Module No.

and Title : Module 6: Elections in the Internet Age

Lesson No. and Title : Lesson 1: Social Media As a Political Platform
Lesson 2: How Obama Won the White House and the
Internet – Twice
Lesson 3: Internet and the 2010 Philippine Election
Lesson 4: Internet and the 2016 Philippine Election
Lesson 5: Media and Cyberspace Impacts to Election –
Future of Politics in the Digital Age

Learning Outcomes:

In this chapter you will learn about:

 Denote the significance of social media and the internet for as a political
platform
 Describe how social media and technology was utilized by significant
figures on modern day politics
 Distinguish and differentiate the electoral campaigns of the internet age
from the previous years
 Simplify and explain how the internet and social media changed politics

Time Frame: 3 Hours

Introduction:
Hello my dear students! Welcome to this chapter where we tackle about the
effects of the internet on elections in association to the continuous development of
technology, recognizing it as a form of political platform through different social
networking sites, blogs and websites, emails and any form of transmitting information
online. Keep Fighting! And Enjoy Learning!

Activity: (ANSWER THIS)

Answer the following questions:

1. How can Social Media boost the electoral campaign of a politician?

Analysis: (ANSWER THIS)

Answer the following questions:

1. What could be the impact of social media, with regards to building the trust
and eventually getting the votes of the people?
Abstraction:

With the continuous growth of social media presence around the world, the
Philippines, dubbed as the "Social Networking Capital of the World" (Liao, 2008) has
been using the Internet for various purposes ranging from entertainment, source of
information, collaborations and other conventional purposes. The introduction of the
Information Age, or Digital Age superficially empowered .the people of various
background in voicing out their thoughts, opinions as well as the online partisans of
different sectors and beliefs spreading their information through the way the people
want to today - efficient and convenient.

The thought of data and credibility being the key commodity of everything in
this digital age throughout the plethora of social networking sites, it was only a matter
of time when people realize the power tool that is social media - more specifically as a
political platform by different government officials, political figures and socialites.

Social Media as a Political Platform

Social media today is thought of as an "Online World for Young People and
Political News," (Nieman Reports, 2008) as it offers the plethora of enjoyment,
satisfaction and as a source of information that is very evident for the growth of one's
personal and professional interest. As prominent as it is, social media are inclined
towards younger audience specifically those considered to be a part Millennials and
Gen Z generation. It has offered them a wide online virtual space for them to interact,
trade opinions with each other and have their voices be heard no matter their social
status, profession and life background. In the spark of this, social media platforms such
as Facebook and Twitter have slowly gained credibility as it slowly takes the form of
an online newspaper - a newspaper not taking the form of a daily print of morning
paper that one reads as they drink their coffee nor the evening news that highlights the
events of the whole day. Today, through these social media platforms it is finally
available when and where we want it to be and so it was only a matter of time before
any form of politics enters the scene.
 Figure 1.0 Reproduced from a Pew Research Center report; Chart: Axios Visuals

The youngest generations — millennials and Generation Z — are set to exercise

their political insights in 2020, making up 37% of the electorate, according to a new
study by Pew Research.

Fast and Real Time

The political aspect has drastically changed in the last couple of decades with the
Internet and Social Media playing such a large role in this change. It is now considered

a vital role in political

campaigns and
movements as well as the
way it can affect the views
of the people - and with
the influences of their
votes. These days,
candidates and their
supporters constantly
"flood" different social
networking sites such as the giants Facebook and Twitter in the form of their own
respective pages, twitter accounts and advertisements which would broadcast their
Tropagandas. Not only does it gain traction for its users, but also the sympathy and
emotions of the people being their key of garnering their votes (Caleb, 2018).

Shares and Retweets

Another great factor is concerned regarding the real time capability and updates of
news virtually anytime and anywhere, one way that social media turned into this
powerful tool is its undefeated speed in sharing news, poll surveys and even
propagandas and rumors. As much as we'd like to deny it, while we are capable of
going to an online website to read news, people of any age these days prefer to spend
their time on Facebook and Twitter rather than any serious toned websites like CNN
and New York Times. This means that we often get all the trending facts and stories
through our online friends that appear in our feed.

Table 2.0 Reproduced from a Pew Research Center report; Chart: Axios Visuals

The table shows the amount of mentions and retweets by leading news companies
online with Donald Trump clearly leading the social media campaign. This is one
factor thought of as to why Dorlald Trump won the Presidential Campaign.

