THESE days anyone with a WiFi connection and a mobile device can upload videos, photos and stories that can be seen by anyone around the world.
Fleire Castro, a social media marketing consultant and founder of Third Team media, said this power to access and provide information at one’s fingertips was unheard of in the decades when traditional media ruled the airwaves.
“Because of this phenomenon, our traditional media, newspapers, broadcast shows, they no longer have a monopoly over the news. They are no longer the gatekeepers of information,” Castro said.
Castro spoke in a forum on social media and the news in the Marcelo B. Fernan Press Center last Wednesday.
Castro said the power of social media came with its own failings.
Inappropriate
These include posting the wrong information, photos and videos at the wrong place, the wrong time and the wrong way.
“Because of the immediacy, people forget to verify the information they share, and forget to check if what they are sharing with other people is accurate and appropriate for a situation,” Castro said.
Nini Cabaero, editor in chief of Sun.Star Network Exchange (Sunnex), said she encountered many people posting inappropriate photos and other contents online, under the guise of “freedom of expression.”
She said a photo of a woman on the ground, with her body bloodied and battered posted on Facebook was accompanied with a joke about rape.
Cabaero said the post drew many comments but no one questioned whether it was appropriate.
Cabaero said an online advocacy group should be formed to focus on educating, reminding and reprimanding users who violate basic ethical rules of respect and good manners.
“It all boils down to remembering that as we all have the power to inform, we must also have the responsibility to inform the public about relevant issues and to conduct ourselves accordingly,” said Regional Director Minerva Newman of the Philippine Information Agency 7.
Castro said traditional media organizations should form online communities for citizens to post their news updates as a way to filter false information and inappropriate posts.
She cited GMA7’s “YouScoop” and Rappler’s “Move.PH” as ways to integrate the growing online communities into the newsroom.
“By doing this, not only can media organizations stay on top of the news, they can also uncover news through crowdsourcing from netizens. These people have stories that are valuable to the community,” Castro said.
Valuable
Castro said these online communities can influence news organizations to seek public support for noble causes, citing #JusticeForKarenMontebon and #JusticeForPamana as examples.
“We netizens have the power to make something viral or trending in a matter of seconds. Since we (have that power), why not use it for the greater good?” she told the audience.