“Serve The People!” People. To Activists Of All Kinds: “Go Social Media!” – Frank A Hilario, Self-Taught Blogger

“Serve The People,” people! In my country, where are those public and private institutions of communication or journalism actively and consistently tapping the power of social media to serve the people?!

As an indefatigable blogger and inveterate browser & user of Facebook, I congratulate new Secretary of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Ivan John E Uy who says, via a Facebook sharing by Hero Echinique (20 July 2022):

I issue this challenge to all of you. The time to move is now, the time to work hard, the time to have that burning passion is now. I encourage all of you to work together, to join hands, and help DICT, and help the current administration in being able to deliver to our Filipino people – this promise of a better life, of a better future, of a better economy through a digitally empowered citizenry and a digitally empowered government.
(“Social Media” image from Growth99, growth99.com)

Particularly, I note the implied harmony, not dichotomy: “digitally empowered citizenry and a digitally empowered government” – congratulations! Mr Uy is the first leader, pure or mestizo Filipino, to publicly pronounce the necessity of the use of digital media for conversations leading to conversions, with/of citizens in the matter of government pursuits of empowering the people.

The Filipino “citizenry” includes activists whohave not discovered social media power (see my 23 July 2022 essay, ““PH Activists Have Not Learned To Be Intelligent About Their Protests In The Last 100 Years!” – Frank A Hilario, Blogger, Non-Conformist,” Towards A New Eden, towardsaneweden.blogspot.com).

“I issue this challenge to all of you” – Mr Uy is only addressing his ICT people, but as a digital journalist in the last 22 years (yes, since 2000), I see it as a call to action by all media people public or private, the journalists out in the streets, in colleges or institutes of communication or journalism. (I must note here that my challenge to activists in that earlier essay is for them to take to social media and stop protesting in the streets!)

My favorite American Heritage Dictionary defines “social media” thus (The Free Dictionary, thefreedictionary.com):

The websites and applications… by which people share messages, photographs, and other information, especially in online communities or forums based on shared interests or backgrounds.

Tufts (communications.tufts.edu) tells us the popular social media tools and platforms are: blogs, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Virneo, and YouTube.

I have been blogging since 2000, first via American Chronicle, then WordPress, and later to Blogger now longtime. How serious have I been? I have blogged some 8,000 essays since, about 8 million words total, for Agriculture, via what I now call Communication for Village Development in the 21st Century (CoViD21). CoViD21 is it!

(Again, I advise protesters to take to social media. It is not only safer, but it allows communication to be continuing, which it should be.)

“Social media” abbreviates to “SoMe.” “SoMe!” implies “Social media is some force for good, better, best!” Also, “SoMe!” means “So, Me!” So, people, contribute SoMe!@517