by Samuel Harry Adlaon
Centered on media literacy and the effective use of information technology in building a more peaceful and understanding community, Project Amihan: Young Peace Weavers’ Workshop on Digital Storytelling featured three sessions during its second day on Sunday, August 25 at Alan Sr. Residences in Iligan City.
Joined by distinguished speakers from across the country namely, John Marwin Elao, Paolo Miguel Ordonio, and Mark Anthony Artis, the discussion unveiled layers of perspective from their different fields into a unifying goal of peacebuilding.
Social Media for Peace
John Marwin Elao, a Social Media Producer of Philippine Star (Philstar) led the discussion on positive practices in advocating for peace through social media. In his talk entitled, ‘Digital Diplomacy: Leveraging Social Media for Peace and Connection,’ he emphasized how social media connects diverse communities and links together individuals with different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.
“This connection helps to break down stereotypes. So, dahil connected na tayo sa isa’t isa, alam na natin yung differences, yung diverse background with each other, nababreak down natin yung mga stereotypes, yung mga predisposed notion natin about each other,” Elao stated.
Peering on the concept of algorithms, participants were engaged in an activity where they scrolled through their social media app of choice for a minute and briefly explained what they felt. A wide array of emotions from stress, sentimentality, contentment, and inspiration became a lesson in media consumption and algorithms.
He proceeded to discuss how powerful algorithms are and how they work, defining them as a set of rules and data collected by social media platforms to decide what content users see. “It tailors content to user preferences,” he added.
“Yung mga social media users, exposed lamang sa mga information na nag re-enforce ng kanilang belief or certain biases,” Elao explained, stressing that one effect of the personalization of algorithm is the creation of an eco-chamber of the same beliefs and biases, which then influences public opinion.
He went on to explain some tools and techniques, encouraging everyone to be positive, engage thoughtfully, and verify information.
Media Information Literacy (MIL)
Paolo Miguel Ordonio, Deputy Executive Director of the Break the Fake Movement, subsequently shared his crusade for Media Information Literacy (MIL), expounding on the set of interrelated competencies.
Contrary to popular framing, he challenged the notion that being tech savvy was tantamount to being media information literate. “Hindi natin pwede sabihin na, ah, marunong ako mag-cellphone, MIL na ako. Ah, marunong ako gumamit ng Google Slides, ng internet, MIL na. Kung titignan natin dito, marami siya. Merong news literacy, social media literacy, privacy literacy, computer literacy, civic literacy, field literacy, AI literacy, and so on,” Ordonio expressed.
He pointed out that MIL promotes inclusive participation, educates people on their rights, and offers a different lens in situations by questioning information taken at face value. This approach, he explained, would help eradicate harmful misinformation and establish a safe digital environment, bound by a shared understanding between individuals who have learned how to empathize with others despite their differences.
Ordonio concluded his presentation by urging participants to create a story pitch with their partner using the five core competencies of MIL as part of their culminating output, with the core message centered on friendship.
Hasanah Basher and Dañiela Liparanon proposed an advertising campaign targeting audiences who have long-term friendships that started out of the blue. Their story deep dived into an unexpected friendship that started through a simple chicken meal at 7/11, showcasing how their genuine friendship came unexpectedly. Dañiela noted that their differences brought her Hasanah closer together, forming a loving and understanding bond.
Digital Media Production, Storytelling for Peacebuilding
All the way from Luzon, Mark Anthony Artis, an educator from Baua National High School in Cagayan Valley, concluded the second day’s sessions with his presentation on the basic skills and overall principles of media production and storytelling.
Advancing stories that ‘can change the narrative’, Artis underscored the importance of spotlighting stories that must be given space for dialogue. He noted that this can be achieved through the same participation shown by the young peace weavers coming from different backgrounds in the workshop.
He shared how storytelling has changed the lives of his former students by encouraging them to pursue stories that foster connection and inspire positive change.
“Peace is not just the absence of war. Peace is more on understanding each other and embracing our differences and building a better future for those who cannot build the future themselves,” Artis highlighted. “These stories of difficulties and hardship will help you write great stories and you will be building and making stories for people para ma inspire sila,” he added.
Artis underscored the importance of storytelling, expressing hope that by sharing and listening to one another, a more empathetic community will follow suit, inspiring others as well to speak up and share their own unique stories.
Meanwhile, Sittie Fathma Zayrah Sinal Lantud, a BA English Language Studies from the College of Arts and Social Sciences of Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), extended her gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the workshop and to become a catalyst for positive change.
“Even if we are from different backgrounds, from different cultures, from different places, we are all the same, we have the same common denominator which is friendship, and [we are] advocates for peace,” Lantud stressed.
Irmalyn Rose S. Areola, a recent graduate of BSBA Business Economics at MSU-IIT, and a friend of Lantud, also shared the same sentiments that peace is not a black-and-white case. “[Peace] also starts with us as a person,” she said, adding that she wanted to take the opportunity to connect with people and pay forward these privileges in the pursuit of harmony that we all seek to achieve.
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