At the peak of the need for online communication and connectivity in this pandemic, all of us are bound to face the recurring attempt of “trolls” to sway our discernment on politics.
Troll-driven propaganda breeds on social media, in this age of misinformation, where Filipinos are susceptible to be victims of manipulative political aspirants in the May 2022 presidential elections. Due to the continued existence of trolls, disguised in various personalities, it is vital for the public to rigorously fact-check information and not just blindly take a stance favored by the majority.
Fake news is spreading worldwide. Based on a survey Ipsos conducted on 25,000 interviews, fake news was initially deemed as facts, at least once, by 86% of internet users. It also noted that fake news had been embedded on social media platforms, specially on Facebook, and had negatively affected the political discourse of countries.
Swarmed with fake news propagators, approximately 89 million Philippine social media users, as recorded by DataReportal, are at the brink of slipping into the hands of misinformation during the elections period.
"Election is also the season where manipulation of information has become a huge business for PR agencies, political consultants, and social media impresarios, and with some help from [the] media," Ms. Ma. Diosa Labiste, a mass communication professor of the University of the Philippines, stated in GMA.
News feeds flooded with distorted realities
Trolls are paid to promote their clients' interest via distorted narratives for public dissemination. An interviewed troll in The Washington Post stated that black trolls “peddle lies, concoct fake news, [and] brainwash people.”
In 2019, Facebook removed 200 pages, groups and accounts due to “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” It mentioned that it was linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 elections social media strategy head, Nicanor Gabunada. Gabunada hardly denied the allegations.
Despite social media companies having fact-checking measures, it remains difficult to be vigilant. More so, when the companies may be the perpetrators themselves.
Although Facebook partnered with third-party fact-checkers, whistleblower Sophie Zhang exposed the existence of fake engagements and accounts allegedly permitted by Facebook in favor of political agendas.
“In the 2.5 years I’ve spent at Facebook, I’ve… found multiple blatant attempts by foreign national governments to abuse our platform...” Zhang stated, as quoted by The Guardian. “We simply didn’t care enough to stop them,” she added.
Political candidates have started spreading online advertisements; targeting the youth, who have already increased their voting population by 2.6 million in the upcoming elections.
Registering for the truth this election
Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez admitted that they cannot track “dark campaigns” in social media, such as fake news and “smear campaigns.” Hence, the proliferation of fake news in the election polls may still occur.
Senior manager for customer growth in Southeast Asia of Turnitin Yovita Marlina wrote in The Strait Times, “Educators must empower students to understand the real-life consequences of fake news, especially amid the pandemic.” She explained that the simple instruction of asking students to verify their assignments’ references promotes digital literacy.
Safe and effective use of the internet requires digital literacy. We must use critical thinking to discern the credibility of the basis of our judgments, especially when our vote counts as a factor of the fate of our nation.
Voter education can help the electorate learn the processes of voting, and select the right candidates. It can also mitigate the chances of vote-buying; and voter intimidation, particularly when trolls spam accounts that post opposition toward their political clients.
We decide on the information we digest.
Not only should we follow health protocols; fact-checking for an independent and well-informed vote is also vital for nationwide recovery in #Halalan2022.
