MILLENNIALS’ RIGHTS IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Thesis Statement: Freedom of Speech and Right to Information of the Millennials in Social

Media in the Philippines. According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Everyone has

the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions

without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media

and regardless of frontiers. (Article 19, 1948). The constitutional provision on press freedom

reads: “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, of the press, or

the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of

grievances.” (Article III, Section 4).

Review of Related Literature

Social media. Since its first known use in 2004, social media has been an entirely new

communication landscape altogether (Kietzmann et. al., 2011, p. 241), and a global phenomenon

that happens in all markets. With regular use, time will come when everybody will be an active

user of social media, like in the case of television (Universal McCann, 2008). Social media vary

according to their functionality and scope. Some are for networking with the general masses (e.g.,

Facebook) and others are for a more specific group (e.g., LinkedIn). Some are for media sharing

(e.g., Youtube) and others are for bookmarking (e.g., Reddit). They may also be sources of public

opinion through blogs in which content is created and maintained by authors ranging from an

average Joe to a professional writer (Kietzmann et. al., 2011, p. 242). Forrester Research reported

in 2008 hat, “75 percent of Internet surfers used social media by joining social networks, reading

blogs, or contributing reviews to shopping sites (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010, p. 59).”
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Although there is no systematic way to categorize social media applications (Kaplan&

Haenlein, 2010, p. 61), majority of social media use has concentrated on social networking sites.

These are virtual collections of user profiles shared to other users to connect with them (Correa et.

al., 2010, p. 248 citing Raacke & Bonds-Raacke, 2009). Social media is a massive shift that

underlines the importance of interaction. In fact, “the Internet was founded on message boards,

chat rooms, and peer to peer communication.” But contributing to the Internet has become most

accessible and least technical when social networks emerged (Universal McCann, 2008).

Social networks evolved into platforms that organize user experience of Internet surfers

who post massive variety of online content, “making it the number one platform forcreating and

sharing content.” It has quickly transformed into platforms for distributing programs, like a “one

stop shop for all your Internet needs,” making users spend more time in social networks. More

importantly, it has also become their utility to manage relationships with 74% of them using social

networks to contact or send messages to their friends (Universal McCann, 2008).

No one can deny that social media is changing every day as developers try to come up with

new ideas on how to capture an expanding market and today’s youth. According to their website,

Facebook had 968 million daily active users on average for June 2015, while Instagram has over

400 million users monthly. Social media outlets will keep growing, adapting and raising the bar to

cater to new generations. (Florez, 2015).

Social Media in the Philippines. Filipinos are crazy for social and apps. In the Philippines,

94% of social media users are on Facebook, while only 54% in the US do (OnDevice Research,

2014). Considering the enormous difference in the number of population between the Philippines
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and the US, social networking is one of the most popular Internet activities in the Philippines,

making it the “social networking capital of the world,” with 83% of Filipinos being members of a

social network (McCann, 2008). And while only a third of the Filipino populace have access to

the Internet, it is not longer shocking to label the Philippines as the most “social” country, with

more than 95% of these netizens using various social networking sites (Kemp, 2012).

Who are the Millennials? Millennials are described in various ways; children of the

boomers, confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat, open to change, and digital natives. They are

the first global legion that has more shared interests, behaviors, and goals than any of the previous

generations (Omnicom Media Group, 2012). They believe that their generation possesses a unique

and distinctive identity, and this distinction is because of technology (Pew Research Center, 2010).

Millennials, also known (sometimes) as Gen Y, the only real requirement to be a Millennial is age.

There are varying interpretations, but Millennials are generally considered to be those born

between 1981 and 1996. So even though you’re probably thinking of Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus,

Millennials today can be anywhere from 18-37. We’re seeing the first generation of “digital

natives”. They’re experiencing more of their lives online than any generation before them,

particularly through social networks. And “They”, as you’ve probably guessed, are ‘Millennials’.

Freedom of Speech. Freedom of speech is the right of the people to express their opinions

publicly without government interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence

or rebellion, and others. But the question is: Do we really have freedom of speech or is it just an

illusion? (Dungao, 2017). In the Philippines, the government officials always say that there is
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freedom of speech. The critics or the opposition say the same thing, but with a twist: “Indeed, we

have freedom of speech. But freedom AFTER speech is another matter.” (Arao, 2018). Freedom

of speech and expression is not absolute. (CHR, N/A). There are obviously limits to free speech,

because the Constitution embodies other values and interests which also need protection. (Guarina,

2015). In the Philippines, the freedom of speech or expression is not always a freedom. (Isidro,

N/A). Everybody has the right to be wrong, but everybody has the responsibility to get it right.

(Lingao, N/A). Perhaps our intervention as academics and researchers in media and

communication would be to properly contextualize the plight of the peoples of the world, including

the millennials. (Arao, 2018). When we speak out for our right to freedom of speech, we begin to

exercise it. When we write about our right to freedom of expression, we begin to practice it. There

can be no theoretical advocacy of these freedoms. There can only be practical, practicing advocacy.

(Kyi, N/A). There are routinary, organizational, extra-media and ideological factors that deserve

our close scrutiny as far as communication and media are concerned. Only then can we find

explanation to the negative online perception as regards the millennial generation. (Arao, 2018).

Sad to say, the mass media – which should be the bastion of responsible use of freedom of speech

– is also its most frequent violator. More often than not, they display bias and can serve as tools

for the powerful in swaying the public opinion as well as in destroying the reputation of others.

(Villarin, N/A). Perhaps it is timely to ask: Does this kind of media evolution have any effect on

the alleged self-entitlement of people, including the millennials? Does individualized consumption

of media result in individualism among millennials? Whether or not the millennials would rise to

the occasion depends greatly on their world view: Will they work to maintain the status quo or

will they act to change it? While we acknowledge the existence of global surveys on the

preferences of millennials, there is not much global scholarly work on their activism. (Arao, 2018).
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Much of the literature like 2018 Deloitte Annual Millennial Survey focuses on adequacy of skills

and knowledge in pursuit of careers. As regards The 2017 Millennial Impact Report (2017) which

is based on, among others, a survey of about 3,000 millennials based in the United States, it is

interesting to note that one of the key findings is that “Millennials who call themselves activists

are ones who act with confidence and deliberateness for causes/social issues, even when doing so

for groups they aren’t a part of. Most millennials see themselves as supporters” (p. 14). I think

disabling comments, stopping people from speaking up, is not a long-term solution. The solution

there is to encourage them to keep on talking to the point that a time would come that they would

say something decent. (Cruz, 2017). We call on the Philippines to respect the fundamental right to

freedom of expression and remind the country of its obligations under the International Covenant

on Civil and Political Rights, which allows for only narrow legal limitations to the right to freedom

of expression. (Lacambra, 2018). Three decades after the ratification of the 1987 Constitution and

even beyond, freedom of expression remains and will be always be a necessary condition for a

strong and vibrant democracy. It has to be fought vigilantly, regardless of the cost. (The Daily

Tribune, 2018).