For folk-pop band Ben&Ben, the internet is a double-edged sword—an “amusement park” and a “jungle” all at once.
“The internet can be a wild place. It’s like a jungle… an amusement park. There are so many sides to it. It can be very useful for work and school, but can also be dangerous if you’re not careful. Because of that, we need to learn how to use the internet safely and responsibly,” keyboardist Patricia Lasaten said in an interview early this year.Indeed, while now an indispensable tool for work, education, communication and entertainment, the digital space has also given rise to activities that pose threats to security, privacy and social welfare, such as disinformation, scams, catfishing and bullying.To guard against such risks, and as part of tech giant Google’s internet safety campaign, the nine-piece collective wrote and produced a song encouraging people to be more discerning of what they consume and engage in on the internet.
Best practices
Titled “Mag-Ingat,” the island-vibed advocacy song stresses the value of critical thinking and touches on internet best practices, like verifying information and distinguishing legitimate from disreputable sources.“Mag-ingat sa pang-aabuso / Ingat sa pang-aapi / Ingat ka sa nakatagong may balak na marumi … / Nasa ating mga palad / Ang kakayahang suriing mabuti ang nababasa,” so the song goes.Internet safety is something the group takes seriously. Some members have loved ones who had fallen for “fake news.” Others had been baited by misleading quote cards, or have family members who had encountered dubious personalities on social media.“Something that has definitely been on the rise the past few years is disinformation in the form of fake news that gains traction. Most likely, we have relatives and friends who have fallen victim to it,” noted Paolo Guico, who shares singing and songwriting duties with his twin brother, Miguel.
Added Patricia: “Sometimes, news posts that use black and white photos of personalities mislead you into thinking that they have died—only to realize it’s from a parody account.”
Drummer Jam Villanueva, on the other hand, discovered that her younger brother—who had just started using social media—was unwittingly talking to an adult pretending to be a child. “We were scared. So we educated ourselves on the things to watch out for, the questions to ask, so we can teach him and prevent such thing from happening again,” he said.
Thankfully, Google has adapted several measures to promote digital responsibility. Aside from Ben&Ben’s “Mag-Ingat” song, the company also implements security features like the two-step verification process and password checkups to safeguard people’s user experience with its products. It also launched a program called “Be Internet Awesome” in the Philippines in November last year that teaches kids the “fundamentals of digital citizenship.” Its teaching materials focus on five key topics: “Share with care” (lessons on online reputation); “Don’t fall for fake; (phishing, scams, identifying legitimate sources); “Secure your secrets” (privacy); “It’s cool to be kind” (harassment, bullying), and “When in doubt, talk it out” (questionable content).
With these available resources, it’s up to individual users, Ben&Ben said, to continue being responsible online. “It’s one of the things we can do to make the internet a safer space,” Pat said. “And always make time to check the information we share with our friends and family.”Counseled Paolo: “We have to remind ourselves that we’re just as prone to making mistakes as the people we’re trying to reach out to. And having that kind of empathy may be a key to moving forward from this problem that has persisted for so long.”Harnessing the power of music by partnering with Ben&Ben can help Google amplify its timely message, said Google Philippines’ Mervin Wenke. “We believe that we can teach internet safety to more people in a way that deeply resonates with their everyday lives,” he said.
The company also enlisted the Department of Education (DepEd) last year in conducting a pilot run of its “Be Internet Awesome” program in more than 20 schools across Makati, Pasig, Mandaluyong, Antipolo, and Nueva Ecija. About 50 teachers and 201 students, from Grades 4 to 8, participated in the activity. DepEd started a national rollout of the program in September that, according to its July 2022 memo, will “empower 6,000 teachers and 1 million students” around the country. INQ
