Internet and the social media but a significant number suffers.  And while you may argue that the good outweighs the bad and the ugly sides of the Internet and the social media, still that makes the whole thing entirely defective. 

Albert Einstein must have been right when he enunciated:  “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  Surely, no one can stop you from doing it.  But next time you click, like or share, please think twice!