Facebook activism cannot ever be enough

A UP freshman had just joined two facebook groups - No to MRT/LRT fare hikes, and No to the UP budget cut!. He had done so by clicking 'Join!' in one of those numerous buttons in Facebook where one could make his positions known in his virtual community.

The two groups were created by us, the League of Filipino Students and ANAKBAYAN, two of the most militant student and youth groups in the country.

"Why?" would be a most obvious question, especially from old, tech-unsavvy activists who usually make their positions known through the traditional forums and marches.

The curt reply, by bright-eyed young activists like us would be to describe the extent of usage of the Filipino youth who are currently hooked to their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

If the youth are made aware of the their most pressing issues through the utilization of social networks, the tech-savvy young activists would be at the forefront of such use.

However, it needs to be stated that the mere click of the Facebook button, cannot ever be enough to make one, even many clickers, change the world, or at the very least foist a serious campaign for student/youth advocacies.

We had one historical lesson already in the use of technology to effect change, when Erap Estrada was ousted with the help of a texting citizenry which text-bombed their whole phone directories to ask their similarly outraged friends to immediately flock to EDSA and demand Erap's ouster.

But note that a corresponding action needed to be done after the receipt/forwarding of the 'Go to EDSA' text, and that action was the actual trooping to EDSA to demand such ouster.

A similar situation is also reckoned in the proliferation of Facebook protests and advocacies. A mere click is not the ultimate action that is expected from one, if s/he is truly interested in the business of change.

Serious political change is no walk in the park, nor a picnic, nor as easy as tilling the soil in Farmville. Beyond the clicks, it is still the indispensability of warm bodies clamoring for change that would ensure that our democratic aspirations shall truly be achieved.