It was fun while it lasted.
Ever since social media opened its portals to the dizzying world of communications and became a platform for some aspiring and would-be journalists, many Filipinos – mostly the young ones – to express their thoughts and ideas have turned to it like it was a most alluring bait that fish in the ocean bite with alacrity.
Indeed, not surprisingly, available statistics say that 50 million Filipinos take to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram like fish take to water. I was one of them “crazy” souls that got hooked almost completely.
Ordinary people who use the social media platform get to spend available personal time connecting with relatives, friends as well as establishing new ones and re-connecting with long lost acquaintances in a matter of seconds or minutes wherever they are around the world.
While the objective for which these social media platforms were established was to create a web of fun and friendship among peoples of different races, creed and religion, they have also unwittingly spawned a breed of opportunists that made complete utilization of these portals like they were their own communication machines, advertising and marketing arms and promotional windows.
There were instances of what they called cyber-bullying by sinister persons or groups that inflicted emotional hurt on their victims who did not realize what they thought was innocent postings would put them in such a jeopardy.
At present, it would appear that the number of trolls and bullies surfing the cyberspace looking for fun and prey has outnumbered social media users honestly just out there to convey a decent message to their friends, relatives and acquaintances.
I just heard over the radio a victim of cyberbullying crying for justice after she was unabashedly and unmercifully blasted with a torrent of inhuman language and threatened even with physical harm for posting her take on a highly contentious “political” issue.
She most probably asked for it though.
She forgot that there are always two sides of a coin, heads or tails. She opted for the “head” and quite naturally those who picked the “tails” ganged up on her.
Not that I am taking the side of her bashers,
I am saying that when a person publicly posts his/her take on a hot issue – a national concern at that – chances are there would be people from all over who would register replies and responses for or against her opinion.
It just happened that people who were on the other side were more numerous and vocal and outspoken in refuting her opinion and she was “drowned” by the avalanche.
Actually, I have ceased opening my FB account for almost four months now.
My reasons? Well, foremost is that it took most of my precious personal time. While it was initially fun, FB surfing robbed me of the hours I would have instead used for reading intellectually thought-provoking books and materials that comparatively offer more in terms of learning new things and stuff and increasing your knowledge.
Secondly, I discovered that a higher percentage of social media users were not out there to contribute highly cerebral items of interest. There are also a few lecherous souls who think posting lewd pictures and videos on their walls or in timelines of other FB users are “laudable” and appreciated.
And, thirdly, I think that while there are also intelligent discussions of issues on the social media platforms, these sometimes degenerate into political mudslinging particularly during the very heated 2016 presidential joust that clearly polarized the electorate.
I chose to take a positive outlook.
Every single day is filled with all kinds of situations that could upset you.
But if you are positively in control of you character and circumstance, your positive habits will overcome the negative response that people contrary to your opinion do. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) God bless the Philippines!
