June 30 was Social Media Day.
In the summertime of 2010, my finest good friend Norbert and I had been sitting outdoors Tia Maria’s in BGC. We had simply picked up one of many first Android smartphones in the marketplace, the HTC Magic, and imagined touring again to 2004 to ask ourselves what the subsequent massive factor in tech could be six years later. Would Private Digital Assistants nonetheless exist? Will predominant roads like EDSA have free WiFi?
Norbert confronted me and commenced to behave bizarre: “Hello Norbert and Reggie of 2004! That is Norbert from the yr 2010! PDAs are gone and completely changed by smartphones. WiFi in EDSA? We’re not there but. However the massive factor in 2010 aren’t devices. It’s Social Media! You guys will probably be hooked to Fb, Twitter, and tumblr. Social Media is the long run!”
We laughed at that thought. 16 years later, am I nonetheless laughing about it?
The primary social media platform I used was Twitter in 2007 earlier than I joined Fb in 2009. On June 30, 2010, an internet site known as Mashable.com declared it Social Media Day to highlight social media platforms revolutionizing our tradition and the best way we folks join with one another all around the globe.
I attended my first Social Media Day meetup on June 30,2010. There have been solely a handful of us however we ended up bonding with one another for the subsequent few hours. We celebrated it once more a yr later, however this time with extra folks coming from our Twitter group. Then in 2012, we held the primary main Social Media Day occasion on the Ayala Triangle led by my buddies Rosario Juan of Commune Espresso and Manila Bulletin Columnist Tonyo Cruz.
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We celebrated it as a result of we used social media for the nice causes. We shared beneficial and helpful data that had been useful for others to learn and be taught from. We used social media for having a civilized dialogue from nationwide points to picking between Hany or Choc Nut. We used it for crowdsourcing to assist us make one of the best selections. Bear in mind Ondoy in 2009? Customers of social media grew to become an emergency response community. Info of lacking folks had been posted and tagged folks and organizations to request assist for donations.
Throughout these years, I couldn’t breathe if I’m not capable of entry any of my social media apps. I’m all the time excited to search out out about my buddies’ newest meals discoveries, updates about their households, posting of jokes amongst others. These days, I’m sick of it.
It went downhill when “pretend information” began spreading on Fb. Twitter, Instagram and finally TikTok. This tactic was used to govern public opinion and advance their propaganda for political acquire. The pretend information peddlers concerned not solely Politicians, but in addition “Influencers.” Think about, we used the time period “Influencers” earlier than who unfold good vibes and promote their advocacies, however these days the identical time period can be used for these content material creators who unfold lies.
Spreading of pretend information grew to become rampant no thanks to those troll farms funded by politicians, rich and influential individuals who have an agenda of their very own. Simply observe a Fb submit by a information media group and see how these trolls work. Examine their profiles and also you’ll discover out they’ve 10 or 0 buddies with no prior exercise. If somebody tries to have interaction with them, they reply with advert hominem assaults. Worse, they’ll even threaten you. The place was the civilized dialogue which we used to have years in the past?
We additionally see content material creators utilizing the platform for the incorrect causes to make themselves well-known. Pranks which have gone incorrect, Influencers doing poverty porn, counting on clickbait to mislead their followers – All only for content material. Pointless thirst traps had been being accomplished by each female and male content material creators with out doing something wise simply to rack in views of their “thirsty” followers.
Common netizens generally use social media to bash and disgrace folks, eating places, and repair suppliers publicly as an alternative of sending them a Direct Message to resolve the problem. Netizens seek for people concerned in a viral difficulty by looking their names on Fb or Instagram, bash them then share their profiles to be bashed by different netizens. It’s absurd and barbaric!
We haven’t celebrated Social Media Day like we used to years in the past. Personally, I believe it’s because it’s a part of our day by day lives. I additionally suppose it’s as a result of social media, a minimum of right here within the Philippines has gone too poisonous there’s no cause to have fun anymore. Whereas my work depends on it, as a lot as doable I avoid it. I do digital detox sometimes to save lots of my sanity.
Going again to that dialog with Norbert, it was solely his 2010 model who appeared to assert that Social Media is the Future. I might’ve added the Reggie of 2026 and he’ll say in any other case.
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