Janina Vela hosts the ‘Tara Coco Tayo’ event among digital content creators./ARMIN P. ADINA
MANILA, Philippines — Singer and content creator Janina Vela has been known for speaking her mind about a wealth of topics on her digital platforms, and she hopes she could inspire others to talk about subjects that people may find too “difficult” to discuss.
“If there’s no discussion that happens, no change will happen,” Vela told the Inquirer in an interview recently at the sidelines of an event for a beverage product, which gathered dozens of her fellow young digital content creators.
The activity, which she hosted, invited speakers to discuss mental health, financial literacy, and LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, etc.) rights, subject matters that many Filipinos find to be too sensitive to talk about, controversial, and taboo even.
Vela weighed in on some people’s apprehension about opening themselves to such topics. “It’s scary. Personally, up to now, I’m still afraid to talk about them because I don’t want to ask the wrong questions, I don’t want to say the wrong things,” she shared.
The young lady said the key is taking little steps. “If you try to tackle the big thing right away, you’ll be overwhelmed. That’s why it’s important to have simple, casual conversations,” she explained.
The speakers themselves are Gen Z online personalities whose respective platforms they have used to bring light on subjects that not a lot of content creators choose to touch on. Fitness enthusiast Gelli Cruz talked about mental health, international transgender beauty queen and student activist Albiean Revalde tackled gender dynamics in the sociopolitical sphere, while Ailyn Caringal discussed financial literacy.
“These topics are important, and anybody can digest,” Vela said, adding that having safe spaces where people can openly discuss anything is necessary. “I think what this event is trying to tell us is that, ‘yes, I know you want to talk about these things, and let’s talk about that over milk tea,’” she continued.
For those who find it hard to strike a conversation in person, Vela raised the wealth of resources online, where professionals or experts on various topics offer their platforms for others to freely open up.
Vela said digital platforms should “ideally” be safe spaces. “That’s where we’re trying to go, to create those safe spaces,” she shared.
But for her, going offline is also a must, especially when it gets overwhelming or toxic online. “Take a rest from this highly engaging, and maybe overstimulating, platform,” said Vela, adding that digital consumers should “take everything with a grain of salt.”
She also highlighted the importance of talking to actual people outside the digital world, and shared that she talks to as many people as possible, including her mother, when she encounters really hard topics.
“It starts offline. Social media is a tool, it’s not my world. And that’s something that we all have to understand. I like to talk to people offline, and then bring it online,” Vela said.
After the speakers shared their expertise on the topics discussed in the event, Vela said she learned that “it’s really about understanding what needs to be done, and understanding what you can do about what needs to be done.”
She also reminded those who listened to the discussions online and on-site that they do not have to try to change the whole world. “Try to change our own little worlds, one world where you live in right now that you can change. If that’s in your family, if that’s in your school, if that’s in your ‘barkada,’ then start there,” she explained.
“That complexity will become a lot simpler, and we just start focusing on the simplicity of the world that we have right now,” Vela added. EDV