How fake news impact the sense of nationalism among Filipinos?

Fake news is an online phenomenon with major effects for the entire globe, including the
Philippines and this is a current threat. People find it harder to discern between true and fake
information and are prone to internalize false beliefs. On the other side, fake news can currently
be a serious problem, as shown in the COVID-19 pandemic, where deceptive misinformation
about the virus has spread. Misinformation has caused a great deal of trouble during this time of
crisis. Owing to this false news, several individuals suffered. Fake news are created without
verifiable proof or sources. Via social media, fake news have proliferated. They are distributed
so quickly and rapidly online. Fake news spread has been aided by the technical simplicity of
copying, pasting, clicking and posting information online. As an open website, Facebook is one
of the main sources, serving as a booster to sway the opinion of the public because of the stories
produced. Facebook does not provide links for its users to fact-checking websites. For the
Philippine audience, fake news sites have become popular, especially through social media
sharing.
In the Philippines, where social media has played a much greater role in political
influence, fake news has become problematic. Because of fake news, the sense of nationalism
among Filipinos has a major negative impact. Dr. Jose Rizal is, as we all know, the father of
nationalism. Nationalism is an ideology and movement that promotes the Philippines' interests,
especially with a view to gaining and maintaining the nation's sovereignty over its homeland.
The rise of false news has made people self-centered, and their thoughts and actions are for their
personal priority to be fulfilled. As Dr. Jose Rizal mentioned, thoughts and acts should never be
a priority for the individual, but rather for the common good and as part of a country. In order to
develop and contribute to the mission of nation-building, one must take it seriously to have a
national consciousness in order to change a society.
Fake news harmfully and destructively affects the sense of nationalism among Filipinos.
They can also have significant impacts because we make important information-based decisions,
because our understanding of the world is influenced by experience. We create an idea about
people, or a scenario, by gathering information. Therefore, if the facts we see are fake, distorted,
inflated or corrupted by such knowledge, we will not make good choices. Unity and solidarity
among Filipinos are broken by fake news. Fake news has come to mean different things to
various individuals. Among them, there are different convictions that do not bind Filipinos as
one. Nationalism also aims to establish and retain a collective national identity based on mutual
social features of politics, culture and belief. If fake news is everywhere, then it is impossible to
accomplish this. False awareness distinguishes Filipinos from each other. Disinformation is often
a political tale that is negative to an organization and an individual, causing hate for a certain
entity or person.
Fake news affects the sense of identity of Filipinos in such a way that the beliefs of each
person are distinct from each other. It has a negative impact among Filipinos on the sense of
nationalism. The world is transmitting different kinds of awareness. Some individuals believe in
real facts and others believe in false information because they have not determined which data is
true. Fake news hampers the stability of the country. Little by little, fake news is undermining
nationalism among Filipinos, disconnecting one another. Instead of uniting Filipinos together as
one, the emergence of fake news divides us from each other. For nationalism to prosper, unity is
a must. The existence of unity is the manifestation of the same values and principles by the
unification of the Philippines. This is achievable in the whole world by the removal of false
news. The distribution of false information in the country is detrimental to all and even to the
Philippines, impacting them destructively.

References:
 Rafael, V. L. (1990). Nationalism, imagery, and the Filipino intelligentsia in the
nineteenth century. Critical Inquiry, 16(3), 591-611. https://doi.org/10.1086/448548
 Hau, C. S. (2005). Nation Building, 39-68. https://doi.org/10.1355/9789812305503-005