Toxicity in social media
Looking forward, the pervasive toxicity in social media is poised to exacerbate the loneliness epidemic in the Philippines.
In this environment of abundant information and easy virality, Filipinos will become more judgmental of others, leading to peer pressure to curate one’s online image and hindering relationship-building across various spheres. To preserve authenticity and peace of mind, many may opt to limit their online presence or disconnect from social media altogether.
Moreover, the amplified judgmental attitudes and intense cancel culture found in social media will fuel heightened political polarization, further fragmenting the social landscape. Large tech companies will perpetuate this status quo, with addictive platforms keeping people isolated and polarized, while solutions to mitigate these effects remain inaccessible to many.
In conclusion, addressing the toxicity in social media will require concerted efforts to promote empathy, authenticity, and healthy online behaviors among Filipinos, alongside greater regulation of social media platforms to mitigate their harmful effects on society.
Selected Quotes
...[M]ost realistically hirap pa rin i-battle ng fake news, given the advanced technology that comes to AI. Kasi we haven't figured out fake news yet; we haven't figured out the existing technology. So ayun, you can see what happened with the last election, where fake news was there, even now. So yun, mga deepfakes and such, mageevolve pa yan with the rise of entertainment platforms...part rin [sila] when it comes to affecting education. So yeah, that's my realistic view.
Health and wellness [is] tied again with socialization, the number of people perpetually online. I think it's just gonna keep on rising, and unless people do take the time to. and it's stay fit, health and wellness [is] gonna plummet. If one people don't realize how big social media or tech is affecting us. And also if the bigger companies decide that, "Hey, monetizing people, keeping them online as much as possible. That's gonna drive profit." So if they decide to do that, or maybe pay wall health and technology, for instance, I have this application called My Fitness Pal. I have to pay to get it...But if it becomes an absurd price, people will be demotivated to take care of their health, and it's gonna be bad.
I feel like we are much more divided now, specifically politically-wise. [I'm] not saying that...not all Leni fans and BBM fans are [evil]...they have this spectrum, and those who are at the ends of this spectrum are causing this political divide. And I feel like people would be lonelier and more judgmental...I'm seeing that cancel culture is much more intense now. Because right now, I can see it.
So I feel like getting viral will become easier and faster. If you did anything wrong, and then someone unfortunately recorded it, your whole life will be destroyed...people will cancel you. I feel like that's what's gonna happen in two decades from now. [This can also be applied to] dating. We'll become more judgemental of others because you have more information about them. You can see them on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook...all just a few types away; you can see all of their data, pictures of them since birth, like as a child, to that extent. Yeah, it's crazy.
I honestly think it'll just be the same, but a little bit more fragmented...maybe instead of having...like five presidential candidates, we'll have like 10, because of how fragmented it is right now thanks to...algorithms just giving people what they [want to] hear, instead of what...[is actually] happening...[W]e'd be more like in our [filter] bubbles, like there would be very little interaction like outside of the bubbles...We wouldn't have one overarching Filipino culture; [instead,] we just have bubbles...it would be so fragmented. I mean, it kind of is today...I feel like culturally, the Philippines is already pretty fragmented because people speak different languages, like we don't even have one language like that we could all kind of come under, which is what I guess China did when the communists took over...they put everyone under one time zone and put everyone under one language. But...we don't have that here, so it's gonna be more fragmented.
Yeah, but I think like mental health is another thing that should be prioritized then...with like how our relationships are changing thanks to the Internet, I think there...might be like a mental health like epidemic or whatever.
Socialization-wise I think it would be same business as usual. Yung tipong meron pa ring loneliness epidemic...[T]ingin ko maraming tao aware na sa mga nangyayari...na yung social media is one of the primary causes...ng mga mental health problems nila and some people would learn to detach, others won't.
So kung ano man yung social ills na inaaffect ng mga millenials at tsaka ng Gen Z and Gen Alpha would also affect yung mga generations sa 2040.
So it would stay the same yung may mga taong makakarecover, may mga taong spispiral out of control, tapos marami pa rin tayong maiidentify na bobong influencer na nanakit o di kaya nagvandalize ng property para lang mapansin. Yan tingin ko yan yung trend ng socialization.
...[Y]ou're gonna counter [the country's expected progress] with the social media propaganda and all that. So like, there's this battle na technology is also being used to like change the perception. So it's, it's hard to say or just to sum up or like actually calculate the sum total if there are negative forces that are going to counteract everything, yeah.
