Dangers of Mobile Phone Politics
I bumped into this BBC article from Textually.org stating:
More than a third of Filipinos have mobile phones. In a country where many live in poverty, they are often seen as a cheap way to stay in touch. But for some the mobile is also being used as a powerful political and social tool …
But it is also become a headache for many recipients. Most mobile users are anonymous because they use pre-paid phone cards, which can be bought without giving a name and address. With the origin unknown, malicious messages can create unease in a fragile democracy.
Texting in the Philippines is such a rumour mill that it can turn a shred of disinformation into a national talking point, sometimes one that forces the government to comment.
We, Filipinos, have been so used to text messaging that it is a natural part of our lives. Even the fact that it is a really big rumor mill is also know to most of us. How many times have I gotten a message with: “Big General Resigns”, “Pope is Dead”, “Bomb in Malacanang” and others that we later proven to be hoaxes. This is particularly true last April 1. We just have to be a bit more careful about the things we read and forward on our mobile phones. Let us not aggrivate the situation by forwarding false and unverified messages.
