Gods of social media

FREEDOM of speech is an inviolable right protected by the country’s supreme law.

But the constitutional principle seems the mantra of many who tend to abuse social media, using the slightest excuse and provocation to form a lynch mob whose goal is to express utter hatred toward anyone or anything these so-called “gods of social media” deem worthy of punishment, just to satisfy their huge egos that are apparently inversely proportional to their ability to think.

In other words, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms of social media have become means for demented people to harass others.

The phrase “make someone famous” has a peculiar and twisted connotation in the context of the Internet today. It is the phrase used by the gods of social media to launch a full-scale cyber-attack against any person, institution or issue that has caught their ire.

In some instances, the person being bullied is a private person. But whether or not the person they want to bully is a public official or a public figure is not important here; after all, even public officials have rights. Point is that freedom of speech, like other rights, comes with the condition that the rights of others are not impaired.

But apparently no amount of explanation would make some people understand for their inflated egos have perhaps gotten to their brain.

Social media have indeed played a significant role in the last elections but they’re a double-edged sword. Everyone is familiar how Nancy Binay was probably the most victimized by cyber-bullying.

With regard to Binay’s fitness to be senator, critics should solely focus on the fact that she lacked qualification. But it’s a different story altogether when people lambast her for her skin complexion. Perhaps they need remembering that since they’re Filipinos, Binay’s skin color shouldn’t be far from theirs.

And Binay’s not the only one.

Most of the time, debates in the social media do not focus on the merits of an issue but on absolutely pointless maters, which in turn result in mudslinging.

As they say in the Bible, “judge not lest ye be judged” and “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

But of course, these gods of social media are powerful by virtue of virtualtiy. They feel powerful only in so far as they are within their safe domain. Take away the Internet from them and they are nothing.