Written by Nattaya Kay S. Jaratruangsaeng, Mohammad Azimuddin Gazi & Harisa Shahid (Edited by Qurra Tul Ain Nisar & Jenna Manhau Fung)
The internet is a crucial tool that has touched many aspects of our daily lives. As developments in ICT continues to improve, issues regarding access and empowerment also arise. Access is the capacity to participate in a digital society without physical barriers such as lack of internet connection or computer and any intentional disruption of internet and communication. Empowerment is when individuals are capable enough to actively participate responsibly in events that have a direct effect on one’s life. Without access and empowerment, individuals and communities are deprived of opportunities and knowledge to make informed decisions. To further expound on this, below are two cases from the Philippines and Ethiopia that highlight the topic of access and empowerment toward development and community building.
Empowerment through Social Media Platforms during the Philippine Presidential Elections 2022
The Philippines held its national elections last May 9, 2022. This marked another revolutionary period for social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok to be used as the key battleground for the 2022 Philippine polls. As this is the first election held under the global COVID-19 pandemic, issues regarding access and empowerment, particularly on the method of campaigning that involves how information is being distributed and processed and the possibility of low voter turnout arose. But, it was in this period that the nation saw the youths at the forefront of this battle. They engaged in fact-checking efforts and encouraged the general public to participate in the nation-building efforts by casting their votes in the national election. Through these efforts, the general public gained access to correct and relevant information and garnered youth volunteers and donations to the parish-based poll watchdog for the parallel poll counts. The cross-checking of the election results ensured that no anomalies were present in the official poll count. Despite the pandemic, Statistics also showed that this had the highest voter turnout in Philippine history at 83% since the country started using automated polls. It showed that many Filipinos had a growing political interest in the fate of the nation. To some extent, they have realized that every vote counts.
This case study shows the attempt of the Filipinos to make way for a better Philippines where more people will become concerned for the country’s welfare. We must remain vigilant to misinformation and disinformation, as well as historical revisionism, and empower and engage the general public on the significance of their decision-making capacity towards nation-building. We can volunteer to certify the absence of anomalies in the official poll results and keep users updated with current events by sharing relevant posts. The next step towards improvement is to learn from this experience. Currently, though there are some lapses and misjudgments, we are on the right track to improving Filipino voting behaviour and knowledge. We should continue to support and encourage the citizens, especially the youths, to stay eager and involve themselves in civic engagement activities such as volunteering in organizations that push for a clean and transparent election and initiatives against fake news. And when there is a growing momentum that benefits the community, we must work to continue to support it.
Empowerment through Social Media Platforms in Ethiopia
Internet shutdowns refer to deliberate disruptions of entire channels of digital communications, typically ordered by state authorities to exert control over the flow of information within a given area.
Initiative: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the launch of a military campaign against Tigrayan rebels on Facebook and Twitter just a few minutes later. The United Nations has started to include open online communication as a necessary condition for freedom of expression which only removes disruption of digital communication.
Social media empowerment in today’s digital world becomes concerned with the people’s welfare and social development to improve some lapses and misjudgments.
The people are capable of responsibly engaging in activities that directly affect their lives, that is when they are empowered. Without access and empowerment, people and communities lack the opportunity and information necessary to make wise decisions.
The Ethiopian government’s Internet outages appear to be very similar to those given by other African states. Exam cheating, national security, protests, and strikes are some of these. However, Ethiopia is considerably more skilled at employing stories as regulations than actual laws. Catchphrases like “the war on terror” or “economic growth” have proved tremendously helpful to win over the public and justify unlawful government action. Abiy himself stated in August 2019 that Internet shutdowns would continue to be useful tools for achieving national stability because they were not “water or air.”
On the other hand, The tactic of using internet blackouts as a form of punishment suggests that these actions are used as a disciplinary measure to punish the people of unrest-ridden areas for engaging in political unrest and calling for greater political and social autonomy.
Moreover, the Tigrayan populace has been able to partially avoid censorship thanks to its peculiar use of social media. The content that was published prior to the shutdowns is still accessible on the platforms, and offline conversations of social, economic, and political concerns continue. This approach was previously used to strengthen a feeling of regional identity.
Epilogue
In brief, the essential purpose of the internet is to empower individuals and groups, equip them with knowledge, and open doors for them even in the most remote locations. Every dictators or non-democratic rule in the nation are to blame for the internet shutdown issue; democracy is one of the answers to this problem for policy issues.
The Asia-Pacific is home to over 4 billion people. It is the largest and most diverse region of the globe and also arguably the most digitally divided region in the world, where the Republic of Korea has a 97% of Internet penetration rate while countries like Afghanistan has only 22.9%. Limited numbers of people in the region have fixed broadband access, and it remains even lower for women and girls.
Making internet services affordable along with the mission to connect those who are still unconnected is a big challenge. In some cases, governments are making efforts to facilitate access and affordability whereas we can also observe some situations where governments do not consider internet availability as an essential human right. Therefore, there’s a need for transformative Internet access through integrative policies, user-driven tools, and technical solutions that can be rapidly deployed and implemented by various localities across the region.
As we know, the internet will play an important role in the development of the Asia-Pacific region. The Internet is an important catalyst in improving the socio-economic status of communities. We, as part of the NetMission.Asia is constantly striving to empower youth and to constructively contribute to the local, regional and global Internet governance discourse.
References:
- Abai, p. 7, 10, 11; and UN News (2020) ‘Tigray Crisis: Humanitarian Aid For Children Must be a Priority, UNICEF Says’, [online] Retrieved from: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1080092.
- Arugay, A. A. (2022, April 7). 2022/33 “Stronger Social Media Influence in the 2022 Philippine Elections” by Aries A. Arugay. ISEAS. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2022-33-stronger-social-media-influence-in-the-2022-philippine-elections-by-aries-a-arugay/
- Campos, O. V. (2022, July 15). Study shows youth’s Social Media Influence. Manila Standard. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://manilastandard.net/business/314244067/study-shows-youths-social-media-influence.html
- Elemia, C. (2022, May 5). Young Filipinos stand to be a force in May 9 general election. Benar News. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/youth-vote-05052022150215.html
- Olesia Andersen.(2022). Internet Shutdowns in Ethiopia: The Weapon of Choice https://blog.prif.org/2022/03/11/internet-shutdowns-in-ethiopia-the-weapon-of-choice/
- The Manila Times. (2022, August 28). Social Media’s big role in the 2022 elections. The Manila Times. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/28/the-sunday-times/filipino-champions/social-medias-big-role-in-the-2022-elections/1856220
- Velasco, D. (n.d.). Rejecting “Old Style” Politics? Youth Participation in the Philippines. Bibliothek der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/philippinen/04526/countrypapers_philippines.pdf
- What is an internet shutdown? Media Defence. (2023, January 10). Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://www.mediadefence.org/ereader/publications/introductory-modules-on-digital-rights-and-freedom-of-expression-online/module-3-access-to-the-internet/what-is-an-internet-shutdown/