At your Fingertips

One of the most vital parts of social media is its capability of having direct
interaction with politicians. In previous years during election periods, the only time
that people would be able to interact with their hopeful candidates are through meeting
de avance or MDAs or if the political or candidate decides to do a publicity stunt to
gain the favor of the people and it is proven that it does help in their respective
campaigns and anyone who does fail to do so has a slimmer chance of winning. Thanks
to modern technology, a politician could simply utilize social media to announce an
online event whether in the form of AMAs (Ask me Anything), going live on Facebook
for announcements and to interact with its viewers and who knows, maybe even virtual
reality might be used for political purposes. When it comes to the social media
platform, the possibilities are going to be limitless in the way how the politician and
its advisors could think of utilizing this power.

Everything's Permitted

In terms of demographics however, politicians are capable of targeting certain

audiences to make sure that their voice and messages are being heard by the right
audience. May it be for a certain gender, age group, ethnicity, social background and
place of residency — they are able to tailor their advertisements through Facebook's
algorithm and analytics for targeted advertising. You may not notice it, but you might
feel that a certain advertisement is talking to you personally, you mustn't be surprised
that it was not any form of coincidence. It was specifically made for you.

Sample of Facebook's Page Analytics which aims to target certain age groups,
interests, gender, interests and many more.

Lies and Deceit

One of the other ways social media is turning into a political platform is its
capabilities of spreading lies and deceit in the forms of rumors, fake news and
conspiracies for the opposition of a certain candidate. Political campaigns are now
influenced by almost any story, regardless if it's proven true or false, as long as its
spread like wildfire in social media, it has then done its part of influencing the people.
And with the spread of such concept online, one does tend to get confused or worst
believe the lies created by anonymous people online. Memes for example are a mixture
of the reality of the situation, satirical implications, direct lies as well as unconventional
speculations that affect even the most dedicated supporters of each candidate. Satirical
news sites for example may look authentic and legitimate enough to be believed by the
common man, even taking the form of clickbait stories or trolls that use misleading
headlines to gain traction - after all, people would prefer reading short one liners that
spending their time reading and doing their own research in the topic to find out the
truth. Another one is the political biases of certain sites for their chosen candidates. As
a quick tip, a great deal of diligence is needed to believe anything - one should take the
time to research in finding out the truth rather than regret it once the wrong man is
seated in the office.
Sense of Confirmation

Another factor often misunderstood is the so-called power of confirmation bias.

Facebook and Twitter are created to connect with people, specifically those that are
close to you enough such as family members and close friends and more often than
not, the opinions between you and them are similar to each other which is why most of
the time you and they share the same sympathies on diffefent issues, including politics.
Vast majorities of Facebook Posts and Tweets tend to express a specific point of view,
specifically the one that you already hold. This creates this illusion online that
everybody thinks the same way as you do online which creates the filtered bias between
you and your friends. This is the reason why certain opinions are disregarded because
it goes against the embedded beliefs that one already holds and not even admitting that
they are also just influenced as well. More often than not, social media tell you what
you wanted to hear as a form of validation and the so-called fortification of a certain
mindset between one another. For this reason, social media may reinforce our opinions
and have us close minded to a certain point of view that it will be heinous enough for
us to entertain nor consider the unconventional opinions of others. However, if you do
make an effort to connect with various people with diverse standpoints and believes,
you can overcome this bias and create this virtual space a healthy, anonymous and open
space for open-minded people.

Throughout the years, the future of politics will still find different ways that we
may have not thought of today. With social media still being relatively new as well as
its continuous improvement, we're just starting to see its impact on society, even if it
does look like it has greatly impacted the course of life right now. Many political
changes are surely to be improved and crumbled through social media.

Concepts such as internet voting are even considered today to have more people
participate in elections, turning these social media platforms into a more powerful and
influential tool. As social media become ever more popular, its influence will surely
increase over time. And even we are interested to observe how this will play out.

How Obama Won the White House and the Internet - Twice
 An American Attorney, a politician and also a great father, Barack Hussein
Obama II, more commonly known as Barack Obama was the 44th man to be chosen
by American citizens, taking in the role as the President of the United States for two
terms from 2009 and 2017. Aside from his ideologies and platforms that he had
delivered for 9 years such as his healthcare law of Obamacare, the withdrawal of the
US Army from Iraq, countless domestic and foreign policies and more, he was also
declared the first man to have won the internet for his innovative ways of using mobile
phones.

