Click, Like, Share stars call for responsible social media use

Andrea Brillantes and Francine Diaz, members of The Gold Squad, talked about the pros and cons of social media use and how it impacted their lives and careers during the virtual press conference of their forthcoming anthology series, Click, Like, Share. Seth Fedelin and Kyle Echarri are the other members of the popular group.

Andrea and Francine revealed how they have been victims of cancel culture at a young age.

Cancel culture, as defined by Cambridge Dictionary, is “a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you.”

Kyle Echarri

Andrea said she had been “canceled” when she was just 12 years old and felt isolated. “Wala pa akong 13 ata, naranasan ko na parang kinalaban ako ng buong mundo. Feeling ko talaga wala akong kakampi.”

Despite this experience, she chose to stay positive and motivated herself to pursue her career to support her family. “Talagang hindi ko siya pakakawalan. Di ko pwedeng pabayaan pamilya ko kasi gusto ko maranasan nila ang buhay na gusto nila. Kasi di po ako pinanganak na mayaman, at gusto ko pong maranasan ko yun kasama ang pamilya.”

Francine Diaz

Banking on her faith in God, the 18-year-old star uttered, “Diyos lang dapat ang nakakapag-judge sa ‘yo. At alam ko si Lord ay tatanggapin ako… Kaya kahit i-cancel ako ng buong mundo, nandiyan Siya. Kasi alam kong tutulungan Niya ako sa lahat ng bagay.”

On the other hand, Francine called on the public to stop cancel culture because celebrities are also humans who get vulnerable when hurtful words are thrown at them. “Parati nilang ginagawa ‘yun sa’min kahit wala kaming alam. Kina-cancel nila kami na wala kaming ginagawang masama sa kanila,” she said. “For me, sana mabawasan yung ganoon o matigil kasi tao rin po kaming mga artista. Meron kaming mga nararamdaman. Hindi porke’t laging naka-smile sa camera wala na kami pinagdadaanan o wala na kaming nararamdaman na sakit.”

When asked about their best and worst experiences on social media, Andrea replied cyber bullying as the disadvantage while earning income through online platforms as the benefit of having a strong social media presence.

Also seen as Mira in Huwag Kang Mangamba, Andrea said she grew up on social media and was probably first recognized in the digital world at 10 in the family drama Annaliza. “Sobrang nahirapan ako noon, kasi sa school pa lang I was bullied,” she shared. “‘pag dating ko sa showbiz, na-cyber bully pa ako. Of course, hindi ‘yun maiiwasan. ‘Yan yung worst experience ko kasi nahirapan din ako sa self-image ko.”

Seth Fedelin

She furthered that her character in the latest series Click, Like, Share resonated well with what she is going through in real life. “At a very young age, marami nang nagsasabi na may mali sa akin, sa kilay ko, yung height ko. Sobrang bata pa ako pinagsasabihan na ako tungkol sa weight ko. Kaya nahihirapan talaga ako na tingnan sarili ko sa salamin na, ‘OK ba ko?’, ‘maganda ba ako?’ Kala ko, sabi ni Mama maganda ako, pero bakit maraming tao ang nagsasabi ng ganitong bagay na hindi ko naman iniisip dati. Sobrang bata pa ng utak ko noon, sobra akong naniwala sa kanila.”

In the third episode of the series titled Poser, Andrea portrays Beth, a girl who “deceives a potential date by using a face-morphing app, which produces a clone and hijacks her life.”

Andrea also cited the advantages of having many followers in social media platforms, “Nagawa ko lahat ng gusto ko dahil sa social media, kahit gaano kahirap, kahit gaano ka sakit. Grabe ‘yung struggles ko simula nung bata ako. Kahit minsan sinasabi ko na ‘I hate social media’ pero dahil dito natupad ko pangarap ko. There were times na wala akong teleserye, nagsipag ako na mag-post ng relevant topic, nagsipag ako sa TikTok para makakuha ng madaming raket. Sobrang nakatulong sa akin ‘yun.”

With the help of social media, the young influencer was able to buy a house. The hardship she endured in the online sphere made her a stronger person. “Dahil sa social media, natupad pangarap ko na magkaroon ng bahay. Social media helped me, pinagtibay niya ako ng todo. ‘Yan yung best part, kung wala yung social media, siguro weak ako.”

Andrea’s loveteam partner, Seth Fedelin, for his part, disclosed he is not social media savvy. “Sa totoo lang po, hindi ako lumaki sa social media. Hindi ko siya naka-ugalian kasi ‘nung bata ako, wala naman kaming cellphones and computers.” He only got a mobile phone when he was in fourth year high school (Grade 10). “So talagang wala akong alam diyan, hindi ko alam paano gumamit ng mga apps na ganyan.”

Seth added that the worst thing about social media is the “trauma” that one can experience with what one sees and reads online, especially those with violent themes and about scams.

He cited how social media has helped him and his family with their financial needs, “Ang social media ang nagpakain sa pamilya ko. Hanggang ngayon, napapakain ang pamilya ko at nababayaran ang bills ng bahay namin dahil sa social media. ‘Yun siguro ang isa sa mga best na nagyari sa paggamit ko ng social media.”

Click, Like, Share is a series that promotes social media responsibility amid the proliferation of perils of the digital age. The story revolves around “teenagers who depend on social media to connect with others and express themselves, but later on invite danger into their lives when they start using it recklessly.”

The series also stars Kyle Echarri and features The Squad Plus members Danica Ontengco, Renshi de Guzman, Jimuel Pacquiao and Nio Tria. It is directed by Emmanuel Palo and produced by iWantTFC and ABS-CBN Entertainment in association with Dreamscape Entertainment and Kreativ Den.

The digital series will premiere worldwide on June 5 on KTX.ph, iWantTFC and TFC IPTV.