Editorial Cartooning | Kurt Angel Duran
by JAYMARC POVADORA | Editorial Correspondent
A survey in September from Pulse Asia found out that nearly half or 48% of Filipino adults got their political news from the internet. Out of this number, 44% said it’s from Facebook. This shows how powerful the internet is.
The internet can influence anyone and anywhere. It is a tool that helps us connect with other people. But these mentioned benefits can also be obtained by scoundrels. They can manipulate and change other people's perspectives. They can make factual information into fake news. Are termination of some sites the answer? Or is it our negligence being controlled?
Now that we are approaching the 2022 elections, social media platforms are now campaign tools to advocate their motives as well as their goals of being a leader. They can also post their achievements and their point of view on certain issues.
But it’s not always good. Some politicians/die hard supporters are spreading false information. Either making them good, or stomping other candidates. We already saw some incidents like that. From manipulated pictures, false threads, and even academic dishonesty.
These kinds of posts attract many people. They immediately believe what they see and start to share it on their timeline, or chat about it with friends. Thus, the cycle continues.
As registered voters, it is their responsibility to be aware and informed of what is true and factual. Terminating those sites will not help at all. Moreover, it can worsen the problem. Shut down a company in your country and a domino effect will emerge. The solution we need is fact checking.
Fact checking is a simple but powerful shield against all misinformation. It may open our minds on what is true by making better decisions of who to vote in this coming election, etc.
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