1. And analyze the experience.

(Note: If working with a partner, provide individual answers

Drei: In my experience using social media for the past years, I have witnessed tons of online
shaming activities. Knowing that I use Twitter to keep myself updated with news and
entertainment, I came across the activity of online shaming. I can recall that back in 2020, there
was a photo circulating the internet that was posted by a Twitter account about the famous artist
Billie Eilish in a tank top walking around in public. The tweet's caption attached a picture of the
celebrity, while the text wrote: "In 10 months, Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30's wine mom
body." After this post went viral, there was a ton of backlash that attacked the user in the
comments, stating, "Her body looks normal, but you've probably been brainwashed into thinking
edited celebrity Instagram posts are real so...", "all the comments under make me sick," "body
shaming an 18-year-old girl must make you feel so confident and manly", etc. As GamesNosh,
the account's name, constantly received hateful messages from the public, he did not stop his
comments, and this behavior is one way of online shaming.

Online shaming can soon outpace the incident that started it since mobile phones are so
prevalent, and messages can travel quickly and widely through social media. Due to the
promptness of the response, people who share messages may do so without first verifying the
information and giving it careful thought. According to clinical psychologist John Suler, author
of "Psychology of the Digital Age," the extreme intensity of online shaming is caused by a lack
of empathy for online targets. According to Suler, the goal of an attack is frequently to destroy
the target. Internet humiliation has caused threats, assaults, lost employment, broken families,
and suicides. Furthermore, upon diving deeper into this topic, I feel that what made this user feel
obliged to express what they had in mind was wanting to embarrass the celebrity on the online
platform while thinking that they would get recognition for their actions. This user felt that
embarrassing one of the most famous pop stars in the industry would get people to agree with
them without experiencing retribution for their behavior. Even Billie Eilish spoke about this
incident, publicly expressing: "If I wear what is comfortable, I am not a woman. If I shed the
layers, I'm a slut. Though you've never seen my body, you still judge it and judge me for it.
Why?" This statement of the Twitter user added to her mental health struggles, as she has been
dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts for years. It demonstrates that celebrities are
subjected to the same types of online shaming as ordinary citizens. Moreover, I believe that this
experience taught me a lesson, which is that we should never produce hate speech whenever we
can talk in public. We must have a filter upon deciding to express thoughts, no matter how much
we want to say them, because these thoughts may not be agreed upon and could cause further
damage, just like what happened in Billie Eilish's scenario on Twitter.

Ava: Growing up in an age where social media continuously becomes an avenue for hatred,
anger, and the more known "cancel culture," I have witnessed too many incidents of online
shaming from celebrities to political leaders to random unknown Twitter users. One example
happened to a close friend of mine (who I will call Andrei) from a previous school. Two years
ago, Andrei ran as the president of our student council without having any hint that he would
eventually be a point of ridicule by almost the entire student body. It all started from one rumor,
an experience from the past, that was blown out of proportion. One of our mutual friends (who I
will call Aira) mentioned that Andrei had pushed someone who was part of the LGBTQ+
community in the 8th grade and laughed at him then because he didn't yet understand the
concepts of identity or inclusivity. Although his reason did not justify his actions, a mistake he
made 3 years before he ran did not make him unqualified or incapable of leading and what's
worse is that he was already a supporter of the community and had friends who were part of it.
Moreover, the person he pushed was already his close friend, and he tried to clarify that the
incident was done and forgotten. However, because of that single rumor, many other false stories
began to emerge, and people were canceling him left and right on Twitter. Aira also contributed
to this and even convinced the COMSELEC to think twice about having Andrei as a candidate.
They were shaming him for his lack of knowledge and sensitivity, questioning his political
standings, attacking him for random tweets he had posted before, judging lyrics from his songs
on Spotify, and creating an image of him that wasn't pleasant at all. As his friend, I had to stay
silent because I was afraid of getting misjudged so easily. I didn't want to be perceived as
someone who was against LGBTQ+ or become someone past would become relevant again,
especially to people I don't know or care about.

To this day, I wish I had done more to save his image, but on the other hand, I also knew I
couldn't control something spreading like wildfire to people from all SHS strands, from different
groups, and from conflicting interests. Even as I learned the importance of being careful of my
actions, a more powerful lesson was the harm online shaming could do to a person. After being
involved in that experience, mostly because I was friends with both Andrei and Aira, I spent
more time rethinking the statements I make and the things I say about others. If I cannot stop
these situations from happening to people I care about; I can be someone who doesn't add to the
thread of hate they get in the future.

1. Identify possible behaviors and beliefs triggering a similar "shame storm" in the
Philippine context. In answering this prompt, you can use either the paragraph or bullet-
point format.

In a country where shaming people or events becomes more apparent, there are several triggers
for a "shame storm." Some examples are listed below:

a. Having different political standpoints - Especially during the months when election discourse
peaked, a political statement would attract the opposing side's hate and often lead to heated
debates between different users.
b. Face or body shaming - Over the years, it has become unacceptable for most people to see any
comments that shame another person's appearance. A negative comment humiliating someone
would influence their self-esteem, mental health, and insecurities, so Filipinos would often reject
these ideas online. When it comes to the context of the family, typical examples of body shaming
are the statements "Uy, tumaba ka ah?" or "Kumakain ka pa ba?" which interferes with the
receiver's self-image.

c. Racism - Prejudice and discrimination against people of color or different races are hindrances
for them to receive the same opportunities and a problem worldwide. In the Philippine context, a
good example would be racism against certain ethnic groups, as this is a topic that several
individuals hold movements about.

d. Having opposing beliefs to the Christian Church - Because our country is predominantly
Christian, the mass believes in the teachings of the Bible, leaving no room for opposing
interpretations or viewpoints. Moreover, people are judged for having different beliefs even if
they claim to be Christians and merely find some contradictions to the Church.

e. Homophobia - With the support for the LGBTQ+ community and their rights, more people
have become aware and even involved in the queer movement. Remarks or actions done against
the community often go viral and are talked about continuously on social media.

1. Using your own words, explain/define/illustrate/evaluate cancel culture. (To illustrate is

Cancel culture is the practice of mass cancellations in social media or the natural world by
applying social pressure to a widely disapproved topic. This phrase, utilized in the late 2010s and
early 2020s, is a way of punishing individuals who express their thoughts about a specific issue
in a way that is contrary to the viewpoints of the rest. This perspective has led me to realize if I
favor supporting this phenomenon or against it in the modern day. On social networking sites
like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, this mass shaming or "canceling" activity is expected.
Because I am constantly on these platforms, I am against them, firstly because I feel that we as
humans have the right to publicly speak about thoughts we feel are true, even if others may not
agree with them. A research article published in VeryWellMind by Toler (2022) has stated the
benefits and drawbacks of cancel culture and how they may impact the victim's well-being. For
its benefits, knowing that cancel culture takes the form of groups of people coming together for
the same goal can be empowering. Additionally, it may encourage people to pause before
engaging in inappropriate behavior or publishing potentially unpleasant concepts and points of
view. This culture can be used to teach a lesson to the suspect and hold them accountable for
such behaviors, whether they are racist, sexist, etc. On the other hand, sadly, canceling may go
too far and result in bullying. Similar to bullying, being canceled can make you feel alienated
from others and lonely.Additionally, studies demonstrate a link between loneliness and a greater
incidence of anxiety, despair, and suicide. It can also seem as though everyone is giving up on
you if you are canceled before you have an opportunity to say sorry (let alone change your
behavior). The cancelers cut off all communication rather than starting a conversation to help
you realize how your actions impact others, essentially depriving you of the chance to grow and
learn from your mistakes.