Connection is Power

To be frank, mobile phone and the internet were part of an overall strategy of
Obama's creative and innovative team in utilizing the digital age of the World Wide
Web. Through these factors, they were able to turn millions of supporters to rise up
and stand for what they believe in producing an army of volunteers and donors.

Barack Obama paid homage to Howard Dean's strategies while still thinking various
thoughts of things in an advance manner, the way how no one was crazy enough to do
- challenge the opposing party, the Republicans, even in their stronghold states.
Indubitably, it was proven effective, and the best thing about it was Obama isn't even
needed to be there in person visiting each of the opponent's loyal states all thanks to
promotional and electoral campaign materials sent through emails, phones and the
Internet altogether.

Winning the Internet

Obama's edge of winning the hearts of millions was through the campaign's
digital efforts. With the current digital age, it has no doubt reshaped the current
generations technique to appease their hunger in politics, not just through the
traditional methods of campaigning with their megaphones held up high and chanting
Obama's name, but also the innovative way on how they were able to garner the votes
and the fundraising needed.

Thinking Differently

If there's one thing Obama was best known is that they knew young people get
their information differently, that's why they sought their support differently as well.
At this digital age, people no longer settle on what's coming up in the morning or
evening news. It can now travel infinitely and anywhere thanks to the development and
innovation that is the Internet. With the trend of young age groups being
technologically inclined and them looking at their phones and computer screens almost
the entire them, Obama's team has found and developed ways to take advantage of this
trend. They were able to create a master list of emails that belongs to this certain group
age, studied and found out the names of undecided voters who have publicly said their
decisions online and then went on and talk to them online. Obama's team was able to
tailor its social media presence as it caters to the personalities and the way of thinking
of younger generations.

It is no doubt that the young generations have learned to adapt and be skeptical
on the things that they've learned online, they were never the type of people to be
spoonfed information and accept it willingly, specifically when it comes to marketing
and political efforts, rather they were persuaded by the genuine information and
explanations of Obama's campaign.

Obama wasn't simply competing with Romney the same way his opponent was
competing, they knew they needed something to do and they took control of that edge.
Team Obama fine-tuned each and every possible way of communication to get the
people's attention online while encouraging their partisans to continuously share it on
Facebook, retweet it on Twitter, and spread the words on the streets and online by their
own will to their friends and loved ones. Evidently, it was a success for Obama and the
whole of America.

Wielded Power

It was only a matter of time wben other politicians tried to utilize what Obama
had used to win the election, but it was never that simple to copy a strategy to win —
specifically wielding the power of the Internet. Obama's campaign had the finances to
support his staff in his campaign. As society these days became more technologically
inclined as televisions and printed means of communication are being dethroned from
their 'deteriorating' stature, email was and still the efficient, effective and valuable
source of fundraising trump card for politicians.

Facebook and Twitter have continued to be the dominant outreach platforms to

this day with new social networking platforms popping up every year. Obama was able
to realize the analytics of these websites that they were able to identify persuadable
votes. As Teddy Goff -said - "Any Senate or House race or governor's race that does
all that pretty well is going to be at significant advantage over any other race."

With new technological tools always created and continuously developed,

manufacturing a specific way for online campaign is still a long way from what it is.
However, the current social media platforms are surely an effective tool, if and only if
it is utilized properly.

Checking in Twice

Seeking re-elections, the president is capable of using his officer to his

advantage for candidacy. Press conference and powerful events such as Air shows but
aside from that, Obama had millions of Facebook supporters and followers on Twitter,
and continuously steady growing followers, an army of supporters that is definitely
better and more personalized that a list of email database.
 His team was fully aware and ready as they were able to do it more than 50
times already with each state during the primaries and again in the general. They had
the experience to do it once, and to do it one more time.

Obama was able to go and check in twice at the White House and in 2016, no
candidate was capable to getting that amount of start online.

Maintenance and Coordination

Mark McKinnon, President Bush's senior adviser during the 2000 and 2004
elections commended Obama's team for utilizing the internet. It was dubbed as a
"seminal and transformative race" that has "leveraged the Internet in ways we never
imagined."

It was able to keep maintenance and coordination that the "paradigm got turned
upside down and truly became bottom up instead of top down."

