Is this still journalism?

From H1

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Filipinos surveyed are using social media to connect with friends and loved ones, followed by filling spare time and finding content.

The survey also showed that active Filipino social media users spend the most time on TikTok, averaging 40 hours and 39 minutes per month, followed by YouTube at 25 hours and 26 minutes, and Facebook at 23 hours and 34 minutes.

Filipinos who are video consumers, based on their chosen platforms, watch music videos, comedy videos, memes, and influencer videos or vlogs.

Look around us. Observe how Filipinos spend their commuting hours or breaks: glued to their phones, watching vertical videos.

Before we buy a product or visit a destination, we check if influencers or others have vouched for it.

It was during quarantine when I stumbled into the world of TikTok's vertical infotainment. Short, punchy, and surprisingly informative. That's when I started to see storytelling in a new light.

I laughed at the comedic genius of Fonzi and Davao Conyo. I fell down a rabbit hole learning about history from Mighty Magulang, and I was both entertained and educated by Arshiethromycin and YourMillennialPsychologist.

Lumpia Queen taught me easy home-cooked recipes, and I devoured content from fitness and skincare gurus.

Then it hit me: How can these influencers capture an audience's attention, while we journalists struggle to do so?

At the same time, the press is also facing relentless attacks, such as the spread of "fake news" and discrediting our role as the fourth estate.

The real crisis here is not the audience's shift to influencers. It is the declining trust in the media.

Credibility is our currency. So, how do we reclaim our spot in that circle?