Efforts to “deweaponize” social media are already under way, but are still moving at a slow pace according to communications experts and practitioners.
At an online forum organized by the Philippines Communication Society and the University of the Philippines’s Internet TV Network, Agents International Public Relations President Alan German disclosed how social media like Facebook “cleaned house” by introducing algorithms, which restricted “inauthentic behavior” from its users.
A seasoned public relations practitioner, he likened dealing with social media in 2016 polls to a “zombie apocalypse” when it was used to spread disinformation against candidates.
“It is so hard to make a Facebook account right now. Facebook policed its ranks,” German said.
But he said the said reforms are “kicking in more slowly” than what he would prefer.
Advertising Standards Council Legal Counsel Rejie Jularbal said educating social-media users—an endeavor that would likely take time —should complement reforms.
“Educating the users on social media can be used to counter those which use it for negative purposes,” Jularbal said.
Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Communication faculty member Earl Jaynus Guzman agreed with Jularbal on the crucial role of media literacy to combat a “weaponized” social media.
He noted how such subjects on using communication technology in public discourse were seldom taught in schools before.
“Now, we can see that even at the high school level, there are subjects on media literacy. I think that is a positive step for us because we are informing and educating students. Yes, we have access to these tools. But we need to be mindful, not just careful on how we use these tools,” Guzman said.
Government intervention
For his part, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Manuel Luis “Manolo” Quezon III stressed the role of both the private sector and the government in addressing the issues on social media.
“The providers or the makers of social-media apps have to be responsive to two pressures: public pressure and government pressure. Both self-interest of politicians and the public are driving government pressure. That is the interplay that manages to drive efforts to improve and make it [social media] a safer and more positive experience,” Quezon said.
All of the four resource speakers pointed out the importance of deweaponizing social media since it plays a crucial role in influencing public discourse, especially during elections.
During the weekend, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would soon be releasing within the month its new guidelines for using social media in campaigns.
Among the said provisions of the guidelines is the regulation on how candidates send and boost their posts and, at the same time, the free campaign streaming from Comelec’s own social-media platform.