THE advent and accessibility of the internet has bridged the age gap of many generations. Nowadays, it is but common yet astonishing to witness children as young as seven years old navigating the World Wide Web.
Young adults and those who belong to senior years are not left behind and have shown mastery in the field of online and wireless technology.
It is a rare occurrence these days to know someone who does not know how to upload pictures and update status on their respective Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts, chat online, send emails, watch the latest streaming videos online, research using Google or Bing, or purchase anything from baby diapers to the latest Nike shoes from “online stores”.
As part of the campaign by the education sector to promote responsible use of the internet and social media as a whole, selected schools have now included media literacy in their curriculum for senior high school students.
This allows the students to identify different types of media and understand the messages it sends. In addition, responsible use of the internet and social media are also included in the subject.
Kids take in a huge amount of information from a wide array of sources, far beyond the traditional media such as TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines. There are text messages, memes, viral videos, social media, video games, advertising and more.
But all media share one thing: Someone created it. And it was created for a reason. Understanding that reason is the basis of media literacy (commonsense.org).
I noticed recently that these “educated” people who consider themselves as bloggers, influencers or social media savvy are a big disappointment to their professions.
They post statuses/updates in their so-called blogs and social media pages without checking their grammar or spelling. They give opinions on various issues far beyond their comprehensions and without facts to support them. They present information without doing proper research.
At some point, these content providers are threading a very fine line between providing accurate information and creating confusion and hate. They overlooked the fact that their audience varied.
This unprofessional conduct is not limited to social media personalities. Even the self-proclaimed “professional media practitioners” who have presence in the social media oftentimes fell short in the arena of balanced and comprehensive reports.
One classic example of such are the unverified reports that came out both from traditional and social media days prior to the conduct of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
We all stand witness on how Philippine media practitioners, influencers and content providers sensationalized issues without verifying their facts and source of information.
Yes, there is freedom of expression. Yes, there is democracy. But that freedom of expression comes with responsibility and has limits if one is stepping out of line.
Once you publish or broadcast something, may it be online or through the traditional form, diligence in checking or verifying the content must be done. Even in uploading or sharing photos or memes, one should be careful.
It will all reflects on you, whatever you upload or share. It does not mean that just because you just shared it, you are no longer responsible for your actions.
Choose the right pictures, memes or information accurately. It is recognizing your own point of view, saying what you want to say, how you want to say it, and understanding that your messages have an impact to effective communication. Communicate wisely and efficiently.
Being social media savvy requires critical thinking skills. It is communicating and communicating responsibly.
It is always asking who made the information? What are the reasons or the meaning of the information, memes or photos? Who is the target audience? It is not like a simple ranting or blogging. A person who is social media savvy is media and digital literate.
Simple tips in using the social media: Review. Verify. Cross check.