MediaLubyo: A Sociological Exploration on Social Media and Disaster (with Dr. Jonathan Ong)
On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Yolanda, also known as Haiyan internationally, one of the strongest recorded cyclones made landfall in the Philippines. This typhoon affected millions of people in the country, most especially those in Samar and Leyte. It has incurred a huge number of deaths, injuries and displacement. More than the casualties, the structures damaged by the typhoon have the ways and means people lived – many were left jobless, hungry, educational institutions were destructed, and the others did not receive proper medical attention.
This typhoon shocked the whole world and many sympathized with the Filipinos. Some people have donated relief goods and cash for the immediate rehabilitation of the areas affected. Many politicians, celebrities, and popular icons across the globe have also grabbed the opportunity to broadcast their helping hearts.
Moreover, with the boom of today’s technology, the world gets its update of the situation through online means of communication. There existed hashtags on Facebook, Twitter, etc., such as #PrayForThePhilippines, #BangonPilipinas, #ReliefPH and the like. The online world also served as a guide for those who wanted to help from outside the country. However, Dr. Jonathan Ong was right that some of the people used the online world to help – and just that; while the victims were in terrible need of food, shelter, and proper medical attention, the people used these hashtags to relay their help. Others have also resorted to like-ing and sharing Facebook posts about the situation. But, on the other side of these, there were also people who just went on with their lives, and have no consideration to their own kababayans. Selfies, food blogs, vacation photos were still posted while the whole world was upon helping the country for the damage the typhoon has done. Some people were even taking selfies on the disaster grounds which accentuates more on the act of being on the place, on voluntouring, rather than focusing on helping the victims.
The etiquette on the use of social networking sites somehow emerged – there were good posts and bad posts because the country was supposed to be grieving from the millions of loss the typhoon has incurred. Posting selfies, food pictures (or what is also know food porn), vacation photos, or anything that portrays joy were considered disreputable to the victims who do not even experience these luxuries because of what struck them. These things were unacceptable in the society. The social class in Visayas was scrapped; purchasing power was no longer useful. Everyone suddenly became underprivileged and the whole place was in grief. And there was the need for the society to conform.
Dr. Jonathan Ong also emphasized the focus of social media on the information dissemination during the said typhoon. The middle class, who are able to access the internet, becomes the star of the situation, given that the attention and means of attending to the situation are only accessible to them, more than the victims themselves. The help that the middle class was able to give sanitizes the situation. The middle class, somehow, thus spoke for everyone else.