UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – LOS

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON INTERPERSONAL

COMMUNICATION OF THE STUDENTS: FACEBOOK AS A MODEL

A Thesis Project
Submitted to the Faculty of the
College of Development Communication
University of the Philippines – Los Baños

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements of the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Development Communication

CHARLE DAVID BAUTISTA

June 2016

College of Development Communication

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A P P R O VA L S H E E T

This thesis THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON

entitled
INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE STUDENTS:
FACEBOOK AS A MODEL prepared and submitted by CHARLE DAVID
BAUTISTA has been reviewed and recommended as partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Development Communication.

NAME
Research Adviser

Accepted and approved by the panel of examiners following a successful Oral Defense
on (Date) with a grade of __________.

NAME 1 NAME 2
Panelist Panelist
NAME 3
Panelist/Technical Adviser

NAME 4
Chairperson

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Development Communication.

NAME 5
Executive Dean

Date: __________

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This research study would not have been possible without the support of many

people. Firstly, the researcher would like to express their sincere gratitude to their

research adviser NAME who was abundantly helpful and offered great assistance support

and guidance.

Besides the research adviser, he would like to thank their thesis advisor for his

patience, motivation, and immense knowledge. His guidance helped the researcher in the

succession of this study.

The researcher wishes to express their love and gratitude to his family and

friends; for supporting and motivating them in doing their study.

Special thanks also to all his classmates for sharing their knowledge and

incalculable assistance.

The researcher would also like to convey thanks to the CODC faculty as well as

the UPLB for providing the materials and instructions needed for this study.

And above all, the researchers would like to give their sincerest and warmest

appreciation to the Lord the Savior, ALMIGHTY GOD, who is the source of their

strength, knowledge and skills, who always hear their prayers, guides their path and never

leaves their side throughout their journey in life.

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CHARLE DAVID BAUTISTA

College of Development Communication

Bachelor of Science in Development Communication

Abstract

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON INTERPERSONAL

COMMUNICATION OF THE STUDENTS: FACEBOOK AS A MODEL

Charle David Bautista

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the social media on the
interpersonal communication of the students within Parañaque City. To achieve the objective
of the study, the researcher will use the descriptive and analytical method to analyze the data
of the study. The study sample will consists of 100 students.

Keywords: Social Media Sites, Interpersonal Communication

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………. …..1

APPROVAL SHEET…………………………………………………………........ 2
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.............................................................................................3
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................4
TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………....…...5

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................6
Background of the Study……………………………………………….. …7
Statement of the Problem................................................................................9
Objectives of the Study…………..………………………………………...10
Significance of the Study................................................................................11
Conceptual Framework…………………………………………………….12
Scope and Limitation of the Study..................................................................13

LITERATURE REVIEW …………………...............................................................15

Social Media………………………………………………………………..15
Theoretical Framework….…………………………………………………25
Summary…………………………………………………………………... 26

METHODOLOGY…..................................................................................................27
Research Design...………………………………………………….............27
Population…………………...……………………………………………..28
Sample and Sampling Procedure..………………………………………… 28
Data Collection Procedure………..………………………………………...29
Research Instrument..….....……………………………………………..….30
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………30

REFERENCES......................................................................................................... 31

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CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTINGS

Introduction

Since everything is updated on the Internet or Social Network for almost twenty-

four hours a day, therefore, the users may feel the pressure to be online all the time to be

part of the mainstream or the social norms. This is the case of Kristin - a typical girl

whose age is 13 would go home after school, get her iPad and check her Facebook and

Instagram for updates. Chat her friends online using her Messenger while listening to

music using Spotify. At home, she’s spending a lot of hours online, while having minimal

conversation that lessens her interpersonal relationship with her family.