Incumbent Role

Overall, Obama took 52 percent of America's total votes with his 338-163
dominant sweep win. It was a stunning victory for Obama indeed. Who knew that
someone who was new to the race of a national political stature ended that day as the
very first Black American to deserve the title as the President of the United States as
well as the key to the White House. He admitted that he was never the likeliest
candidate to be in office and knew that they didn't start with the finances, endorsements
and presence in the country. If it weren't for the effort of his team and the working men
and women of America that have given what they can as well as his online presence,
he wouldn't have been able to win the Internet and evidently the Presidency.

It was no doubt that the Internet was the key to his winning the presidency
twice. With volunteers from different parts of the country, he was able to affiliate the
greater portion of the country and stand up together for what they believed in, he was
able to garner $600 million in contributions.

Obama's Team was capable of running a campaign using very modern and
innovative tools that were not even intended for that purpose. He created a coalition,
talked about new issues — he reinvented the way campaigns are run. "It was a
multinational corporation versus a non-profit one," as stated by Simon Rosenberg,
president and founder of NDN.

The Essentials of Support

The Internet grew from being a means of transmission where- entertainment

and social life could be pleased as a way of connecting with friends and loved ones
into a more meaningful and definitely worth mentioning bridge for Americans to
participate in the ongoing politics, spending their time into politics rather than just
resting their mind as they go home - looking at every poll, survey and live discussion
online every step at a time. It was carefully designed to maximize online discussions
while at the same time giving them what they could do on their own time. In an effort,
the campaign was able to mobilize the supporters to send out counterattack efforts for
false rumors about Obama.

Obama's campaign reached massive proportions that if told to spread

something through calls, they really would. It was an affiliate marketing strategy from
the start for the purpose of not putting money for ill fortunes but rather for the purpose
of the greater good of America.

In any direction, the story of Obama's campaign is a story worth mentioning.

The camaraderie, creativeness and enthusiasm manifested through a plethora of
websites and social networking mediums resulted in the voluntary and genuine act of
kindness, love, persistence and passion in putting Obama in office. It was constantly
adding new features and efforts until the end of the campaign as Obama slowly
approached the White House.

Either way, his Presidency will surely be something to be studied for the years
to come. He was the first man to win the hearts of the people on the Internet and the
first African:American President of the United States. "It was a peer-to-peer, bottom-
up, open source kind of ethos that infused this campaign." (Benko, 2008)

Internet and the 2010 Philippine Election

Benigno Aquino II, Joseph Estrada and Manuel Villar, the top three powerhouse of the
Presidential Elections in which it was the first time
it implemented a full automation of elections in the country.

The 2010 Philippine Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election was a

necessary feat in selecting the 15th President of the Philippines, it was a year of
prominent in which everyone had the edge of winning the presidential seat. This was
also the very first time it has implemented an automated elections as pursuant to
Republic Act 9369 which authorizes the Commission of Elections or COMELEC in
using an Automated Election System.
The Philippines as an Electoral Battleground

Unlike the United States of America, the Philippines is considered an electoral

paradox. It is overall a democratic country while at the same time considered as one of
the most liberal societies in Asia. With centuries of western and south eastern influence
in terms of cultures, politics and way of life, the Philippines was able to conduct an
inspiring and non-violent revolution that everybody knows as the People Power
Movement of 1986, and another one in 2001. Moving forward a few decades, it has
widely accepted and embedded into the transitioning generations the new media
receiving feats such as the texting capital of the world and even the highest usage time
of social media and web surfing in general. The Philippines is truly the Pearl of the
Orient Sea, beauty on the outside attracts all the possible means to take control of it,
considering the country as an economic basket of Asia with the economic value
provided by overseas workers while at the same time certain political figures have been
prominent having considered politics as 'afamily business.

So how did all these things work out for the country? How could the Philippines
handle the contemporaneous aspects of merging traditional, modern and postmodern
means of influence in different fields. Politics remained traditional, its culture adapts a
modern take and its technological and media taking on a postmodern toll. And how
could all of this affect one another? Understanding the effects of the digital and internet
age in the Philippines is often a disregarded topic, particularly when considered in a
political manner. Philippines politics appear steady from the outside but underneath all
the facades of a typical election, certain reformation with the internet and digital factors
are slowly penetrating it gaining influence and effectiveness.

