The Social Media and the Battle against the ISIS

The rise of the ISIS and its battle against the governments of Syria and Iraq and the Kurds and other armed groups has caught the curiosity and attention of people around the world. Negative news reports on ISIS members’ actions in combats and their treatment of captives and civilians have horrified many people.

Aside from the physical battle, the parties to the conflict also take into account its psychological dimension to boost the war effort. In this regard, the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter has become an unwitting tool or a venue for the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds in the conflict involving ISIS and its opponents.

Concerned of the bad publicity it has brought to Islam since the ISIS claims that it has carried out its act in the name of the religion, leaders of Saudi Arabia and religious clerics as well as some Islamic association of America and Europe have denounced the ISIS stating that the actions and behavior of its members are not compatible with the tenets of Islam. In fact Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Jordan have joined the US led coalition to provide airstrike against the ISIS’ members and their facilities. Other western countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands and Australia have also given support to the forces that are fighting the ISIS such as the Kurds and the Iraqi army.

In a battle, the side which has a superior firepower, proficient and well motivated troops as well as good commanders usually prevails over its weaker opponent. However, the battle to win the people’s hearts and minds including those of the non-combatants cannot be overlooked. This is proven in the American defeat in the Vietnam War. And in the Arab Spring the social media particularly Facebook and Twitter was a tool that galvanized world opinion against state of affairs in the Middle East. The use of the social media stoked the flame of people’s revolt that toppled down long serving and well entrenched autocratic rulers such as the late Col. Muammar Khadafy of Libya and former President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

    

Appalled by the atrocities of the ISIS, some internet users are bringing their opinion and sentiments against it in the internet. Some formed groups in Facebook with the aim of denouncing the ISIS and of giving users updates on news and on the battle that is raging on between the ISIS and the Kurds and other forces opposing it such as the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

The opposition to ISIS is gaining momentum in the social media. And the post and the interaction of users about the ISIS could somehow influence world opinion for or against it. A group such as the ISIS that wants people to submit to their wishes and demands through sheer acts of terror cannot possibly win the hearts and minds of the people in the world.

Can Facebook Help Candidates Win in the May 2013 Philippine Mid-term Election?

With less than a month for the May 13, 2013 Philippine mid-term election, local and national candidates are now in the homestretch of their campaign to win an elective office.

In this election, candidates spend huge amount of effort and money to carry out their activities that include shaking of hands, speaking before a crowd in a public stage and the pasting of posters in places where it is allowed to be done.                                   

The advent of the internet and the availability of social networking service site like Facebook and Twitter have made it possible for new comers and least known candidates to enhance their electoral campaign by the use of said internet sites. Candidates must however adhere to the terms and policies in using site such as Facebook since any violation can result to the banning of their account.                                                                                                                                                                      

A candidate who has an account in Facebook can make his political programs known to his friends and he can also create his own group or join other groups to maximize the number of persons he could interact with. An interesting post or topic can generate many “likes” or comments from friends and other users.

In the local level, the political landscape is usually dominated by incumbent politicians. The unscrupulous ones are wont to keep their position as long as they can because with it comes power and more money. They are derisively called traditional politicians or “trapo” whose greed is hidden in the name of public service.                                                                                                                                                                           

In a society where most of the voters belong to the “D” and “E” classes or the poor and less educated, the results of the election are always swayed in favor of the incumbent and moneyed politicians. Some astute local executives subtly establish a system of political patronage where the poor looks up to them as “benefactor” but all the while exploiting them for their political advantage.  These politicians even go to the extent of buying votes to win an election. As a result, politicians are elected not because of their integrity or competence, but because of their cunning to win election by all means. This flawed political process gives rise to social maladies like the proliferation of political dynasties and corruption because politicians have to recoup what they spent in the election.

