Life
bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @mstandardLIFe
young life
I do gIve a fact
How millennials can promote truth in the age of ‘fake news’
saturday, september 22, 2018
C1
PURveYoR of tRUtH. As the generation with the biggest online presence, millennials play a significant role in ensuring the truth prevails amid rampant spread of false information on the Internet.
O
ver the past two years, the Internet, has become a hotbed of fake news and false information spread to manipulate, sway public opinion, and quash dissent.
The term fake news has become popular two years ago after the US election, and is fast becoming a global problem, considered one of the greatest threats to democracy. Our country also has its fair share of fake news items and fake news sites. In April this year, Facebook had begun taking down several websites publishing fake articles, primarily those that posted about President rodrigo Duterte.
The social media giant has also tapped third-party fact-checking programs to address the spread of fake news among Filipinos Facebook users. Despite the proliferation of misinformation, majority of Filipino users believes that fake news is a serious problem on the Internet, according to a survey by Social Weather Station in June 2018. As the generation with the biggest
online presence, millennials, or those aged 22 to 36, play a significant role in making sure the truth prevails amid the rampant spread of false information. According to a recent data from The Statistics Portal, 98 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds in the US use the Internet. But how exactly can one tell fake news from factual ones? The Public relations Society of the Philippines shares these tips to help millennials promote truth in the age of disinformation:
go only to reliable sites
Do not rely on social media for news. Turn to C2
Getting your news from social media might not be the best idea.
Majority of online Filipinos believes that fake news is a serious problem on the Internet.
the fake poster up, Maravilla decided to post a tweet. “I noticed there was a blank wall at McDonald’s so I decided to make this fake poster of me and my friend. It’s now been 51 days since I hung it up,” he tweeted along with photos of him and Toledo. His tweet currently has over 260,000 retweets and one million likes. The viral tweet and epic prank landed the two Fil-Am college students a guest spot on Ellen. “I know a great prank when I see
one,” said DeGeneres, the show’s host and resident prankster. Maravilla and Toledo narrated on the show how they came up with the idea and how they did it. “Congratulations that you got away with this,” said DeGeneres. During the show, the Tv host surprised them with the news that McDonald’s are hiring them for a marketing campaign for which they will each get $25,000. Now that’s a sweet deal from an epic prank and a viral tweet.
Fil-Am college students Christian Toledo and Jevh Maravilla narrate how they pulled off their fake poster prank on The Ellen DeGeneres show.
tReNdINg
Fil-Am pranksters receive surprise on Ellen THe two Filipino-American students who pulled off an epic prank of putting up a fake poster at a McDonald’s in Houston have received their “penalty”—a guest spot on The Ellen DeGeneres show and $25,000 each from the fast food giant. A couple of months back, friends Jevh Maravilla, 21 and Christian Toledo, 25,
decided to put an empty, non-CCTvguarded wall at a McDonald’s branch they frequent to good use. They created a poster of themselves, similar to those on the walls of the store, sneaked it inside with the help of a McDonald’s uniform they bought at a thrift store and a made-up badge with a made-
up position as “regional Interior Coordinators,” and successfully put it up. Maravilla, born and raised in Texas, told earlier reports that they simply wanted to promote diversity as the store, prior to their stunt, didn’t have an Asian, particularly Filipino, representation. After nearly two months of putting
Maravilla’s viral tweet about the fake poster they put up at a McDonald’s in Houston.