Social Media's Influence on the 2010 Elections

Traditional ways of campaigning while still viable are now not as effective as
it was before. This is the reason why politicians have seen the potential of the Internet
as a strategic and cost-effective way of spreading the words of their name to gain the
influence of millions online. The so-called social media sphere, an online space
considered as a public area filled with anonymity is an area where millions of Filipinos
are actively participating through online conversations, forums and pages.

Based on a study by asiafoundation.org, the Philippines has also been

considered as the most "social nation" in the world standing at a strong 41 million
active Facebook users with the demographics of 18-65 years old in all major areas of
the country, taking control of these numbers could very well turn the tides of any
election nor any national decision that is in the hands of its people.

Social media are now an umbilical cord for millions of citizens in the country
as a source of information. It is capable of being a free way of promotional marketing,
provides highlights to certain platforms, advocacy and social issues, capable of
providing open letters to the public and of course, helps the hopeful candidates to
promote their campaign, widely, freely and most often than not, unfiltered. And with
that, social media might as well be the basis for people to make decisions during
elections.

The Aquino Legacy - From Noynoy to PNoy

Benigno Aquino III, in a cabinet meeting still seen wearing

the yellow ribbon that has been the family's symbol for hope in the country.

Fueled by the wave of goodwill and the transfer of the people's power and
beliefs after the death of his mother, Benigno Simeon Cojuanco Aquino III or simply
Noynoy has given his words of the promise of leading the nation towards a prosperous
and straight path.

Through the six years of being the country's most powerful man and being
responsible for determining the fate as he led a hundred million Filipinos, it is no doubt
that he was able to fight the corruption and the typical 'woes' of the previous Arroyo
administration. The country was able to become one of the best performing economies
worldwide and welcomed the Philippines for years of prosperity.

But as any man and woman to take on the role of leading a country, the price
of prosperity was never a straight path unfilled with cracks and bumps. The so-called
"Daang Matuwid" was never meant to be smooth. There are social issues, calamities,
persistent corruption, poverty, unpeaceful peace processes, urban dysfunctions and
even malfunctioning trains and railroads were some of those bumps, even having a
large manhole due to a failed military operation.

But he was able to carry on his job as a leader through campaign promises both
kept and broken, steering an emerging economy through global storms, his
predominantly public relations with the public and even his bachelor stature as the first
President of the country to not have a first wife. He was not just the powerful man of
the country but also an influencer and even considered like a celebrity due to the
Internet and Social Media.
How PNoy Won the President and the Internet

PNoy, just like Obama, utilized social media as their ticket to winning the
elections. Political analysts were also keen with the importance of the Internet to
politics. PNoy already had the political age thanks to his name that the emotional factor
over the death of his mother also played a large role in putting another Aquino into
office. PNoy's electoral victory, however, depended more on the symbolism of death
than on the more common disapproval towards a previous administration and even the
Internet, but the sympathy of the masses was also the key as to how he won the virtual
world.

PNoy, just like his mother Cory, was never seeking for the power of Presidency
but the circumstances obliged him to continue the public duties of his family of
rescuing the country from the depths of corruption and despair. This was also a
motivation as the netizens were fully aware of it.

PNoy also used a lot of one liners that were very pleasant and acceptable to the
people. "Kapag walang corrupt, walang mahirap," "Kayo ang boss ko, "Ituloy ang
daang matuwid" are some of the bests ways he was able to get the heart of many
Filipinos. These lines have been embedded on the front pages of leading newspapers
and countless media outlets but also sparked political campaigns of blogs, posts and
even hashtags on social media.

Netizens fueled by their beliefs and trust for their chosen candidate have
literally bamboozled the online world in the country as they continuously share and
even spam these liners online to families and friends. But it didn't just get the heart of
many Filipinos but also gained global recognition as his anti-corruption slogan won a
Public Affair's Asia's Gold Standard Award for Political Communications giving proof
that it has been effectively brought into the public consciousness both in real life and
online.

PNoy also cultivated the Internet, specifically the realm of social media as a
way of contacting the youth. On the first two months of his campaign, he already had
more than 90,000 online "friends," more than any of his competition. He also utilized
a website of his own meant for public engagement online with the citizens. In other
words, PNoy was able to gain the favor of the online world through his cyber-
campaigning, it was an edge for him in his road towards Malacariang.

President Noynoy Aquino has combined the so-called political influence on

their name, the ritual and emotional construct embedded to him the country as well as
the mobilization and utilization of different mediums made possible my the digital age
of journalism, media corporations and social media. He was able to combine your
traditional campaign strategies, moral movements and social reformations altogether.

