Why Filipinos Get Duped? Understanding the Psychology of Gullibility

PHIL DARREN E. AGUSTIN, RPm

The way endorse or reject beliefs reveals underlying epistemology. With the percentage of a population that is affected by the corona virus-confirmed as pandemic by world health organization, some major complications also arise such as false information, especially the internet and social media frenzy together with the prevalence of the spread of fake news cultivates this phenomenon. Hence, I wrote this article as a form of epiphany regarding the we way endorse or reject beliefs because the lack of knowledge about this area may have an affect why some of the filipinos do not know they are being beguiled.

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Being easily persuaded by events, people often fall for things that are either nonsense or dangerous. As these individuals are exposed to malicious content that are probably false, they tend to believe them without further skepticism. In addition, gullibility is the major cause of bubbles wherein individuals seem to collectively believe information that are not validated to be true. This effect of gullibility on such a large scale often endangered people not only in making wise decisions but also can be threatening. But what factors can associate in this kind of behavior? This behavior of being gullible can be largely affected by many factors. These are external factors such as the source and message itself can affect the rate at which a person can be persuaded. On the other hand, the personal factors named as recipient factors can also have a different effect on one’s persuasiveness.

Recipient factors are harbored inside the individual. In line with this, the level of gullibility also depends on the individual’s tendency to be persuaded.According to the Social Cognitive Theory of Bandura, human behavior are products of the interaction of personal and situational influences (Bandura, 1999). Additionally, these behavior is shaped by environmental factors such as socio-cultural influences. Individual in a single nation, share the same socio-cultural set-up, are somehow shaped similarly. They share behaviors, shaped by this socio-cultural environment. The behavior of gullibility can be best explained by their persuasion recipient factors.

As such, widely spread articles that lead to persuasibility should not be ignored as these can somehow have an effect on people’s behavior. Jocano (2000) states that individuals often undergo self-fulfilling prophecy. People who have read such articles believe what they have read and in return embody it on their everyday lives. Lastly, as this issue is not unique, issues of gullibility affecting major events are very much common around the globe. The internet and social media frenzy enables this phenomenon to affect the entire globe.

To be gullible means to be easily deceived or to be duped by some outrageous things. As such, a gullible individual is easily cheated into believing propositions that are unsupported by facts or evidence. (Rivera, 2011). Furthermore, a gullible person accepts false premises even though it has no trustworthy cues (Teunisse, 2015). In addition, the term uto-uto is one of the most usable and famous concepts that can be associated to gullibility in the Philippine context (Viray, 2017). In the country being dubbed as such is somewhat derogatory of one’s intelligence and capabilities. Issues of gullibility affecting major events are very much common around the globe. The internet and social media frenzy enables this phenomenon to affect the entire globe (Lasco, 2017).

As Filipinos share articles unknowing of their content, the ways they are being beguiled is not limited to fake news. Filipinos are being beguiled in other ways both in and out of internet. Filipinos also became victims of scams and illegal recruitment. The most famous cause of gullibility is Fake news. There are many purpose of creating falsity. Some do it to create money, by putting up click bait, while others do it just to create some fun of tricking gullible individuals. Generally, the intention of people to create fake news is to grab the attention of the audience. Some companies do so to advertise their products and increase their sales since, digital channels are very susceptible to marketing manipulation. These gave rise to social media stars or dubbed as influencers. As their name implies, these are people who help persuade people into buying products by using them. People think that the way they are expressing fake news is a form of opinion and freedom of expression. Tordesillas (2017) said that fake news is an oxymoron for lies.

Fake news being spread on the internet has made people believe in issues that are either untrue or exaggerated. There are news on famous people dying, news on suspension of classes, news on people giving away money if they liked a share the post on facebook. The unknowing masses is not the only one who have been victims of fake news. According to Syjuco (2017) even a veteran journalist named Yen Makabenta has written a fake news story on an American ambassador that the Philippine president believed. Additionally, high ranking Filipino government officials have used fake news as basis for intelligence reports within their department.