The internet with its social networking sites such as Facebook is a tool that can help minimize the excesses of some politicians during a particular period such as election. Users can share to his friends in Facebook a report from other media such as newspapers, and they can also post blogs, photos and videos related to an event. What is good about it is that the access of Facebook is for free.                                                                                                          

Through Facebook people can seek information regarding the qualification and track records of a candidate. A positive or negative report on him can generate favorable or unfavorable perceptions or reactions. Some of the hot topics during this period are on political dynasty and corruption. Some candidates consider the latter issue as a sort of “mudslinging”. However, in a country where corruption is believed to be pervasive, it is a very valid election issue. Candidates should be a fair game to the attack so that they can refute it or clear their name before the public with regards to negative reports or allegations.

Some candidates however downplay the importance of Facebook in influencing the decision of the voters. They say that most of the Facebook users come from the middle income and upper classes of the voting population. And those belonging to classes “D” and “E” who comprised the majority of the voters do not have access of the Internet and therefore have no Facebook account so that the use of the site will only have a minimal effect on the result of the May 13 election especially at the local level. The claim maybe correct since incumbent local candidates who are flooded with negative post and bad comments at Facebook seem to be still widely and warmly received by the people especially the poor.

Facebook alone will not make a candidate win because of the many other factors that are involved in winning an election. But Facebook will certainly be of help to a candidate at the national level because of its wide coverage. At the local level Facebook will also be of help but to

a lesser extent. Local candidates therefore should exert more time and effort to reach out to the poor to win their hearts and minds in this coming May 13, 2013 mid-term election.

The Internet and the Social Media in the 2013 Philippine Election

The advent of the internet has improved the way people get and exchange information. It is also a tool for the dissemination of ideas. Nowadays, more and more people use the internet than other media of communication such as TV, radio and newspapers. As a result, traditional newspapers, magazines and books have lesser number of readers than it used to be because more people prefer to read and research information online.

Internet users can create or establish their own website or blogs where they can share ideas on various issues to others. Because internet communication has a global reach, politicians in the Philippines attempted to curtail freedom of expression from it with a bill called Anti-Cybercrime Law which imposed heavier penalty for libel committed online. However, local journalists, bloggers, civic groups, and the internet users themselves vehemently expressed their opposition to the bill online and on the streets. The resounding protest made the legislators to reconsider the passage of the bill which is now put on hold at the Supreme Court. The public uproar on the Anti-Cybercrime Law is a manifestation of the internet and social media’s relevance in influencing public opinion and government policies.

The RH Law and the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Corona were issues that were intensively discussed in Facebook, Twitter and other social media. The RH Law was opposed by the Catholic Church although majority of its faithful was in favor of it. Renato Corona was convicted by majority of the senators who composed the impeachment court. The RH bill was voted for its approval by legislators who are mostly Catholics. The lawmakers publicly declared that they made their decision based on the merit of the evidences and other relevant matters that were presented by the contending parties on the issues, and that they were not in any way swayed by public opinion in coming up with their conclusion. Nevertheless, the internet and the social media are apparently one of the tools of the legislators and government policy makers to read the pulse of the public. One of the pending issues that the public is clamoring for approval by the president is the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI). It is expected that FOI is a next hot topic in the internet and the social media after the election in May 2013.

When it was founded on February 4, 2004, Facebook and Twitter were sparingly used in the discussion of political and other issues that are of public interest. But since then it has become a popular forum to discuss on issues that affect people’s lives, society and communities.

In the Philippines there are about 33 million Facebook users and 11,713,520 of them belong to the 18-24 year-old category, the age groups which compose the majority of the Filipino voters. Because of their easy access of information, internet users are presumed to be well informed on different issues and on that premise they are also presumed to vote for the right candidates comes election time on May 13, 2013. It is the third election to be held in the Philippine since Facebook was founded in 2004.                                                                                                         

The campaign period of national candidates has started. Relevant issues like corruption, political dynasty, qualification of candidates and their track records and the holding of free and honest election are already discussed online on Facebook and other media. Facebook can be also used as a platform of some candidates to make them and their programs known to the public. Indeed, the Facebook and the internet are some of the forums where voters can select the most deserving candidate to hold elective public office.