Anyone would be amazed with the modern technology at our disposal at well
as its capabilities. Mass communication tools have been prominent for nearly two
decades now. Text messaging was one of the main factors as to why President Joseph
Estrada was ousted into office thanks to an organized means of communication. Obama
was able to win the hearts of Americans through the revolutionary political strategy of
using social- media, websites, blogs and online news. Since then, even the country like
the Philippines has started to replicate that act just like how Aquino was able to win
the country and evidently, the position granted to him by the people.

Internet and the 2016 Philippine Election

The 2016 Philippine Election is the latest and definitely one most the most
controversial one from all the elections in the country. It was an all-star competition
where everybody had an edge once again conferring even to a year or two before the
actual elections. Various trends had defined the 2016 Philippine Elections whiCh
included the rise of an already influential name from the South, the return of a
controversial family from the North, the continuity or change dilemma of the previous
administration, the hacking conspiracy of voters' data and of course, the power of the
Internet and Social Media in online propaganda wars.

As with all the elections in the country, the main factor for a successful campaign
is their campaign platforms, the overall appeal that they have for the public and of
course, the trust and confidence of the people for their chosen candidate. However, this
presidential election was won and lost through social media, some lost and some
emerged as winners.

Evidently, social media's role has been a critical factor than the previous years. The
proportion of Filipinos with access to Internet and sources of online information has
drastically changed a lot in the recent years based on a Nielsen case study. As digital
advertising agency managing partner Carlo Ople said, "There are now more Filipinos
on the Internet and the low cost of smartphones has enabled them to be online," it is no
doubt for a fact that the Internet, particularly social media has become the new medium
for campaigning and whoever takes interest into it has a greater chance of winning.

Traditional campaign, however, was still prominent and effective, posters and
slogans are still very much effective specifically for each province a candidate has solid
control of, just like how Rodrigo Duterte controls Davao, Bongbong Marcos in Ilocos,
Leni Robredo in Bicol and the ever-changing decisions and choice of the people in
Metro Manila. Television as well can reach a nationwide scale to run political
advertisements that could cost millions.

#COMELeak Incident

The Philippines had used an automated system for the first time in 2010. With its
success, it was only right to use it for the 2016 elections. But a break-in into the system
exposing more than 70 million voter's data was enough to have the Commission on
Elections, the National Privacy Commission and the Data Privacy Act into the mettle.

It was six weeks away from the national elections when the incident happens.
Hackers group Anonymous Philippines showed the flaws of the security features of the
machines as they said it was their best interest that the elections be ran in all honesty
and integrity for the people, by the people. But the hacking did not stop there as another
group of hackers, LulzSec Pilipinas, was able to access all the digital data stored in a
database which contains all registered voter records, both active and dormant. It is still
considered as the biggest leak of personal data in Philippine history and definitely one
of the biggest government data breaches in the whole world which ignites controversies
and questions whether or not the 2016 Philippine Election will not be manipulated for
the ill-minded individuals who would dare change the votes in their favor.

With risk still apparent and cyberattacks being an unforeseen event, the
organizations and names held accountable for the incident has taken extra measure in
beefing up their systems for potential attacks. This has ignited issues concerning
cybersecurity awareness and threats and that a shared responsibility should require in
terms of protecting the valuable information of every Filipino voter.
Making it into Social Media

Rodrigo Duterte together with Leni

Robredo in a photograph taken that
shows both exchanging smiles. Netizens
immediately turned the photo viral and
"shipping" them as the perfect Presidential
and Vice Presidential candidates.

With the continuous improvement of social media such as Facebook and Twitter,
it is known that these social media platforms weren't really meant for Political Purposes
but rather a way to communicate with others online but it didn't stop bringing the names
of candidates the same way any viral faces were brought into the platform in the form
of memes created by netizens that could negatively or positively impact the stature of
someone in an instant.

However, most social media posts from candidates are often bombarded by an
opposition, mostly propagandas aimed to spread misinformation about a candidate.
What's worse is that it could grow bigger if traditional media picks up the speculation
and becomes a major concern - the greatest example would be the alleged corruption
of Jejomar Binay in Makati City, which greatly cost him his campaign in 2016.

