Let’s Speak Up about Rights, Responsibility and Hope Online on 2012!

It’s been almost five years since I created ASK by Flow Galindez (formerly AngSawariKo). From those years up to present, aside from the usual entertainment, food, lifestyle, tech and travel blog posts, I always make sure that I included articles that promote advocacy and rights. Through this, in my simple way, I believe I am promoting responsibility and hope on the social media space somehow. But of course, I wanted everyone to take part of it and be more responsible about how what they post online, and how they see some of the social issues and interesting topics and be more reasonable when they post opinions/views about it.

I have my top 10 topics on what I am speaking up more on 2012 and I hope others should be getting ideas from it too.

1. Respect for people with HIV/AIDS and spreading awareness
2. Resistance to Apathy to Issues because everyone can be part of change
3. Respect for the works of others and stop piracy
4. Resistance to Cyber bullying and respect them as person just like us
5. Be responsible in giving and accepting information, be sure it’s credible
6. Be proud of being a Filipino and uphold our culture
7. Be Bayani for those who are in need, reach out to those who are in need
8. Promote rights and equality among women and child
9. Promote basic education and nutrition to every children
10. Resist the bahala na and the pwede na yan attitude

During my talk at the On l Off Bloggers ASEAN Exchange in Jakarta, Indonesia early this month, I talk about the responsibility of everyone in using social media. Here in the Philippines we had this full freedom in using the internet and sometimes we tend to abuse it. That’s why cyber bullying, unverified information, and social apathy are rampant on the cyberspace and everyone are vulnerable to be victims. Each one of us has the chance to resist it and voice our views on how social media can be used on a good way. Like the rest of my 10 topics there are so many things we can do in upholding the rights of every woman, child and victims of calamity, inequality, sickness and others to send out that message for others to know and built respect and responsibility both online and on-ground. We saw how everyone take part during Ondoy and now we use our blogs and social media in reaching out to our fellow Filipinos in Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and other part of Mindanao that were affected by Sendong. If we can do this every day talking not only about relief online but also about helping the government, giving views on certain issues in the society and promote bayanihan and advocacy online, I think social media in the Philippines can be lighter and easy to read.

(Raised fist by Mikl Olivier, on Flickr)

Like what I say, our timeline is no longer just a personal space; we should be responsible enough of what we post because there are chances that it can offend our readers and suggest wrong information for others on a certain topic or how they see us online.