According to the study of Al-Khaddam (2013), the interpersonal communication

is one of the most important types of communication that are held between the sender and

receiver with a face-to-face meeting such as: lectures, interviews, and seminars. In

addition, the interpersonal communication is regarded as the most frequent type of the

significant and influential contact because it moves in two directions from the sender to

the receiver and vice versa. It has an instantaneous response. It is also regarded by the

presence of the human senses. It is a necessary and essential process to strengthen the

human relations between people, individuals, groups, institutions and peoples, taking into

account that no nation can live without it with no regard to information technology

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(p.17). The scenario given above, Kristin is not the only one who eventually decrease her

interpersonal relationship with others but most of the teenagers or the youth generation

suffers this scenario.

Over the last years, the arising and quick development of social media has been

identified of its entry into conventional society and its integration into the daily lives of

many people. Almost every part of the globe becomes a single electronic village as a

result to the World Wide Web, which successfully contributed with the communication

between people of different societies. Moreover, it is obvious that the community group

that uses the social media sites more than others is the youth. That would be attributed to

their nationality, beliefs and interests in life, habits, political, and entertaining purposes

among others. Nonetheless, it seems prominent that the extensive use of the social

networks by these young people diminishes their personal interaction with other members

of the community (Abu Arqoub, 2011).

Background of the Study

In our daily lives, the Internet takes a greater role in our everyday living, and that

role is only increasing over time. Upcoming generations will never know a world without

computers, Internet, and online interaction. Over the last decade, technological

developments have made all sectors of the population across the globe. The generation of

today was exemplified by youth staying connected through face-to-face interaction or the

use of the mobile phones (Hinduja & Patchin, 2008).

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As defined by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010), “Social media sites are applications

that enable users to connect with each other by creating personal information profiles,

inviting friends and colleagues to have access to those profiles and sending emails and

instant messages between each other.” These profiles contained information like photos,

videos, and personal blogs. Social media sites are platforms where user can make a

webpage with personal information to intermingle with friends both realistically and

virtually which allows them meet the people that have the same interests (Kuss &

Griffiths, 2011). Because of the modernism of social media sites, the communication

method has changed from face to face communication to computer, tablet or smart phone

mediated communication. The new communication method incessantly impacts

interpersonal communication of people around the world. Scholars have verified that

people who spend great amount of time on the Internet would spend less time talking to

others in any methods (Turnbull, 2010) which can lead to seclusion and isolation.

Current studies have confirmed that communication technology is increasing

exponentially with each generation and is becoming a mainstay within our society

(Mishna et al., 2009). Moreover, adolescents use the Internet much more often than

children, but the age of first Internet use is rapidly descending. In fact, even young

children are online and there are numerous social networking sites that cater to this

population (Giffords, 2009).

In our country, an online article from Rappler, stated that “the Philippines has one

of the highest penetrations in social media, preceding Australia and Indonesia. Further, in

2011's 24/7 Wall St report, we ranked first in ‘The Ten Nations Where Facebook Rules

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the Internet.’ A report of AGB Nielsen Philippines in 2011 showed that more than 50%

of the households have high-speed Internet connection and around 24% are using their

mobile devices to access online”( http://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/23820-social-

media-influence-philippines).

Due to their nature of allowing people to share common interests, photos and

linking up acquaintances, people are spending many hours on the social media sites. The

most affected group is the youth sector. This research examines into the impact of the

social media sites on interpersonal relationships among the youth. The terms youth,

teenagers, and students will be used interchangeably throughout the study. The sample

will be situated from Parañaque city, particularly in the areas of Brgy. Sto. Niño and La

Huerta, who are aged between 13-18 years of age.

Theoretical Framework - Uses and Gratification Theory

In order to understand the motivation and the purpose of Social Networking

usage, Uses and Gratifications theory (UGT) (Trowbridge, 1976) was being examined.

This theory stands on the audience’s point of view, based on these basic theatrical and

methodological assumptions:

1. The audience is active and goal oriented, taking the proactive role in

deciding how to use media in their lives.

2. The audience knows their needs and is choosing the media to meet their

own needs by linking their need to specific medium.

3. The media is competing with other resources for need of satisfaction.

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4. The audience is well-aware of their usage, interests and value judgments.

