8
DEVCOM
The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc
THIS VS.DIS .
INFORMATION (Social Media in PH Political Campaigning Landscape) BY KENN DANIEL MONTECILLO
I
t’s 7:00 a.m., and the noise of the streets has jolted you out of bed. The repeating election jingles and the endless honking of cars and trucks -- it’s 2010. The campaign season has begun, and various motorcades and caravans will be present until the very last minute of the campaign season. All of these, however, are just memories from years ago that you can find on Facebook. Because, like any other, political campaigns today are transitioning from a traditional approach to the virtual world of social media. Candidates’ faces, as well as their signature political colors and campaign taglines, were seen plastered across various social media platforms. As we turn the pages of our calendars to a new year, the 2022 election is also just around the corner. How trustworthy do we believe these social media platforms are at disseminating accurate information, and should we unsubscribe to avoid being misled? #Throwback Political campaigns in the Philippines have long relied on one-way communication strategies, in which candidates communicate their political platforms through party rallies and propaganda distribution. This has become the standard method for politicians to communicate with their constituents in the hopes of gaining their support when it comes time to exercise their right to vote. Politicians spark their imaginations by devising their own campaign gimmicks. Prior to the broken record-like stumped political speeches, there are dancers to make the event more festive, stand-up comedians to keep the audience laughing, and other performers, such as singers, to enliven the audience in between. These politicians also distribute items such as umbrellas, t-shirts, candies, and fans, all of which have their faces glued on. Not only are these politicians’ faces plastered across the streets and their names printed on tarpaulins and placards, but the majority of them also choose to pay millions in exchange for exposure to television media giants. According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), candidates spent an average of PHP 54 million per day during the 2016 national election, or PHP 2.25 million per hour during the first 50 days of the 90-day election campaign period. The PCIJ report was compiled using Nielsen Media’s monitoring of ads placed on TV, radio, and print media, as well as the corresponding rates for each, from February 9 to March 31, 2016. Several faces began to appear on everyone’s television screens prior to the official campaign period. According to PCIJ, candidates for the 2022 Philippine elections ran tens of thousands of television, radio, print, and billboard advertisements worth P3.67 billion ($72 million) from January to September
2021, prior to filing Certificates of Candidacy (COCs). During the nine-month period, former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano was the top spender, with ads totaling P610.4 million ($12.2 million). #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) So, just to refresh our memories, the Philippines is dubbed as the world’s most “social nation.” According to a Statistical Research Department report from August 2021, the Philippines had nearly 76 million Facebook users in 2020, with 31.2% of those between the ages of 18 and 24. The numbers are so large that citizens in the virtual world could be easily swayed by someone’s opinion, and people could be overburdened with information (or misinformation). Furthermore, the spread of the COVID-19 virus compelled politicians to devise strategic campaigning strategies while following implemented health protocols. The situation was made worse when the country was infected with the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the first quarter of the year – just months before the 2022 election. Thus, the majority of politicians have chosen to campaign in the digital world of social media, just like how they are expected to go any length just to get the public’s attention. Based on a 2017 survey, Filipinos with internet access trust social media more than mainstream media, with 87% saying they trust information found on social media. Some politicians use this mentality to their advantage in their campaigning to make their names more appealing to the public. A strong effect to remove any blemishes attached to them, as well as a heavy filter to beautify their names, is a winning formula for social media-worthy content, just like in a regular photo editing app. The Philippines will be gearing up for the final stretch of national elections on May 9, 2022, in no time. In light of the country’s current situation, traditional, in-person campaign events are difficult to hold. Campaigns are deemed necessary for national election candidates because the numbers are too large to be narrowed, with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. leading with 53%, followed by Vice President Leni Robredo with 20%, according to independent polling firm Pulse Asia from December 1 to December 6, 2021. It’s safe to assume that these candidates will engage in more virtual activity than in previous elections, as they will undoubtedly rely on social media to reach out to voters. #IMHO (In My Honest Opinion) While social media election campaigns may become the most convenient mode for both candidates and voters, they also have the potential to kill the truth. The voters have the freedom to examine and scrutinize the candidates using the information about them that is available on the internet. Some candidates, apparently, have the same freedom to spread false credentials, unverified achievements, and even misinformation and disinformation about their opponents. Consuming content through social media is an easy and convenient option. On the other hand, it has become a prime platform for
swaying public opinion through manipulated content designed to deceive people’s perceptions as a result of its widespread use. It has become too destructive because it is now being used not only to conceal the truth, but also to fabricate lies and even revise what is claimed to be “the truth.” Desperate, dirty tactics abound in the cyberspace of the internet. As some people set up their own troll farms to create inflammatory content online in order to gain attention, political campaigns are becoming more extreme. These trolls appear to be endemic in the Philippines, as more and more people, including politicians, are using them to cast negative light on their political opponents. As a result of social media, the country’s political landscape has changed dramatically. Online polls have had a significant impact on election dynamics, primarily persuading undecided voters who rely heavily on pre-election polls and will simply join the bandwagon effect. It was also turned into a battleground for die-hard and rabid supporters willing to throw decency and ethics out the window in order to protect their bets. #Periodt During the campaign season for the 2022 elections, Google announced that it would no longer accept political ads in the Philippines. As politicians flocked to social media to launch their 2022 campaigns, especially in light of pandemic-related mobility restrictions, it’s a smart move for Google to distance themselves from the possible spread of misinformation on their large platform. Meanwhile, Facebook has promised to take more proactive measures in the run-up to the May 2022 election. Nawab Osman, Facebook’s Asia-Pacific head of CounterTerrorism and Dangerous Organizations, pledged that their content would not be misused by individuals or groups seeking to disrupt the election process. As various social media giants commit initiatives, COMELEC is taking steps to expand social media regulation in connection with virtual campaigns. Only candidate and political party-registered websites, blogs, and social media pages may run campaign ads for the May 9, 2022, elections, and they must disclose that these are paid advertisements and identify who paid for them, according to COMELEC. I suppose social media is here to stay for the foreseeable future. Countless times I heard people ask, “Is social media an advantage or disadvantage to mankind?” I’d like to respond that it’s both, and that it’s up to us to make it work for us or against us. As responsible citizens and users patronaging several social media platforms, we shall observe to follow only credible sites. As we heavily depend on these in terms of getting information, let us subscribe to media outlets that spread only authentic information. Let us join forces to shut down malicious social media accounts that spread false information. We may not be able to control the creation of this deliberate misinformation, but we can all put a period to it.
GRAPHICS BY CYEN ESCLANDA LAYOUT BY CHRISTIAN REGANIT
