Towards the culmination of a safer digital space, Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University System’s (PUP OUS) BA Broadcasting 4-2 conducted a seminar titled, “Navigating the Digital World: A Seminar on Internet Safety and Differentiating Fact from Fake Information to Strengthen Media and Information Literacy,” live at Claro M. Recto Hall, PUP Manila, on March 3.
Among the speakers are National Capital Region’s director of Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Emver Cortez and the chief of editorial section of the PUP Research Publication Office (PUP-RPO) Assistant Professor Prestoline Suyat, who elaborated on the risks within the digital spaces and the role of communication students on empowering freedom of information.
𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗰𝘆
Cortez began his session, themed, "A Guide to Educators on the Internet Safety and Protecting Personal Information and Privacy Outline," where he provided a timeline of scientific discoveries which gave emphasis on communication–giving birth to the platforms we use today in the internet.
The PIA director discussed how Web 2.0 opened possibility for freedom of information–which in turn, also promulgated three risks in the social media space: privacy and safety, self-presentation, and self-expression.
“So how would you protect yourself? 3 Ds: Deter, Detect, and Defend. Deter is to avoid; Detect, just in case na mayroong mga malicious activities ‘yong inyong mga phones, or yung mga accounts niyo, may mga two-step authentication tayo na ina-activate, 'di ba? Also, once you have detected na mayroong nangyaring ganoon, you defend yourself, you defend your information,” he elaborated.
Cortez mentioned several statistics showing the Philippines as the major population in the internet, with an average of nine (9) hours online in comparison to the global average of four (4) hours.
Moreover, he added how most Filipinos use the internet as a source of information which makes social media more dangerous as an enabler of fake information dissemination. He also listed several other forms of threats on the internet, namely: hacking, phishing, identity theft, disinformation, scams, frauds, skimming, social networking, and others.
On that note, he urged communicators to practice safe surfing on the internet and avoid using the technology to harm others.
“All in all, as influencers, and as communicators din [...] kung may balak din kayo pumasok sa government or kung gusto niyo ring pumasok sa teaching career, ito 'yong mga dapat nating tinatandaan in terms of protecting our information. So, kung halimbawa, mayroon tayong dealings that would involve 'yong mga personal information ng ibang tao, then we should also be aware kung ano rin 'yong pwede natin at hindi pwedeng sabihin about them.”
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘂𝗺 𝘃𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
In Suyat’s forum themed, “Strategies to Reverse False Information in a Modern Classroom,” he doubled down on the importance of fighting fake news and towards the development of education as the country continues to embrace digitalization.
“Ang Media and Information Literacy (MIL), maganda na maituro na agad sa elementary level pa lamang. Sa anumang subjects, pwede kang mag-integrate ng MIL para hindi sila madaling mapaniwala, at mas maging critical sila sa mga nababasa nila,” he stated.
However, Suyat also pressed that teachers and parents need to receive this form of education as much as students, the digital natives, do.
In that regard, the speaker put emphasis on disinformation as one of the most prevalent threats in social media platforms, defining it as fabricated information that mimics news media content with the exception of organizational content and intent.
“It mimics news media contents. Kaya niya nga gayahin ang contents pero not in organizational process or intent: ito 'yong ginagawa ng mga students ko bago magsulat ng balita, to interview and gather data.
Ang ginamit ko lang po dito, 'di ako gumamit ng photoshop, ang ginamit ko lang diyan ay MS Word, so ang ibig-sabihin, kahit 'di ka gumamit ng high-tech na application, pwede kang gumawa ng fake news, hindi ba? So 'yon nga ang problem dito: paano mo i-di-distinguish ang totoo at peke?” he explained, while showing a fake article he wrote to illustrate the lesson.
He proceeded to discuss the current infodemic issue, a term coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an abundance of false and misleading information that took the country by a storm during the pandemic.
As such, Prof. Suyat maintained his stance to implement MIL on a deeper level among core subjects, saying that teachers have an integral part in helping students recognize disinformation, even more so in the current times.
“Sabi nga ni sir Ambeth Ocampo, target lagi ang mga journalists at historians sapagkat sila ang pumoprotekta sa katotohanan. Ngayon, ito ang interest nating lahat, hindi lamang ang mga journalists at historians ang inaatake ng fake news kun’di tayong lahat na educated,” he urged further.
Towards the issue of fake news within the country, the lecturer recalled the 2022 elections, remarking how the notion of “Golden Era” is a promising "lie that borders historical distortionism and denialism."
“Kung gusto mong magkaroon ng batayan kung talagang golden age nu'ng Martial Law, pwede natin pag-usapan kaagad 'yung batayang uri ng lipunan natin: ang mga magsasaka at manggagawa. Kung naghirap sila lalo, edi kukuwestiyonin mo ang Golden Age. Pinag-uusapan pa lang natin rito yung ekonomiya, di pa tayo nag-uusap sa pulitika kasi yung isyu ng human rights violations, mga tinorture, desaparecidos, mga pinatay at iba pa. Sa golden age ba yun?” he elaborated.
At the end of his lecture, he concluded that we should not stop at just spotting and combating fake news–we must reject disinformation in all forms, at all times, he added.
Graphics: Ashley Alba
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