In another matter, it still depends on how the candidate uses social media. At the
end of the day, their strong willingness, authenticity and platforms is their best bet in
winning the electoral race. It's still the message of the politicians that shall be heard
and felt by the people may it be online or not.

Rise of Duterte

Rodrigo Roa Duterte, more commonly known as Digong or Rody, is a Filipino

politician of strong wit, iron fist and a stature of power. He is known as a strong mayor
and vice mayor of Davao City for more than 25 years in a span of numerous terms. He
was also the very first man from the southern areas of Mindanao to run for the position
of the President of the Philippines, but it was not an approach any other politician has
done before.

As early as 2015, a year before the 2016 Presidential Campaign there has been
speculations of his intentions of running for president, specifically in social media
through posts and blogs from both high and low-profile websites. However, he denied
these several times even though he already had a following of supporters flocking
around him.
 Numerous politicians from different party lists tried to get the favor of Duterte as
they visited him from time to time offering gifts and conducting private meetings, only
a few realized that this was what Duterte needed to get public coverage and have the
whole nation get more intrigued in him.

After a few months of being quiet, on November 21, after a private meeting with
his fraternity brothers from San Beda's College of Law, Duterte has officially
announced his campaign for presidency together with his running mate Alan Peter
Cayetano who he considered the best bet of the country to lead together with him.
Through that announcement, the public was overjoyed and showed full support not just
in real life but in social media as well. Thousands of shares and retweets in different
social media platforms were enough to spread the word like wildfire and so the Internet
was once again showing a trend that is anything about Duterte.

How Duterte won the Internet

How did Duterte win the Internet d_uring the electoral campaign? It was an
unconventional way for a politician specifically for other hopefuls of the presidential
elections but Duterte has always been a public figure in his home city of Davao and of
course, the whole Mindanao, if someone up north asked about this Davao mayor then
they'd only say that he has been leading his city for a quarter of a century and has
imposed a strict and disciplined manner for his citizens that other cities have been
trying to mirror for years.

People believed that he could be the change the country finally needs and not just
the false hope and sweet words of politicians promising for change only to be left out.
When Duterte said that he would convert the current democratic government into a
federal parliamentary form, it was already an outcry for attention for both supporters
and the oppositions, but in the end, it was still a win for Duterte as this would only give
him more exposure, not just by the nation but the powerful nations of the whole world
as well.

Duterte has also been at most part unfiltered in the way he talks, and the people
liked his way of talking as opposed to the typical formal and classy manner of
communication of previous politicians. He showed that he is no doubt a normal man
with the special capability of leading a nation with Davao city providing the proof of
his success. Through the months following the announcement, numerous Facebook
pages and Twitter accounts have been created to show support in his campaign and
from the small group of enthusiasm, it was able to surpass the already established Fan
Page and Groups of other candidates ten-fold.

Due to this trend, the people believed that Duterte might as well be the best bet of
the country and on the noon of June 30, 2016, he became the 16th President of the
Philippines, succeeding Benigno "PNoy" Aquino III.
 Online polls and surveys showed that he had a trust rating of 91%, the highest ever
since the Marcoses. Immediately, his first Cabinet meeting was the agenda often
disregarded and left by the previous administrations as well as his platforms of the way
against drugs.

This sparked even more intrigued as the man immediately went to work providing
the people the type of public service they wanted. A strong man at the top of the
government. But Duterte knew his influence was never meant to stop when he became
President.

Powered by social media, numerous supporters offered updates that have reached
international media and even took the interest of different countries including the
ASEAN members, the United States of America, the Chinese Power House as well as
the Russians - more commonly known as some of the strongest nations in the whole
world in terms of economy, technological advancement and military operations.

Up to this day, Duterte can be seen in the public eyes. And that's all that he always
needs to get the attention of the nation throughout the different issues the country faces
today.

Media and Cyberspace Impacts to Elections — Future of Politics in the Digital

Age
Judging from the development of the Internet and Technology up to now, one can
easily visualize that the further development of technology and devices will result in
an innovative and more viable tools with features not yet even comprehensible today.
Should that advancement go forth, it will be unlikely that the current discussion of
ways to avoid problems and current issues will provide us a clear solution and possibly
a well-defined standard.

