February 4, 2016, 7:32p.m. – SOCIAL MEDIA users should be critical of online content and help elevate political discussion by posting material that would help educate those in their networks, speakers said in a forum organized by political science students.
UP journalism professor Danilo Arao said that before posting online, the youth should “know the terrain” and use data gathered online and offline.
“The youth [give] more attention to forms they see online like memes, pictures and other graphics. It’s the form that takes precedence over content,” he said. “They should not be stuck with the form and start analyzing content. You need to read through the text to make sense of it.”
UST political science chairman Dennis Coronacion noted that developments in technology had revolutionized social interaction and could mobilize individuals. “In our country, social media have demonstrated the capacity to mobilize individuals and political action,” Coronacion said.
He cited the Million People March, a protest in 2013 to abolish the pork barrel funds of politicians, as an example.
Neil Kirby Ada, Political Science Forum president, said the youth should be able to see the significance of political mobilization in promoting reforms.
The forum, titled “Think and Click: Youth and Social Media in Political Mobilization,” was spearheaded by the Political Science Forum, the organization of political science students in the Faculty of Arts and Letters. Alhex Adrea M. Peralta
