The Power of Social Media

Last Thursday I was asked by our Rotary Club of Manila to be the guest speaker – the second or third time I’ve been asked to speak – but this time with a much larger group with the presence of the Rotary Forbes Park headed by president John Tiong, past president Hiro Asandas and president-elect Tedjie Herbosa. Rotary Bagumbayan Manila was also present with president Ian Tong and past president Buen Mariano. And of course Frank Evaristo, president of the Rotary Club of Manila. I must say all these clubs represent a large segment of the business community with a strong influence in our society today.

There was a lively discussion following my speech on the power of social media especially with Manila Overseas Press Club chairman and BizNews Asia publisher Tony Lopez who agreed that the glossies and broadsheets will survive the digital age for a longer period since we still have a number of people who prefer to read the print version. Even if a number of businessmen have iPads, iPhones or MacBooks, they admitted that they still prefer the feel of the paper, perhaps out of habit.

There’s no denying the important role that traditional media plays in shaping perceptions and driving opinion to the point of influencing and affecting policy in government, but the advent of technology has given rise to the social media phenomenon which has become a powerful medium not only for news and information dissemination, but as an effective tool in driving intelligent discussion on hot issues like the Bangsamoro Basic Law for instance.

Let’s face it, advancements in technology and the advent of the digital age have made the world a much smaller place with information gathering and dissemination now happening in real time – meaning we see or hear the news almost instantly as things happen. As “socialnomics” experts would put it, word of mouth has been transformed into “world of mouth” wherein individuals get up-to-date information about the things that are happening not only locally but globally, with exchange of views happening not on a one-on-one basis but on a “many-to-many global platform” with just a click on the mouse or the swipe of a finger on a smart gadget’s screen.

Not surprisingly, traditional media has come to realize the advantage of going digital, with social media emerging as a rich source of content for news. As a matter of fact, ordinary people are turning into journalists as they post photos of celebrities they see in certain places, tweet about an event as it happens or upload a video showing a heated confrontation between a mall guard and a customer, for instance.

In effect, social media is now the vehicle for real people power – and this was very evident in the aftermath of the January 25 Mamasapano encounter when a video that showed a Special Action Force member being cold-bloodedly shot on the head triggered a huge outcry that compelled legislators to take a closer look at the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law – which would have been passed without very serious scrutiny.

People familiar with change.org know that this site has effectively utilized social media platforms like Facebook to drive change and elevate issues that impact the lives of people. From environment to education to business to politics and governance, change.org has empowered people to raise their voices and bring attention to issues close to their hearts and minds – even their stomachs. In effect, the site has given ordinary individuals the means to start revolutions and change lives for the better.

In the Philippines, studies show that over 80 percent of Filipinos are actively engaged in social media and are among the world’s top uploaders of photos and videos – earning for us the reputation as the social networking capital of the world. Fortunately, more and more Filipino Netizens now use their Facebook time not just to post selfies but to exchange views and opinions with fellow Netizens on hot button issues via FB groups such as Get Real Philippines for example where debates can get very heated. But the good part however is that the online exchange of information will not result in physical confrontation among people with dissenting opinions.

Tech-savvy candidates are very much aware of the power of social media and its potential to reach out to a bigger voting population. As one University of Wisconsin journalism professor put it, “People live on social media now, so one way candidates can reach out to voters is to hit them where they live. Candidates are spending more time trying to get people to share stuff on Facebook or re-tweet a candidate’s message on Twitter.” It was the power of social media that allowed Obama to shape history by becoming the first black president of America, and it was also social media that gave Narendra Modi overwhelming victory against the well-entrenched Congress Party of the Gandhi family in the recent 2014 elections in India.

As I told our Rotary club members, we should utilize this very powerful medium not only to spread awareness about our various advocacies and projects but more importantly, to express our collective concern about issues that impact the future of our country. Members of the various Rotary districts in the Philippines belong to the top echelons of society and business and so naturally it goes without saying that they can make a huge difference in terms of shaping perceptions that in turn can influence government policy and decisions — and most of all, help Filipinos in making informed decisions most especially in the 2016 presidential elections.