Government officials and politicians already have a wide array of tools to use to
spread their information and name during election periods. Blogs are easily made, a
single post on Facebook is a few clicks away, and a picture speaks a thousand words.
Moving forward, it is a must for candidates to build up the ropes to providing
information without unintentionally misleading them. The netizens as well should also
realize that it is possible that the next elections would be more censored or controlled
due to numerous bans and laws enacted upon the cyberspace. This ban, while
intentional, aims to ensure a level of fairness between each hopeful during the electoral
period. We only hope that these government officials do not fret on the sight of
maintaining focus on the debate of using the Internet for applicable purposes and as a
political tool in general.

Ask any politician these days and he'll tell you that journalist and the media wield
the power over the political process of any country. It is for a fact that media
continuously play a major role in politics with regards to the freedom of the press
thanks to Democracy. It is only just that voters require the information to make
educated decisions and it is a journalist's task to provide it to them.

The media can alter the outcome of an election often relating it to "Rigging the
Elections" through media coverage often seen as biased. The media landscape has
greatly impact how they are able to interact with various candidates, social media, the
cyberspace in general and even the millions of voters. It was at this time that the
country would feel distrust towards these giant media companies and yet they are still
the main source of valid and unhindered news.

Are we Covering This?

As any news, it is up to the jurisdiction and choice of journalists in choosing which
candidates to cover and evidently how much. Those choices alone are already a
deciding factor who would get more public exposure, both acceptance and outrage as
a simple name recognition plays a big factor to drive their campaigns during their
elections. This is the main reason as to why some candidates felt invisible as they
cannot win enough' interest from the media. The best example being Trump's outsized
proportion of media coverage due to his unfiltered tweets on Twitter, public speaking
and outright accusations in his campaigns that have given him National and
International Coverage he needs to stand out in the crowd. And with the integration of
social media for these journalists, it will always be fast enough that are capable of
updating the public in a matter of seconds.
Biases and Scripts

Table 3.0 Liberal and Rights Representation

The table shows who are the main sources of news by America with the left being
more liberal and right more conservative. Looking closely, right inclined news stations
are some of the most popular international news network.

Based on a research by Pew Research Center, many media outlets attract partisan
audiences thus radiate political biases in their coverage. With today's news consumers
getting their facts with a simple click and. flick of the wrist on their personal computers
and mobile devices from a quick internet search, many have started to differentiate
themselves by shifting from news to a more contextual and analytical manner of news.
However, this isn't always the case as selective exposure provides the tendency the
general public had to seek out valid sources that wouldn't challenge our intellects and
beliefs about the world.

It is for a fact that there is relationship between selective exposure and the division
of political favors in any electoral campaign in any nation and it is clearly related to
the rise of partisans delight in their media sources, the blogs and websites they visit as
well as the ideological bias.

There is another concern where complex ideologies of politicians in their electoral

platforms are often oversimplified and saturated by news presenters through simplified
scripts which might result into confusion in the future should the politician win. For
example, media's coverage of Hillary Clinton being a corrupt politician and Donald
Trump is a racist and misogynistic man have dominated not just the electoral coverage
but also the outrage on social media in which they do not realize it has been heavily
modified and filtered to only have a certain perspective in mind. With social media in
mind, the masses believe it as a direct line to their politicians which creates an "intimate
relationship" with the person they've chosen whilst never meeting them in person.

Checking the Facts - Authentic or Not?

Just like any other news, it should be considered that facts must be checked out and
verified to be real and accurate. Delivery rushed news based from speculations are
surely going to be an issue that could even affect the name of these media groups. One
of the most notable developments in journalism is its capability of leading the outcomes
of the elections. (Radcliffe, 2019)

It should also be considered that while certain news from even the biggest names
of media corporation might be made up or considered fake — it isn't always the case
as you have to consider that these media groups also aim to be the very first source of
everything as they are still a business in mind. It is in their best interest the name of the
company that they represent. It is still however a fact that the netizens still exercise
their diligence to find out what's reliable facts to those that aren't.

Application: (ANSWER THIS)

I. ESSAY (Not more than 5 sentences)

1. Who won the 2008 USA Presidential Election and how did they utilize the
Internet?
2. In your own words, what is the most prominent way how social media and the
media companies were able to mold and shape the elections?
3. What’s the significance of diligence to your daily life on social media? Explain
at least 3 significance in terms of personal, private and political affairs.
4. If you’re given a chance to be a politician, how could you utilize social media
to provide you the exposure that you need to win the hearts of thousands and
even millions?

References:

Living In The Information Technology Era

Teodero F. Revano Jr.
MINDSHAPERS CO., INC.

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lesson.