A tweet for a change

Are you Twitter-pated? What does your tweet say? How far can your 140
characters go?
These are just some of the queries that come to mind every time we talk about
social mediaFacebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Wordpress, 9Gag, Pinterest and so much
more. These are questions enough to tickle our fancies this morning, ladies and
gentlemen! Today, well explore a nook of the social media universe, the one where a
tweet is not just a simple tweet but a ripple of change.
Twitter is a fast-paced medium where you can post anything, from trivial things
like what youve just eaten, where youve been, the movie youve watched and of
course your obligatory daily selfie or on the other hand, you can show your
participation to various social movements like the Earth Hour where you can show your
love for Mother Earth through using the hashtags, #TheEarthNeedsYou and
#TurnOffTheLightsForOurEarth. Twitters randomness has its own pros and cons,
depending on how we utilize this power because one tweet can either unite us or break
our social grounds into pieces.
They say Filipinos dominate the Twitter universe, we like to post our activities
and in the age of globalization, we have been using this democratic platform as a
weapon to mobilize, cooperate and let our voices be heard. When the news about the
siphoning off of our public funds (our money, by the way) courtesy of the Queen Janet
Lim-Napoles, spread out like wildfire, tweets about condemnation, damnation, dismay
and calls for reforms flooded and continue to flood Twitter. This was the time when the
hashtags #FeelingNapoles, #KatkatQueenNapoles,
#CorruptionIsMoreFunInThePhilippines and the legendary monotonous response of
Napoles during a Senate inquiry #HindiKoPoAlam. Twitter has witnessed this trending
topic discussed by most, if not all, Filipinos in the sphere of social media. In a way, it
has become our tool to demand for transparency and accountability.
As Max Gladwell said about social media, What's most profound is that these
represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized
institutions and organizations to the people they represent. It is the evolution of
democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it.
Aside from the former, compassion, hope and love flocked on Twitter when the
Supertyphoon Yolanda lashed across the Visayas that had caused the loss of thousands
or lives, devastated billions of infrastructure and livelihood and curtailed the dreams of
many. The international community also poured in their support in rebuilding the
ravaged areas. Donations and pledges were lodged in different social networking sites,
using the Tweetsgiving App, #PHRedCrossDonate, #YolandaPHDonate and many more.
A rundown of celebrities such as Rihanna, Ashton Kutcher, Ellen, Oprah, Anne Curtis,
among others used their social influence in Twitter to ask for donations.
Citizens, activists, leaders, students, artists , from Hollywood to Bollywood, from
the deserts in the Middle East to the Nordic regions, together we made a difference to
other people and one thing we have to be thankful for is the existence of Twitter or
social media, in general for bringing us closer, defying differences and distances. We
have heralded social media to spark change in the way people, organizations, and
governments interact with each other. These campaigns have shown the incredible
potential of social media platforms to let us dream of better, more efficient ways to
connect and allow us to reshape how we think about our world and ourselves.
This is the era of social media, of smartphones, of Instagram, of Twitter, of
Youtube. This is now our power a power that lies at the tip of our fingers and in the
lenses of our handy cameras. But as any kind of power, it demands responsibility and
clever choices. When youre going to post using 140 characters, will it be for good or
for the destruction of others? Will you post as a selfie person or as a selfie-less
Filipino using social media as catalyst of change? I will leave you these questions to
ponder, feel free to tweet your answers and use the
hashtag #English17SpeechClass2014. Good morning and have a great day ahead,
ladies and gentlemen!