The advent of social media has exponentially facilitated how ordinary people can communicate. Social-networking sites, initially designed to be just that, have been the primary medium for most “millennials” to be updated with current events and be exposed to topics open for debate. The interactive nature of social-networking sites has also encouraged the free flow of ideas and “facts”, including deceptive ones, unfortunately.
One blogger who has gained social-media popularity is a doctor by profession, daughter of a retired judge, and wife of a Philippine Military Academy classmate. Her more than 25,000 followers in Facebook can see her various posts, including her steadfast advocacy in helping children in a Samar town; her intelligent discourse about government officials; and her absolutely humorous stories about anything under the sun. The more recent posts of Dr. Lorraine Badoy about President Duterte, Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and Sen. Leila M. de Lima have garnered close to 10,000 likes, and shared roughly about 1,000 times. I noticed that most of the comments in her threads allow for academic dialogue and intelligent debate. However, she also gets her share of hate comments to which she replied one time, “No matter if what they show you is, ‘I think you’re evil for supporting
Rodrigo Duterte/leaving the Catholic Church.’ Oh, please. Honor that loss if you must. But don’t be moping around for ages. Ok na ang 2 seconds of silence. Then off ya go.” She truly knows how to manage both the likers and the haters.
Some prefer to strengthen their social-media links rather than make enemies via Facebook. Not Badoy. She has unequivocally expressed her opinions on how Duterte is running the country, rightly or wrongly. Much as she criticized the decision to bury the Marcos remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, she also defended the decision to remove Robredo from the Duterte Cabinet. Badoy monitors her thread, reminds her followers of GMRC (good manners, right conduct), and faithfully engages both pro- and anti-Duterte individuals in a lively, oftentimes witty, discussion.
It has been said that the friend of my enemy is my enemy. Not Badoy. Referring to Duterte as her “Digongmylabs”, she criticizes both the Marcoses and the Aquinos when warranted. She says being a pro-Duterte does not mean you must be pro-Marcos, and that being pro-Aquino does not mean you should be anti-Marcos. In an article published in a major daily, a certain Irish Dizon wrote about her encounter with Badoy. When asked why she voted for Duterte despite her being a self-confessed anti-Marcos, Badoy responded that she voted and still supports Duterte because he’s propoor. In her own words, Badoy said: “He has the heart for the ones who have been forgotten forever…. I know he’s for them, and it’s not press release. It’s for real.”
There are reasonable rules of conduct in posting replies and comments as “regulated” by the content administrator of Facebook and other social-networking sites. None of these rules, however, teach us discernment and better judgment. The Light in the Heart author Roy Bennett said, “The greatest problem of communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply”. We have to develop greater empathy skills to curiously listen and better understand what’s behind the words of the communicator. Having listened (or read) whatever is seen on our Facebook feeds, we have the option to “like”, “comment” or “share”. This is where the problem lies. A mere like or sharing a comment can be interpreted differently by the reader. There is a need for all users of social-networking sites to be more responsible, more discerning and more judicious in posting, liking and sharing whatever is found online. Some people, however, forget that doing nothing is also an option. Especially when the posts are from unverified sources, it might be best to do nothing. Patent lies and falsehoods do not even deserve a like, much more a share. It can only get worse if people will engage in a discussion by placing a comment in posts that will only fuel the fire of gossipers and trolls.
In a memo released to the Ateneo community, President Jose Ramon T. Villarin said, “Social media equates popularity with goodness or quality. What is controversial garners shares, likes, tweets, infamy. What is loud and popular does not necessarily lead to wisdom or the greater good. The Book of Kings has Elijah looking for God in noisy and awesome events, e.g., a mighty wind, an earthquake, a great fire. But the Lord was in none of these. Instead, after all the drama, from the silence of a cave, there was only a whisper, a still small voice. Before joining the cacophony of online space, we do well to listen first to that still small voice.”
Such small voice will be faint for some who listen to reply, but the same small voice will be loud enough for those who listen to understand.
For questions and comments, e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com