The Four basic needs of UGT: Information, Entertainment, Personal Identity, and

Personal Relationship and Social Interaction. Social media sites like Facebook, serves all

four the gratifications. It is where users socialize, finding friends and connecting with

loved ones from afar. Unlike the old web-surfing, users can now express themselves on

their personal status and receive online responses (likes and comments) from their group

of friends (Warat Karuchit, 2013).

Uses and gratification theory is an essential theory in today’s mass

communication research. To recognize why and how people keenly seek out specific

media is an approach by uses and gratification theory. Particularly this research seeks to

find the impact of social media sites on the teenagers’ social interaction. The theory will

be beneficial because it will help understand why students spend hours on social media

sites, what gratification do they look for and whether that gratification is achieved. The

theory will guide us to understand what effects a gratification achieved have on the user

of the media.

Park et al. (2009) found “the major uses and gratification factors of social media

sites users to be: socializing, entertainment, self-status seeking, and information.”

Another study by LaRose and Eastin (2004) stated “similar factors like the need for

information-seeking, entertainment, and social needs to be the most prevalent.”

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Statement of the Problem

The problem of the study is determined in that the social networking sites have

positive and negative effects. This study, therefore, is interested in determining whether

“Facebook” as a social networking site has a positive or negative impact on the

interaction of students University College irbid girls with friends and others.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are to:

1. To investigate the social and economic characteristic of the study sample

2. To examine the impact of the use of Facebook on the interpersonal

communication of students within the schools of Parañaque City.

3. To determine the existence of statistically significant differences to the effects of

Facebook on the interpersonal communication with other members of society due

to the variables of monthly household income, college and school level, and place

of residence.

Research Hypothesis

A. There is statistically significant effect of the use of Facebook and interpersonal

communication with others

B. There are no statistically significant effects between the number of hours of using

Facebook and interpersonal communication with others.

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C. There are no statistically significant effects between the study variables monthly

income, college and school level, place of residence of the Facebook users and

interpersonal communication with others.

Significance of the Study

The study looks at the impact of social media sites on interpersonal relationships

among teenagers, its findings will be relevant because they will inform parents, teachers,

students and all the relevant stake holders on the impact of social media sites on the

interpersonal relations among the youth.

Guidance Counselors. This study will help the guidance counselors to be aware of the

influences of social media sites to the students enrolled in their school. By

informing them of this matter, they will be able to relate more with students and

to give accurate advices to students that have problems involving social media

sites.

School Administrators. This study will help the school administrators, like the guidance

counselors, to be aware of the influences of social media sites to their students.

With enough information about social media sites and their influence to the

students, school administrators can help in solving problems of the students

regarding this topic and give advices that are appropriate to the situation when

social media sites affects the interpersonal relationship of students.

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Students. The result of this study will make the students who in this study are being

referred to as teenagers, to be aware of how social media sites influence their

interpersonal relations. It will also help their teachers by suggesting some ways in

order for them to relate with student‘s social activities especially with regards of

using social media sites.

Teachers. This study can help the teachers by suggesting some ways in order for them to

relate with student’s social activities especially with regards of using social media

sites. In line with this, teachers, as student’s second parents, will know a way to

help the students if they will be encountering a problem regarding the relationship

of their students with other people.

Parents. This study will help parents to understand their child’s purpose of using social

media sites and for them to be aware of the influence from social networking sites

that might affect their children. With enough knowledge, parents can think of

possible preventive ways if their child is prone to develop a weak interpersonal

relationship with other people because of too much usage and dependence from

social networking sites.

Future Researchers. This study can help the further studies of future researchers

regarding the influence of social networking sites on the interpersonal relationship

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of students. This can serve as a reference for further improvements to be done in

their study.

Scope and Delimitation

The study presents a model of “Youth Online: The Impact of Social Media Sites

on Interpersonal Relationships” using the mixed method approach. This approach will be

discussed extensively in Chapter 3, on the study’s research methodology.

This study is only limited to and within the reach of all those in the sample

population who have access to the internet. It will also only cover teenagers, located in

Brgy. Sto. Niño and La Huerta because most of these youths are from urban areas and

they are familiar with social media sites.

