The Boom of Facebook

Filipinos are sociable people, ranking 1st in Southeast Asia and 8th in the world. This closeness to one another contributed to the breakthrough of Facebook here in the Philippines, specifically the need to always be in the know about anything and everything. Interestingly, Facebook did not start as a platform to disseminate information and news. 10 years ago, the Newsfeed was introduced but it was only around the year 2019-2020 that local and international news stations began to use the platform as an extension of distributing information in the form of blog-style posts and photos. It was during this time that social medias have gained power over the masses because of the millions of users. Due to this massive population, the people have seemingly “bent” the information to cater them. It is not because Facebook had the information they needed but rather the information made its way there because it was the easiest way to distribute the word to the mass.

Making Content Out of Journalism

“Content creators are the new journalists” is a subtle implication that are often seen in major social media platforms. It has also been a subject of many debates. Are content creators changing how the information is received? What validates a content creator’s information? Is it the sources they cite or the netizen’s approval?

Influencers have this certain charisma and influence that puts them at a high pedestal when it comes to being information drivers or leaders. When promoting brands or products it is always effective when a famous influencer advertises is and this technique works nearly the same way as it does with information dissemination. A famous influencer in the Philippines by the name of Gabe Pineda is always present and talking about recent political events in a way that informs but also invokes people to criticize their own mindsets and political beliefs. Of course, these influencers have political biases and Pineda is no exception. To some of his followers, they confess that Pineda acts as their first bearer of news, not from the traditional and common news channels but from influencers. Pineda is only one example among many other influencers that have naturally become the netizen’s reporter.

The reliance on powerful and influential people stems way back in the history of our nation. They have the means, the connections, the ability to talk and reach millions of people.

The Community That Transcends Borders

Filipinos often follow a certain pattern of behavior and thinking and it is most often anchored in community consensus. Because Filipinos are a “collectivist society,” opinions are shaped by not by a single individual but rather a group of people. This is one of the major reasons why Filipinos are able to drive their ideologies effectively when they move together. Examples of communities most commonly seen in Facebook are labor unions, non-profit organizations (NGOs), local barangay groups, and fanbases of celebrities or media. It is not only the common people that benefits from this but even political figures in the government.

During May 11 to 13 the Philippine government was thrown into disarray due to the unexpected return of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa who has been absent since November 2025. Around 7:00 pm on May 13 the Senate was locked down due to the rounds of shooting between Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) and the alleged National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) member. During the lockdown, shootings, and black-out in the Senate, how did the Senators choose to approach the situation? They utilized Facebook to livestream, post, and update the people of their current situation. Rose, not her real name, expressed her opinion on the livestreaming of certain Senators during the Senate shooting. “They should have fixed the situation inside the Senate first before they livestreamed… to me, what they did is just to gain exposure and clout.” She believes that the politicians know that, by using Facebook to reach communities, they can extend their influence and manipulate the people’s opinion especially because of the heightened emotions, essentially using the people’s empathy and emotion to drive their point of view of the situation as the fact. Adding further into the chaos that has already divided the people into groups.

Filipinos and Facebook’s Red Flag Relationship

Filipinos have this toxic behavior that stems from being too dependent on the platform. The toxicity could be seen predominantly under celebrity posts or political articles. In the previous paragraphs, it was highlighted how the easiest way to manipulate the collective mentality of the people is through utilizing the most used platform, Facebook. Despite being the most used platform, people also started to doubt the information that comes especially from unverified Facebook accounts. 65% of Filipinos have difficulty in identify fake information according to a survey done in 2025. This would further prove that the reliance on Facebook by the people is almost akin to blind faith it is not until recently did a series of events made people question the platfrom they have depended on for years

February 2025 ignited a fuse for a long and arduous back and forth between Apollo Quiboloy, the Filipino people, and the Senate. It was during this time that the masses began to gain awareness about the extent of harm that misinformation and malinformation can cause. It was because of this that youth parties joined forces to speak up and protest for the rights of journalists in the social media space. This exposed layers of cultism, abuse, and systemic corruption yet people who remains faithful to Quiboloy continue to clamor for him, primarily in Facebook communities.

Black and White Makes Gray

Facebook is not the culprit but the medium. It is not Facebook that makes certain things bad and other things good; just like any other platforms and algorithms, what a person feeds into its system will be the basis for its personalization of your feed. What does this imply for the current status of the Philippines? As of 2026, due to the multiple corruption issues in the Philippines, people have begun to thinking critically about the things they see online. Facebook is still the primariy social media platform in the country but those that use it are becoming well-informed. Sometimes, people are quick to place assumptions on the discourses they see on Facebook but maybe there’s something more beneath the surface if we look hard enough.