Bloggers/vloggers and disinformation
First, just what is blogging and social media? Is blogging any different from vlogging? Based on my viral research, there are differences between the two, both in definition and background.
Sources defined blogging as the creation of a written piece of work and thereafter posting it in social media for others to see and read. These avenues may include your website, or someone else’s website, which form the platforms you use to gather an audience or a community of people to reach out to. When readers wish to access the blog, they simply visit your website and read.
Meanwhile, vlogging is posting a video content on social media, which may cover various subjects, such as travel tips, music enjoyment, lifestyle discussion, cooking lessons, movie criticism, hobby talk and piano playing for adults who had never played piano before. Social media in this case would include video posting on Internet sites such as YouTube or Facebook.
Blogging came first around 1990 before vlogging, as video content sharing platforms were developed only later when early word sharing platforms like Links. net, LiveJournal or Blogger were already existing. But both platform types are designed to share the written or video content with the public, hence, again, the “social” character of the content-sharing media.
At first there were not too many vloggers, since creating a quality video required some equipment — camera, microphone, tripod and, for those who work at home, a decent physical setup there. But vloggers around 2003 caught on and upon the introduction of YouTube in 2005, vlogging surpassed the popularity of blogging.
People on the move who had something to tell or teach others and could not resist doing so found vlogging more exciting than simply sitting down and spending hours churning out some written content for a blog, which often only friends and acquaintances read. The popularity of vlogging increased even further when it became income generating — but that is another story.
An interesting development in both blogging and vlogging was when people started using the Internet to express not just their opinions on things (such as commercial products, new gadgets), but on people, institutions and general society itself. These social critics felt empowered upon realizing how easy and how fast their opinion spread when posted in cyber space.
To my mind, that was when blogging and vlogging took a bad turn. The relative ease creating and sharing content have led to the popularity. Unfortunately, this has led to their abuse.
Today, these abuses are seen in insulting, harassing, bullying and name-tagging people and institutions, which the bloggers or vloggers do not like or wish to undermine. This is helpful if the information they provide along with the insults are factual and constructive. However, most are outright lies, which are meant to cause division and stir controversy. Hence, blogs and vlogs have become more powerful as they are able to reach and therefore trigger pessimism or negativity among individuals.
Republic Act (RA) 10175, the Anti-Cyber Crime law, approved in September 2012 and the 1998-vintage older law RA 8484 sought to address the evils spawned by the abuse of the Internet. But, focused mostly on financial fraud and illegal access to digital devices, online harassment and bullying. There is nothing which speaks about willfully spreading misinformation and lies.
Our lawmakers should think of appropriate legislation. However, coupled with the legislation, which will penalize the misinformation spreaders, we need to empower and educate the consumer of the misinformation. The habit of not immediately believing everything they read and first doing independent research from credible and trusted sources before forming opinions or simply dismissing these articles must be taught. The appropriate legislation may take time before being passed. In the meantime, us Filipinos who consume information by reading blogs or watching vlogs must be intelligent enough to know what and what not to believe.
“Filipinos who consume information by reading blogs or watching vlogs must be intelligent enough to know what and what not to believe. “Relative ease creating and sharing content have led to the popularity. Unfortunately, this has led to their abuse.