The time frame for YOTIOSMSOIR is from April to May 2016 covering the data

gathering period and June 2016 for processes and analysis, writing up for the report and

final thesis. Thus, any or all developments that occurred thereafter are deemed excluded.

These developments may contain situations in the microfinance and other future trends

that may influence the findings, observations and recommendations of the study.

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Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The review of literature will be covering a multitude of areas in relation to the impact

of social media sites on interpersonal relationship among the youth. The areas that will be

discussed for the impact of social media sites: the youth and social media sites, social media

as social capital, online communication and interpersonal relationships, and the situation of

Filipino youth online. Next, theoretical framework and summary would be discussed in this

chapter.

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The Youth and Social Media Sites

Technology is changing the way that people interact and communicate. New

technologies are providing more ways to communicate with others and especially among

the youth. The birth of social media sites contribute to a lot of changes among the lives of

our youth especially to their relationships.

Social media sites according to Kuss and Griffiths ( 2011), it is a virtual

communities which mainly focus on ‘user relationships’ the members of this communities

create profile pages of themselves which have information about one self, their

backgrounds and any vital information that may lead one to recognize another in these

virtual communities. They add friends, meet their friends and communicate in various

ways, such as public messaging, private messaging and instant messaging. Popular

examples include Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Linkedln.

Social media sites help people to feel socially connected and part of a community,

‘even though they may be sitting home alone at their computer or with their mobile

phones. Participants connect with other people they know through school, work, or an

organization; they also meet complete strangers from all over the world’ (Giffolds, 2009).

Some researchers contend that these technologies are just a new way of

connecting for youths to use and that their nature of relationships and quality of

communication remain the same as with other forms of communication, since they go

into the online environment as just another place to interact with already existing friends

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(Shim, 2007), questions are still happening on the impact of these new technologies on

the traditional modes of communication. The consequences of online communication

especially through social media sites on interpersonal relationships among the youth and

as this study aims to find out, among teenagers.

Boyd (2008) states that social media today has had the abilities to make known to

larger audiences ‘age-old concerns and routines of journey in ways that yesterday’s

communications media did not’. What was considered as private is now open to public,

citizens especially the youth are exchanging photos information of whatever kind about

themselves or others for others to see and comment. Social media sites have today

changed the way of human communications. They have become the source of

transformation in different fields, enhanced traditional social interactions and even

discussion of common interests; they have modernized people’s interaction,

communication, and even the way of thinking (Al-Khaddam, 2013).

As social media becomes a ubiquitous part of teenage life, social media sites have

become essential gathering spaces for teenagers to develop new media literacy skills

(Boyd and Ellison, 2008). Variety of skills become crucial in networked spaces such as

the ability to: work together with others, assume changing identities as one navigates

through different communities, or discover new knowledge domains when one has

entrance to immense repositories of information.

Moreover, the researchers have found that teenagers discover creative ways to

acquire access to new technologies, participate in various online communities that help

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them learn new skills, and delve into deep learning on topics that are personally

interesting to them (Ito, et al., 2010). An example wherein a typical teenager would go to

the site of Youtube and watch videos that would satisfy his/her interests. Teenagers also

utilize social network sites to provide social support to peers, share creative work, and

network with others. Participating in communities such as Facebook or Twitter offers

new venues through which individuals learn these new media skills. Systematic

differences in access to these online communities may thus reflect opportunities, or lack

thereof, for particular youth populations to encourage these literacy skills

(Subrahmanyam and Greenfield, 2008).

Many of the popular questions surrounding youths and social media sites tend to

ask what effects these technologies have on outcomes such as academic achievement or

the development of social relationships (Ahn, 2011a). According to Ellison, et al., 2007;

Valenzuela, et al., 2007 social media sites assist young people in developing better

relationships, or social capital, with their network. Therefore, social media tools may also

facilitate negative and dangerous interactions for young people such as infringements of

privacy and cyber bullying (Palfrey, et al., 2009).

