In partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and other civil society partners, Facebook recently launched a nationwide digital literacy program that aims to develop skills that enable Filipinos to create a positive and safe culture online.
Known as Digital Tayo, the local adaptation of Facebook’s recently launched “We Think Digital”, it is a global digital
literacy program that is designed to educate Internet newbies and netizens. Learning modules for the program are designed to equip people with skills, including the ability to think critically about what they see online, how to communicate respectfully, and engage in digital discourse. These modules will be rolled out in the coming months to students and youth leaders, OFWs, local communities, and in training programs.
By the end of 2020, Facebook and its partners from government, civil society groups, and communities hope to conduct online and in-person training sessions for a million Filipinos.
Organized in four modules, the topics that will be covered include:
- What Is the Internet? : an explanation of the internet and social media, how they work, and the
importance of digital citizenship. - Your Digital Footprint: talks about online safety and security, and digital footprint management
- Be a Critical Thinker: helps people to discern different types of information and develop critical thinking and empathy when communicating online.
- You as a Digital Citizen: insights into digital discourse and the differences between interacting online versus offline, basic rights and responsibilities, as well as internet concepts like
netiquette, being a creator, copyright and plagiarism.
The program comes at a crucial time in the Philippines as Filipinos were reported to be spending the most time online worldwide at 10 hours and 2 minutes everyday as reported by Hootsuite’s “We are Social 2019 Digital Report”. Filipinos are also the heaviest users of social media, spending an average of 4 hours and 12 minutes, compared to the worldwide average of 2 hours and 16 minutes.