THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE VALUES FORMATION OF STUDENTS

RUSSEL M. GUEVARRA

Aside

from being considered as the “Facebook capital of the world,” our country has gained the title as the “most active nation online in Southeast Asia.” This is based on the findings of Limelight Networks Inc., a digital content delivery company.

Among the four countries included in the survey, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, our country emerged on top spot with 47% spending at least 16 hours a week on the internet while Malaysia came in second with 42%.

Jaheer Abbas, regional director of Limelight Networks, Inc. said that this can be attributed to factors such as high levels of literacy among Filipinos, high percentage of tech-savvy population, and the globally dispersed character of our population which creates a high need for social media connection.

The social media platforms that remain as favourite sites in the region are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram especially among millennials.

The danger in social media is it can be used as a platform for negativity, fake news, propaganda, and bashing among unscrupulous users. Thus well meaning users should counter this tendency and promote instead the opposite, positive values such as honesty, responsibility, truth, and integrity especially among the millennials.

Considering its wide range of connectivity, social media wields an extensive influence among its users. Whatever values are projected by its users will certainly have an impact on the ones who patronize it.

Thus its users should be forewarned to be discriminating and discerning enough to detect which is authentic, positive, and beneficial in shaping good values among our young students belonging to the generation of millennials. We as educators should pursue an advocacy of positive values and teach our students on the responsible use of online platforms.

--oOo-The author is a Teacher I at the Benigno S. Aquino NationalHigh School in Concepcion, Tarlac