A Titas and Titos Guide To Social Media and Online Safety

Key Points

• The trio unpacks how platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok have become a "third space" for migrants to celebrate Filipino identity while also creating new tensions, from unwanted pautang requests to the pressure of constant documentation.
• Dr. Cabalquinto challenges the idea of an "authentic self" online, arguing that all social media presence is performative, shaped by audience and context, and poses various questions to consider when thinking about social media etiquette.
• Maridel reflects on migrating in 1999 before smartphones existed, and how technology has shifted from isolating delays to instant, affordable connectivity, while John Marc shares about the struggles of assisting elderly family members with their digital literacy.
• They also spotlight older Filipino-Australians embracing livestreaming, online shopping, and smart-home devices — pushing back on ageist assumptions about seniors and tech.
• Finally, the episode tackles online safety head-on: Dr. Cabalquinto offers a multi-level framework for safety (platform accountability, tailored government education, and community-based critical thinking), plus practical tips like verifying suspicious requests via video call to avoid scams, and learning to distinguish AI-generated content.
• Dr. Earvin Cabalquinto is an Australian Research Council DECRA Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University. His research expertise lies at the intersections of digital media, (im)mobilities and migration.
• His first sole-authored book, "(Im)mobile Homes: Family Life at a Distance in the Age of Mobile Media", was published under the Studies in Mobile Communication series of Oxford University Press (OUP).