We beg to differ.
One can quite understand why traditional “journalists” are going all shrill about the prospect of having to compete with bloggers for the privilege to reach a mass audience. After all, they once enjoyed a monopoly over that space. Before the advent of the Internet and, particularly, social media, mass communication was a capital-intensive activity. You…
If there is something deeper that would characterise the last two to three years, it is an increased confusion around Filipinos’ sense of identity as a people. Filipinos no longer enjoy the benefit of being told who they are. This is thanks to the rise of the Net and, specifically, its killer app — social…
Read More “Filipinos should seize the opportunity to define themselves on their own terms NOW” »
When Rappler CEO Maria Ressa announced what was supposed to be a momentous “partnering” of her “social news network” and Vera Files with social media giant Facebook to “fact check” Filipinos’ social media activities, she was probably expecting to be lauded as a “hero” in the world’s “fight” against disinformation. Instead, the opposite has happened….
Read More “Facebook users should be left to decide what is fake and what is authentic” »
Just like how “fake news” exists (supposedly) because many people couldn’t be bothered to check before “liking” or “sharing”, a branded witchhunt targetting “fake news” could gain steam because people couldn’t be bothered to check first before embracing the notion of “fake news”. Let me explain why I used the word “branded” to qualify the…
Read More “The ‘Free Market of Ideas’ is not for mainstream media to control” »
According to some pundits, President Rodrigo Duterte is waging not just a “war on drugs” in the streets of major Philippine cities. He is, they insist, also waging a war on social media, commanding an “Internet army” that disseminates content supposedly meant to discredit his enemies. Are these assertions based on fact? For one thing,…
Read More “Does President Rodrigo Duterte command an ‘Internet army’?” »