Furthermore, the scope and severity of the effect of fake news has also affected the political arena in the Philippines and other important events. According to Syjuco (2017) a study by Computational Propaganda Research Project of Oxford University, determined that the campaign of now president Duterte paid $ 200,000 for 500 individuals to attack the opponents and spread disinformation. Duterte had answered about this issue calling Oxford as “school for stupid people” but later admitted that he in fact hired people to do the job.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Vera Files, and Memebuster are one of the few organizations that aim to combat fake news in the Philippines. The senate Committee on Public Infrormation and Mass Media conducted an inquiry regarding the issue of fake news in the Philiippines. The inquiry was lead by Senator Grace Poe, chair of the senate committee on public information, whom expressed concern on the proliferation of fake news in the country. According to Roxas (2017) Poe stated that fake news can destroy people’s reputation and institutions. Moreover, because of this concern she intends to create a law that would increase penalties for libel and sanctions individuals and make them criminally liable for posting fake news online. Viray (2017) stated fake news cultivates a culture of lying. Fake news can sway public opinions, shape public discourse and affect social interaction and influence the way the government works. She added that fake news is an electronic version (e-version) of budol-budol, in which audience fall victim to deception and said that it would not be impossible if in the future fake news can trigger wars.

Moreover, according to the University of Exeter School of Psychology (2009) scams are illegal acts of selling things that are fake, non-existent and or worthless marketed as legitimate products. Moreover, there are numerous types of these scams taking in different forms and approaches. One example is advance fee scams, also known as 419 scam , which involves the scammer asking the prospect to send or deposit money to an account or make the victim divulge bank statements and information. The scammer will then use such information to empty bank accounts. The scammer would often use excuses such as asking donations for charitable organization ; soliciting donations to help the victims of a natural disaster, regional conflict, or epidemic ; poses as a terminally ill mother, poor university student other down-on-their-luck person and simply begs the victim for money for college tuition, to sponsor their children, etc. Another is get rich scam wherein the scammer will offer a money making system or business opportunity that will make huge amount of money to a prospect. Scammer will ask the victim to give money before the business is started wherein after giving money the victim will realize that he or she have been duped. Lastly, pyramiding scams are similar to get rich scams with an exemption that the victims also become recruiters as they are instructed to do so to gain more money. The response to such scams are errors in judgement. In a scam the victims are labelled as gullible and greedy while the perpetrators as persuasive.

Felipe (2015) states that budol-budol and other scams can be found online. He added that according to Philippine National Police’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) investigation section, financial fraud is one of the emerging forms of scams in the country. In the report done by Philippine National Police National Capital Regional Police Office (NPNCRPO) (2017) scams are included in top ten most common crimes in Manila. Moreover, internet fraud is on the top of the list among other cybercrimes from 2010-2013 (Felipe, 2014).

Similarly, studies done by Whitty and Buchanan (2012) showed that individuals do fall prey on other cyber activities. Furthermore, they found that people who often fall for scams also have higher chances to fall in love in online dating. These people are said to have high empathy and show emotions easily.

Another form of incident wherein Filipinos are being beguiled is through illegal recruitment. It is the act of canvassing, enlisting, contracting, transporting, utilizing, hiring or procuring workers that includes, contract services, promising or advertising for employment abroad, whether for profit or not. Such acts are either or outside the labor code, usually undertaken by individuals with no license or legitimate company. The recruiter deceives the victim into agreeing to being recruited without them knowing that the agency is malicious and illegitimate (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, 2016).

Sunstar Manila (2016) states that according to Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz that there is continuous prevalence of illegal recruitment that victimizes individuals who would like to be overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Moreover, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) estimates that there are about 400 to 500 cases of illegal recruitment being reported every year.

Furthermore, studies done in the Philippines in the issue of gullibility are scarce. In return of this, may have been also a factor on the high level of gullibility in the nation. The lack of knowledge about this area may have an affect why college students do not know they are being beguiled.

Issues of gullibility affecting major events are very much common around the globe. Additionally, the internet and social media frenzy together with the prevalence of the spread of fake news cultivates this phenomenon (Lasco, 2017). Past researches have dealt with both external and internal factors affecting ones’ gullibility. Findings showed that both internal and external factors have both affect on individual’s level of gullibility.

Statistically speaking, individuals that have high self-esteem have low level of gullibility. As individuals have high sense of belief on their own capabilities, knowledge and ideas they tend to be less deceived. Social intelligence has negative moderate correlation with gullibility. The same with self-esteem, individuals who have higher social intelligence have lower tendency to be deceived as they understand and read social events and interactions better than those who have relatively lower social intelligence. Hostility has only negative but weak association to gullibility that contradicts early studies that people who display aggressiveness or anti-social behavior are considered very difficult to react to any form of persuasion. The more the person transpose to imaginatively tendencies the more that person has high level of gullibility. Lastly, self-esteem alone can predict gullibility. Moreover, collectively speaking, social intelligence, richness in fantasy and hostility with self-esteem as constant can predict gullibility.