FROM THE PUBLISHER ’ S DESK
Gone are the days when the traditional media was the gatekeeper of information and the exclusive distributor of news . Social media tore down the gate , allowing direct access to individual voices in custom-tailored feeds created by the user for other users .
For Guam users , several Facebook pages have proliferated over the past 10 years , building a new public sphere for unregulated — sometimes chaotic — free expression .
The Guam community ’ s divided opinion on the Covid-19 pandemic and the entailing government actions and policies are fought out on Facebook .
For politicians , social media opened a platform for their own press and photo releases without being mediated by newspaper editors , broadcast media producers and advertising executives .
The Fifth Branch
For Guam users , several Facebook pages have proliferated over the past 10 years , building a new public sphere for unregulated — sometimes chaotic — free expression .
While community journalism on Guam remains active , social media has become a more active battleground for political ideas — some may be truly informative while others can be either dull or toxic .
Comments on Facebook , photos on Instagram , drips of ideas on Twitter and soundbites on TikTok fill the cracks in our time . They are almost impossible to avoid .
Nevertheless , it builds a democratic regime that allows every user to like , share , block , mute , unfollow and log off . Those who choose to retreat into becoming a digital hermit can delete their account altogether .
While journalism is referred to as the Fourth Branch , social media is the Fifth Branch , where citizens are in charge .
The Pacific Newsroom is the hub of news around the Pacific region .
On Guam , the most active pages such as Guam Citizens Patrol , Guam Citizens for Public Accountability , and Fanmannokan ( Guåhan Politics ) serve as community watchdogs that seek to hold public officials accountable for their transgressions . They are , at the same time , a venue for political supporters rallying behind their candidates .
How social media activities influence Guam ’ s political consciousness and how they will shape this year ’ s elections will be determined at the polls .
What was initially built to serve up nothing but photos of babies , puppies and kittens has since mutated into different forms — a flea market of ideas , a war zone for political arguments , a factory of propaganda .
It ’ s a powerful machine that shares its power with every user .
But , as the old adage says , “ With great power comes great responsibility .” The challenge for every user is to learn how to process information by separating the wheat from the chaff .
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Mar-Vic Cagurangan publisher @ pacificislandtimes . com
Contributing Writers Raquel Bagnol Michael Bevacqua Donna Hope Blas Bea Cabrera Zaldy Dandan Aurora Kohn Robert Klitzkie Theodore Lewis Joyce McClure Diana Mendoza Gina Tabonares Reilly Johahha Salinas Jay Shedd Robert Underwood Jeffrey Voacolo Aline Yamashita
Jan SN Furukawa jan @ pacificislandtimes . com
Account Executive Anna Marie Alegre sales @ pacificislandtimes . com
Administrative Assistant Jinky Villanueva
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The Pacific Island Times is published monthly and circulated in Guam and Palau by the Pacific Independent News Service LLC . Editorial and advertising submissions become property of the Pacific Island Times and cannot be lifted without consent of the publisher . Views and opinions from contributors do not necessarily represent the editorial position of the Pacific Island Times .
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