Exercising Media Literacy During Tyranny
In 2013, Facebook launched its “Free Facebook” initiative in the Philippines, making connecting to the internet free through Facebook. This made Facebook one of the most widely used news source for a majority of the Filipino people, and as a result, 99% of Filipinos with internet access also have Facebook accounts. The Duterte regime has weaponized this against the Filipino people.
Why do Filipinos need Media Literacy?
Media literacy is the ability to identify different types of media and their intent. Media includes but is not limited to television, newspapers, magazines, text messaging, memes, viral videos, social media, video games, and advertising.
Filipinos are vulnerable to propaganda when not aware of how it operates. This is similar to marketing techniques used to sell products, but in this case, what is being sold are ideas. People can fall victim to “fake news” when they rely on emotional response rather than provable facts. This is dangerous when belief translates to real world action.
Since Facebook has the infrastructure to offset costs, its accessibility means disproportionate control over how Filipinos learn about current events. While Facebook does not count toward data costs, fact-checking and news sites do. The Duterte administration has exploited this by paying trolls and coordinating with the Philippine military and police to push a narrative.
What Happens When Filipinos Lack Media Literacy?
Trolls maintain multiple accounts to create a false sense of support and popularity. They can go so far as to create entire backstories per account and even have phony conversations or debates with other trolls which drowns out that of real people.
Fake accounts often but not always
Use model or celebrity photo profile pictures
Stock headers (same across accounts)
Have few friends
On Facebook, they join hundreds groups, copying and pasting the same articles or messages in them.
What Should Be Done?
Despite Facebook closing a few accounts and giving workshops, red-tagging and other extremism runs rampant endangering activists, everyday citizens, and even moderators, many of whom are in the Philippines. To absolve itself as one of Duterte’s main propaganda machinery, Facebook must do more.
We call on Facebook to take down Philippine government pages that engage in red-tagging harassment including those of NTF-ELCAC speakers Antonio Parlade Jr. and Lorraine Badoy, and separate the Philippine military (AFP) and police (PNP) agencies and individuals. Furthermore, we call for dialogue and meetings on the real-world impacts stemming from harassment on its platform.
on the ground
At the individual level, we must raise awareness among our community about the dangers of online harassment of progressive activists, individuals, organizations, and personalities by the Philippine government, its agencies, and U.S.-based Duterte supporters.
We must emphasize that red-tagging results in real-world violence. Education about media literacy is the first step in these efforts.
