*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
Before social media, ignorance was a lonely place. Kung may kakaibang paniniwala ka noon, malamang nasa kanto ka lang, nakikipagkwentuhan sa limang tambay, habang umiinom ng softdrinks at nagpapaypay sa ilalim ng puno ng mangga. Kapag may sinabi kang medyo sablay, may isang lolo agad na sasagot ng, “Anak, mali yata yan.” Tapos tapos na ang usapan.
Today, social media changed everything.
Ngayon, kapag may sinabi kang mali, hindi ka na kokorektahin. Instead, may sampung libong tao agad na magko-comment ng, “Tama ka Sir!” “Finally someone brave enough to say it!” “The mainstream media is hiding this truth!”
At doon nagsisimula ang problema.
The beauty of social media is that it connects people. The danger of social media is that it also connects the wrong people.
Imagine a person who believes that some politicians are saints. Dati, baka mag-isa lang siya. Ngayon, may Facebook Group na siya. May Messenger GC pa. May YouTube channel. May TikTok account. May merchandise. At minsan may fundraising pa.
Social media has accomplished what centuries of technology could not accomplish: it organized stupidity.
At wala nang mas magandang laboratoryo nito kaysa sa Philippine politics.
Sa Pilipinas, politics is no longer about governance. It is already part reality show, part teleserye, part comedy bar, at part religious experience.
For example, we are probably the only country where a politician can be investigated for corruption and immediately gain more supporters.
Kapag ordinaryong empleyado ang may kaso, suspendido agad.
Kapag politiko ang may kaso, tumataas ang survey ratings.
Kapag may warrant, tumataas ang followers.
Kapag naaresto, nagiging martyr.
Kapag nakulong, nagiging bayani.
Kapag nakalaya, nagiging senatorial candidate.
I am not even sure anymore whether we are electing public servants or auditioning contestants for “Pilipinas Got Political Talent.”
The funniest part is that social media has produced a new species of Filipino: the Instant Expert.
During the pandemic, everybody became a medical expert.
During typhoons, everybody became a meteorologist.
During earthquakes, everybody became a volcanologist.
During the West Philippine Sea issue, everybody became an international security analyst.
During Senate hearings, everybody became a constitutional lawyer.
At sa impeachment proceedings, biglang dumami ang Supreme Court justices sa Facebook.
The amazing thing is that most of these experts have never read the Constitution.
Some have never even seen the Constitution.
Pero dahil nakapanood sila ng dalawang TikTok videos at tatlong reels, ready na silang makipagdebate sa dating Supreme Court justice.
That level of confidence deserves scientific study.
In fact, if confidence could be converted into electricity, the Philippines would solve its power crisis overnight.
Another funny thing about social media politics is that many Filipinos now treat politicians like K-pop idols.
Hindi na supporters.
Fans na.
Kapag nagkamali ang politician nila, hindi nila aaminin.
Kapag may ebidensya, sasabihin nilang edited.
Kapag may dokumento, sasabihin nilang fabricated.
Kapag may witness, sasabihin nilang bayaran.
Kapag may video, deepfake.
Kapag may confession, scripted.
At kapag wala nang lusot, sasabihin nilang, “Lahat naman corrupt.”
Imagine that defense strategy.
Parang nahuli kang nangongopya sa exam tapos ang sagot mo, “Sir, lahat naman nangongopya.”
Unfortunately, social media rewards this behavior.
The algorithm does not ask whether a post is intelligent.
The algorithm asks whether a post will make people emotional.
Galit?
Share.
Takot?
Share.
Intriga?
Share.
Chismis?
Share.
Fake News?
Viral agad.
Meanwhile, a serious discussion about economic policy gets fewer views than a video of a politician dancing Budots.
And then we wonder why our politics sometimes resembles a circus.
Actually, circus is unfair.
Sa circus, at least may training ang performers.
What makes Philippine politics even funnier is the phenomenon of selective intelligence.
Kapag pabor sa kandidato nila ang survey, naniniwala sila sa survey.
Kapag hindi pabor, bayad ang survey.
Kapag pabor ang korte, magaling ang korte.
Kapag hindi pabor, corrupt ang korte.
Kapag pabor ang media, credible ang media.
Kapag hindi pabor, bayaran ang media.
In short, facts are now accepted not because they are true, but because they are convenient.
And social media has become the largest convenience store in human history.
Perhaps the most entertaining part is watching political fanatics explain away every problem.
Kapag mataas ang presyo ng bigas, kasalanan ng gobyerno.
Kapag mataas ang gasolina, kasalanan ng gobyerno.
Kapag may baha, kasalanan ng gobyerno.
Kapag may scandal, kasalanan ng gobyerno.
Kapag walang scandal, kasalanan pa rin ng gobyerno.
At minsan, feeling ko kung magkaroon ng alien invasion, may magsasabi pa rin na kasalanan pa rin ng gobyerno.
That is not political analysis.
That is political astrology.
The tragedy hidden beneath the comedy is that social media has convinced many people that being loud is the same as being informed.
It is not.
A person shouting nonsense remains a person shouting nonsense.
The number of likes does not transform stupidity into wisdom.
The number of shares does not convert misinformation into facts.
And the number of followers does not automatically produce credibility.
History has repeatedly shown that millions of people can be wrong at exactly the same time.
The Earth remained round even when many believed it was flat.
Facts do not conduct elections.
Truth does not participate in surveys.
Reality does not care about hashtags.
That is why social media is both the greatest communication tool ever invented and one of the most dangerous.
It allows knowledge to travel faster than ever before.
Unfortunately, it also allows nonsense to travel first class.
As I observe Philippine politics today, I cannot help but laugh sometimes.
Not because the situation is funny.
But because the irony is overwhelming.
Many people claim they are fighting for truth while refusing to read.
Many claim they are defending democracy while attacking facts.
Many claim they are informed citizens while getting their political education from memes.
And perhaps the biggest joke of all is this:
Social media promised to make information available to everyone.
It succeeded!
The problem is that many people used that information not to become wiser, but merely to find other people who agree with their foolishness.
And once stupid people discover that they are many, they stop asking whether they are right.
They simply start counting likes.
That, my friends, is the moment when social media stops being a platform and starts becoming a weapon.
A weapon not against democracy.
Not against government.
Not against politicians.
But against common sense itself.
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#DJOT
“The problem is not that stupid people exist. The problem is when they discover they have unlimited data, a social media account, and thousands of equally confident friends.” 😄
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