Facebook Launches Digital Tayo 2.0 with Expanded Online Digital Literacy Resources

Facebook announced it is expanding its digital literacy program, Digital Tayo, with new resources on digital engagement and empowerment. These resources are free and available through digitaltayo.fb.com.

Facebook’s digital literacy and citizenship resources are designed to help people of all ages learn skills for verifying information on the internet, fostering healthy online relationships, and respectful digital discourse.

“With Filipinos turning to technology to stay connected with friends and family throughout the pandemic, it is important for us to expand our digital literacy program. Together with our partners from government, academe, and civil society, we aim to reach even more Filipinos online, and help them learn to use tools and resources to create more positive online experiences and while staying safe online,” said Clare Amador, Head of Public Policy, Facebook Philippines.

Engaging Safely Online and Advancing Advocacies

The expansion of Digital Tayo’s online resources include two new modules on Digital Engagement and Digital Empowerment. Resources on these topics are available for free and are crafted to be interactive. Through videos, quizzes, and different sample scenarios, people will understand the following topics for each module better:

Online Digital Literacy Resources

• Why Privacy Matters: The concept of privacy and how it may differ from one person to another
• Managing Passwords: How to manage and protect passwords to stay safe in the digital world
• Cybersecurity: The risks of being online and how to keep information safe
• Healthy Online Relationships: The importance of healthy online relationships and how to maintain them
• The Verification Process: The importance of media verification and learn steps on how to verify stories online.

Digital Engagement

• Respect and Boundaries: Understand others’ perspectives and feelings in the context of individuals sharing personal information online.
• Healthy Online Relationships: Explore qualities that constitute healthy and kind relationships and how online behaviors play a role in these relationships.
• What is Verification?: Learn about information verification and why it is important for news consumers to verify online stories.
• The Verification Steps: Learn about the five-step checklist to verify the origin, source, date, location, and objective of a news image or video.
• Versions of Media Texts: Learn about media scraping and why its proliferation can make the news verification process more difficult.
• Best Possible Self: Leveraging digital skills to be the best version of yourself

Digital Empowerment

• Advocacy and Making Change: Learn about advocacy and work on projects that matter to your community
• Building Your Advocacy Network: Learn how social networks can be leveraged to promote advocacy efforts.
• Raising Awareness Through Media: Identify ways to promote awareness using social media.
• Hashtags: Learn how hashtags on social media can help raise awareness about an advocacy issue.
• Time for Action: Learn how to develop an initial plan for your own advocacy campaign.
• Exploring Your Personal Values: Reflect on how personal values can impact lives and future plans.

Since Facebook launched Digital Tayo in April 2019, the program has trained over 400,000 Filipinos through in-person workshops and more recently, via online webinars and materials. Digital Tayo’s modules also generated over 5 million views across partners’ social channels. Those who have participated in training sessions reported more confidence on how they will act and deal with different scenarios they encounter online.

According to the post-training survey conducted among Digital Tayo trainees from January 2020-April 2021, there was an increase in participants’ self-rating across different areas covered. Sixty-four percent (64%) of participants said they gained confidence in identifying false news. The survey also showed a 36-percentage point increase in the number of participants who know how to conduct a Facebook privacy check-up, and 84% of respondents gave a positive response (somewhat agree, agree, strongly agree) that their online actions and communication have an impact on their reputation and relationships in real life vs 51% pre-training.

The expansion of Digital Tayo is part of Facebook’s continuing effort in the area of digital literacy and online citizenship. With the significant increase in time spent online due to the pandemic, program partners believe it is also crucial that its modules reach and benefit more people.

“As online education will be an integral learning modality, we need to ensure students are able to discern well what they see and experience in social media and the rest of the public digital space. Through the expanded Digital Tayo program, we can equip students with critical thinking skills that allow them to safely navigate the online landscape,” said June Gudoy, Director, Department of Education, one of Digital Tayo’s partners.

“We need to treat digital citizenship at the same level as our communication classes, computer, and values education. Digital citizenship is a compendium of important skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. What we love about collaboration is that we address the problem through different points of view–making our efforts stronger and well-rounded across sectors. We are very glad to continue our digital literacy work with Facebook and all our partners in Digital Tayo,” said Shigemi Muramatsu, Campaigns and Advocacy Specialist, Plan International, a program partner for Digital Tayo.

For Out of the Box Media Literacy, a non-government organization that advocates for better understanding and discernment of modern media, the program covers crucial areas needed in today’s digital landscape.

“There’s a lot of ground to cover in responsible digital citizenship: news verification, practicing empathy, respecting boundaries of people online, identity formation and taking part in community building. The expanded Digital Tayo comes at a time when more people are online and it responds to a crucial need for digital Pinoys,” said Marlon Nombrado, Co-Founder of Out of the Box Media Literacy.

All Digital Tayo digital literacy and citizenship modules and learning resources are free and accessible in www.digitaltayo.fb.com.

Interactive content for students can be found through this link.