Empowering Seniors: The Role of Media and Information Literacy

This is the second part of the four-part series Empowering Vulnerable Populations through Media and Information Literacy.This article shows how Media and Information Literacy (MIL) protects senior citizens by empowering them to navigate digital information safely and confidently, avoiding misinformation and online scams.

Understanding the Vulnerability of Senior Citizens

Senior citizens often face unique challenges in testing the waters of the digital world. These challenges include:

•           Usually, they have limited digital skills. As the saying goes, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.

•           They also face technological barriers and low technological literacy

•           Sadly, they suffer from age-related cognitive decline, which can make them more susceptible to misinformation and online scams. 

Unfortunately, these threats are real. They can have devastating consequences, from financial loss to compromised health decisions. For these reasons, even if the challenges mentioned earlier persist, it has to be addressed because, in this modern digital age, no one should be left behind.

MIL: A Key Tool for Protecting Seniors

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial to prepare seniors with the skills they need to thrive in the digital age. Remember, they need extra help since they may have may be slower in adapting to new technology.

However, adaptation to MIL education could bring out positive results despite their old age. MIL enhances their critical thinking and analytical abilities. This could help them discern credible sources. In addition, this also allows them to distinguish between facts and fiction. Furthermore, It also boosts their confidence in navigating digital platforms, enabling them to stay connected and access essential services.

Do you remember the challenges mentioned earlier? It could all be prevented once our senior citizens are taught how to use technology such as search engines and social media.

Strategies for Enhancing MIL in Seniors

There are actionable steps that could help our senior citizens to sharpen their MIL skills. These recommendations include:

•           Fact-Checking: Understand that fake news or misinformation may be a new concept to them. So, it is best to educate them on that matter. To help them verify claims, encourage them to utilize reliable fact-checking websites like Snopes or FactCheck.org to verify information.

•           Recognizing Bias: Teach seniors to identify media bias and approach information with a critical eye. They have to understand that media distribution nowadays is democratized. Hence, they are different from the traditional media where there are institutions that check and balance the contents. In these new decentralized platforms, it is hard to determine whether they educate or entertain. Nonetheless, seniors should be taught to question the validity of the content they consume.

•           Evaluating Sources: Provide seniors with tools and techniques for assessing the credibility of sources. In this way they could avoid the online scams or any fake news that targets them.

Community Support and Practical Approaches

On one hand, community programs and resources play a crucial role in promoting MIL among seniors. Programs such as workshops, training sessions, and interactive apps can help them develop digital literacy and critical thinking skills. 

On the other hand, collaboration with family members and caregivers can also provide additional support and encouragement.

Successful MIL Initiatives for Seniors

Initiatives like the Transitions and Elpida Project and SUM (Seniors United Against Misinformation) have demonstrated the effectiveness of MIL training for seniors. These programs empower seniors to resist misinformation and engage critically with the media.

Conclusion

Media and information literacy not only make our seniors informed about modern trends but also safeguard seniors from online threats. As a result, it enables them to participate fully in the digital world. By prioritizing MIL education for this vulnerable population, we can have a safer, more connected, and more informed community. In other words, the digital space should be as safe and inclusive as possible.

AIA Philippines bags two honors at HR Asia Awards

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


AIA Philippines, formerly Philam Life and one of the country’s largest life insurance companies, won two honors at the prestigious HR Asia Awards, the Best Companies to Work For Award and Sustainable Workplace Award, spotlighting the company’s commitment to employee well-being and workplace sustainability.

The HR Asia Best Companies to Work For recognizes organizations identified as one of the top employers in the region, with AIA Philippines employees having reported high work engagement and satisfaction. The insurer previously won the accolade in 2018 and 2020.

At AIA Philippines, People and Culture is among the key areas of the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, encompassing priorities such as development and career progression, diversity and inclusion, equal opportunities, and risk awareness.

Some concrete measures in achieving the goals include adding more women in the workplace and in leadership positions, increasing training for employees, institutionalizing a network of LGBTQIA+ members and allies, rewarding performance, and strengthening sanctions for workplace violations.

AIA Philippines’ core focus of health and wellness has also been crucial in instilling a work-life balance for its employees. AIA Philippines offers a complete suite of protection and long-term savings products both for customers and employees, and the insurer’s partnership with MediCard boosts employee access to the best offerings addressing various health needs.

“AIA Philippines is guided by the philosophy of ‘Doing the Right Thing, in the Right Way, with the Right People…and the Right Results will come,’” said AIA Philippines Chief Human Resource Officer Ellen Imasa. “In order to deliver exceptional care to customers, we support our employees first. The honor of being one of HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work For inspires us to help more Filipinos live longer, better, and healthier lives.”

Meanwhile, the HR Asia Sustainable Workplace Award honors companies that demonstrate environmental responsibility and sustainable business practices, showcasing AIA Philippines’ exceptional leadership in fostering a culture of sustainability.

Among the strategic priorities under AIA Philippines’ Sustainable Operations include ensuring green buildings, improving environmental performance, increasing digitalization and automation to reduce paper usage, and encouraging improvements in ESG performance.

