A CRITIQUE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PRACTICES

Jaime E. Masagca

 

2

@ Rizal Beach, Gubat, Sorsogon

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

 

Nobody is saying that anyone is a fool for what they do or write on social media platforms. It all depends, sans similarity, on an individual as men are characterized in distinct behavioral patterns or in accordance with their schools of thought, or simply how another’s action affects another.

 

But let’s move back to the ethics of social media practices that certainly bother many.

 

1.  Joining a group in social media entails critical subservience. It is a privilege rather than a right that one may put his/her weight around. Sad that there are those who join and want to change the rules or standards. Worse, noticeable are those who would act as if he/she is the group’s administrator, or challenge impolitely the administrator’s prerogatives. They may be correct to some extent but in a group “nobody can be poppier than the Pope”.

 

This reminds me of clerics who transgress on the Pope’s infallibility or the apostolic tradition of remaining celibate which is already institutionalized prior to their birth or joining the church.

 

More importantly, there’s always an appropriate page or group for a specific subject topic.

 

2.  Facebook has been elevated to the status of a premier university that offers a vast diversity of disciplines. In every contemporary issue instantly there emerges on the application countless meteorologists, volcanologists, political analysts, epidemiologists, engineers, and pitch in some moralists. Not to count the “What I Know of” (or Wikipedia) historians.

 

Well, personally I subscribe to the view that history cannot be legislated, decreed, invented, or evolved out of tradition. It is always based on supported facts.

 

3.  Shouldn’t sharing be done with prudence, respect to the authors, rather than indiscriminately posting something because it is novel?  The State’s premier university as the last bastion of academic freedom may have been challenged. But what the institution has inculcated in me is to acknowledge the author, cite where information was taken, and when it occurred, and reject all forms of plagiarism.

 

Let’s stop this culture of PhD (Puro Hambog and Download) and get away with a CTTO (Credit To The Owner) or “photo not mine” mentality. It’s not only annoying but still theft of intellectual property.

 

4.  Not everything on the net is true, that if one reads it all the contradictions are mind-blowing. There are those who argue the soundness of their stand just because it was propped up by something taken out of the net.

 

There’s always the risk of being dragged into cyber libel by citing, or sharing from the net an item that is intrinsically libelous.  Readers can only react with a laugh, approval, disapproval, and be angry without being criminally liable for cyber libel but not to re-post.

 

5.  Pardon, but some “slips are showing”.  Disasters, including statistics on the pandemics, are reposted with discernable pleasure maybe to discredit a government for its inability to address something that no one else had. News or statistical data should only come from official sources or Agencies and may be re-posted only for public consumption and not to ridicule.

 

6.  Except for private walls, which one may post anything not falling within the ambits of cyber libel, wares for sale or solicitations of services should not be posted on a private group or individual’s wall.  It is not uncommon that we encounter these pop-up and irrelevant private ads or solicitations in the comment section.

 

7.  Online sellers complain of customers who unceremoniously cancel orders. Similarly, the latter should exercise courtesy to inform clients if they cannot deliver for whatever reason. In the first place, nobody should advertise what cannot be delivered.

 

8.  One should also recognize that there are social media users that have different languages or dialects that he/ she is comfortable with.  It’s not bragging or being a show-off when one speaks in English or whatever language. 

 

While Filipino is our National Language, English is also recognized as our official language and so with other Regional dialects which are given official auxiliary status in their respective places. Many would find it rude, repulsive, or insulting the phrase “we are all Filipinos so we should speak in Filipino”. How about the Visayan, Waray, Ilonggo, etc. who may find it difficult to speak in Tagalog-based Filipino?

 

Effective social communication is expressing an idea in the most accurate manner that multi-lingual terms or phrases may be used.  

 

Same with the lame excuse for intellectual ineptness, “everybody is but a dot in this world”.  It’s true that nobody has the monopoly of virtues but there is still that human disparity in everything, probably as God's mysterious way of leveling up things

 

9.  Many are so onion skinned to react violently to a comment or counter statement. Of course, if it’s itchy it should be scratched, if it’s bitchy it will be bashed, otherwise don’t post anything that would arouse controversy just to avoid stirring a hornet’s nest.  When someone hits you it’s about what you have written. Even snakes do not strike unprovoked.  “Noli me Calcare (Do not tread on me) so goes the motto of the first American settlers.

 

10. Sadly, there are those who make sweeping claims of corruption or anomaly even before public works is started.  Isn’t it said that he who does would readily attribute that to another?  A thief hates a thief.  Nothing could be achieved for progress’ sake if everybody’s pessimistic and live with mistrust, but not without vigilance for public accountability.

 

11. A reminder too for Bikol Legazpi-speaking people, our dialect is unique, and unlike the Kapampangan language many words are pronounced with the “H” as silent.

 

The Bicol traditional alphabet has twenty-eight letters including the eñe (Ñ) and Elle (Ll) and the letter “H” should not be deleted from every Bikol word that starts with it.  So harong (house) is not to be pronounced or written as “arong”, halat (to wait) is not “alat”, which may be confused with the local basket, or hali (to leave) is not “ali”. In the "katon" pre-school informal education era, mispronouncing Bikol words would certainly earn a pinch in the ear.

 

12. And lastly, our City, Legazpi City, was named in honor of the Spanish Governor General Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and not after Celeste Legaspi it should be spelled with the letter “Z” and not with an “S”.

 

To agree or disagree it doesn't matter. As long as we do not intrude in another's private sphere.