THE ALGORITHM COULD SAVE OR BURY YOU

Why visibility on social media during disasters could mean the difference between being rescued and being ignored, and how we can make the system work better.

- Words by Aljhelyn Piador

You felt dizzy and thought it might be just a simple case of vertigo. Then your phone buzzed. You open your feed and see it: a flood of posts from internet friends asking, “Did you feel the earthquake?” Social media, it turns out, can sometimes move faster than your own instincts. It's not just a reaction. It's real-time validation. And in that split second, you realize the power it holds. A lifeline used to be a hotline. Now, it's a tweet, a hashtag, a live video tagged to your barangay. As climate disasters grow more extreme, the first responders we count on may turn to scrolling, not dialing.

In February 2024, a deadly landslide hit Maco, Davao de Oro, displacing thousands and burying families under tons of debris. Some survivors, armed only with their phones, posted geotagged photos and pleas for help on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Their online visibility helped rescue volunteers locate them more quickly. But others, those without mobile data or knowledge of the platforms, waited in silence, unseen and unreachable.

Just months later, in July, Typhoon Carina caused flooding in parts of Marikina and Pasig. Again, Filipinos turned to social media. This time, they used hashtags, live videos, and crowd-sourced platforms like MapaKalamidad.ph to send out distress calls. Posts with sharp visuals and specific location tags tend to spread quickly. Others, lacking these details, disappeared into the algorithm's void.

The lesson? In a disaster, being rescued may depend not just on where you are or how urgent your situation is, but on whether your post is visible enough to reach the right people.