Another sustainability initiative of AIA Philippines includes targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the United Nations’ “Net Zero Coalition” push.

“Our commitment to a green future is holistic—we develop it in our workplaces, operations, and the value chain,” added Imasa. “The recognition as one of HR Asia’s Sustainable Workplaces shows that AIA Philippines is taking the step in the right direction.”

AIA Philippines’ ESG strategy encompasses health and wellness (including financial inclusivity), sustainable investment, sustainable operations, people and culture, and effective governance.

Click here for more information about AIA Philippines, or here to visit the AIA Philippines Facebook page, email customerservice.ph@aia.com or call (02) 8528-2000 to know more.

IDDB is Set To Be Indonesia's First Bond Tokenization Project, Aiming to Join OJK's Sandbox and Trade on Nanovest

  

Jakarta, Indonesia - PT Sejahtera Bersama Nano officially collaborated with PT Tumbuh Bersama Nano (Nanovest), presenting Indonesia's first bond tokenization product innovation. The ID Digital Bonds (IDDB) is the first project in Indonesia to adopt the tokenization of financial assets in the form of bonds. This IDDB project is the result of development and collaboration between Nanovest as a crypto exchange, which is registered as CPFAK, PT Sejahtera Bersama Nano (SBN) as token issuer, STAR Asset Management as investment manager partner, and Bank Sinarmas as custodian, which holds bond financial assets.

Bank Indonesia (BI) noted that there had been an outflow of funds or capital from within the country to abroad, either directly or indirectly (capital outflow), amounting to IDR 780 billion from June 19-20, 2024. The flow of foreign capital came out through net stock market sales of IDR 1.42 trillion. Meanwhile, foreign capital flows in through net purchases of Government Securities (SBN) amounting to IDR 450 billion and SRBI (Bank Indonesia Securities) amounting to IDR 190 billion.

Based on the information above, the height of capital outflow creates a project IDDB. This was initiated and designed to help the country's development. In the initial stage, we will develop a tokenization project on government bonds with the INDON 34 series using the currency USD (United States dollar). Through IDDB tokens, investors will be able to access bonds more easily because the minimum capital required to buy IDDB tokens will be much smaller than buying INDON 34 series bonds.

To date, the global tokenization market has shown astonishing growth that has had a major impact on the global economy. According to Markets & Markets, the tokenization market is expected to expand from $2.3 billion in 2021 to $5.6 billion in 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 19%. Today, tokenization has enormous potential and continues to develop along with the technology of blockchain.

According to the Coingecko report, RWA (Real World Assets) is the most popular narrative in Q1 & 2 in 2024, capturing 35.7% market share. Meanwhile, RWA itself contributed a total of 11% of the web traffic to the narrative listed on CoinGecko. The RWA token itself is a token that represents real assets such as gold, shares, houses, and other assets, which are created through a tokenization process using smart contracts blockchain.

Currently, the IDDB token is officially in the process of becoming a participant in the OJK Sandbox. Potential investors will certainly get various attractive benefits through this IDDB token. Quoted from Bank Panin, state bond transactions, especially INDON 34, require a transaction value of at least $200,000 or around IDR 3 billion. The existence of the IDDB token can open up opportunities for potential investors to buy INDON 34 series bonds. With a more affordable transaction nominal, starting from $1000. Through the IDDB Token, potential investors will be allowed to engage with low-risk but high-quality financial assets in a way that is easier, safer, with a smaller minimum purchase, and more efficient than before.

Gumarus Dharmawan William, CEO of PT Sejahtera Bersama Nano says, "We are proud to present our latest product innovation by presenting ID Digital Bonds (IDDB) tokens to the Indonesian people. Through this project, we are committed to continuing to meet growing investor demand by providing access to Real World Asset (RWA) tokens with underlying bond financial assets. We are confident that IDDB can provide unprecedented liquidity, transparency, and accessibility in bond financial assets so that it can ultimately contribute to developing the country by increasing positive capital inflow into Indonesia."

Billy Surya Jaya, Main Director of Nanovest, added "Nanovest is a crypto exchange, and, of course, we are very happy to be a facilitator of IDDB token transactions for public consumers. In launching this latest product, potential investors will certainly be spoiled with various profitable portfolio choices. More than that, investors will also have a sense of security because IDDB is the first token with underlying asset bonds, which are officially in the process of becoming sandbox participants at the OJK (Financial Services Authority).”

In the future, IDDB tokens will soon be traded via Nanovest, a platform investment that provides a wide selection of digital assets, including United States stocks, crypto assets, and also gold. Nanovest has a mission to always provide convenience, security, and a pleasant experience for customers in Indonesia when investing. Practical and practical application display simply also encourages, especially the millennial generation and Gen Z, to start investing in various available assets.

About NANOVEST

Nanovest (PT Tumbuh Bersama Nano) is a platform-application-based, which makes it easier for customers or users to access digital asset transactions, including United States stocks, crypto assets, and digital gold. We aim to revolutionize the way young people invest to achieve their financial freedom. Nanovest officially registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Supervisory Agency (BAPPEBTI).