In the starting years of personal computers and Internet access, websites were

used primarily for information gathering and research, today as we all know, the internet

is now the centre of communication, as well as being their prime source of entertainment

(Alexander & Salas, 2008) especially to teenagers.

These social media sites have changed the way the adolescents (students) interact

and gather information (Raacke & Raacke, 2008). Boyd (2012) highlighted how the

adoption of social media sites for teenagers was very far from random. Teenagers use

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social media sites in various ways; they disclose personal information about their

identities and tastes on their profiles (Livingstone, 2008). Teenagers also add or reject

friend requests from their peers, navigating the complicated web of friendship practices

(Ito et al., 2009).The interactions and feedback that one’s network provides in social

media sites ‘through wall posts and comments’ show how difficult social identity and

peer influence processes occur in these online communities (Subrahmanyam,

Reich,Waechter, & Espinoza, 2008; Walther et al., 2008, 2009).

Social Networking Sites and Social Capital

Individuals develop relationships in both online and offline settings, and

increasingly the boundaries between these two spaces are blurred (Xie 2007; 2008). One

plat-form that blurs these spaces is the social media sites. Research suggests that these

platforms may help users cultivate social capital in both online and offline relationships

(Donath and boyd 2004; Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe 2007).

Given that social media sites allow individuals to create larger social networks

than they could offline, it seems logical that using social media sites could help

adolescents build social capital (Moreno and Kolb 2012). A study in 2007 found that

increased Facebook use positively correlated with bridging and bonding social capital in

college students. Moreno and Kolb 2012 add that, there are several hypothesized ways in

which online social networks could bring benefit to adolescents. For instance, social

media sites allow adolescents to access health information that they may be too

uncomfortable to ask a paediatrician about, and they also allow adolescents with a

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chronic disease to join online support groups to help them deal with new diagnose or

share stories with others who understand their situation in life.

Additionally, social media sites give adolescents the benefit of being able to start

and maintain relation-ships despite physical distance. The activities seen in social media

sites communities can be viewed as social grooming (Tufekci 2008). In offline settings,

people groom their relationships through behaviours such as small talk and participation

in social life. Social network sites facilitate relationship development and thus offer a

natural link to social capital.

Researcher have consistently found that using social network sites is related to

higher social capital (Burke, Kraut, and Marlow2011; Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe

2007; Valenzuela,Park, and Kee 2009). Ellison,Steinfield, and Lampe(2007) surveyed a

sample of college students and found that their intensity of Facebook use is positively

related to both bridging and bonding relationships. In a similar study done by Farrugia

(2013), Facebook provides the platform for individuals who may struggle in a face-to-

face setting. Developing a relationship in a non-faceto- face environment allows people

to still experience the progression of a relationship in a different way. By observing how

social media affects levels of self-disclosure, it is apparent that the more a person shares,

the more others will share, enhancing the relationship cycle. In summary, it is important

to realize how Facebook has partially modernized the way people communicate and form

relationships (p. 36).

Boyd (2008) found “Early research on youths and social media sites propose that

teenagers mainly use social media sites to interact with known friends.” On the other

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hand, while teenagers might communicate mostly with known friends in social media,

they are also exposed to the larger world through their interactions (Ahn, 2012). As

members share links, ideas, and media, they are connected to a wide collection of

information. As previous scholars have hypothesized (Donath and Boyd 2004; Williams

2006), it is likely that teenagers’ use of social media sites helps them feel connected to the

broader world beyond their school and home. Such relationships are related to the

concept of bridging social capital.

Online Communication and Interpersonal Relationships

Communication is one of the fundamental needs of our lives. We communicate to

fulfil our needs: physical, identity, and social well-being. Those who fail to communicate

report negative life satisfaction, early death, lack of identity and low relationship

development (Turnbull, 2010).

Chasombat’s (201) found the following:

Interpersonal Communication means using both verbal and nonverbal messages to

exchange meaning and emotions (mostly in face to face communication) between
two or more parties. Interpersonal communication is not only what is being said
but how it is said using tone of voice, facial expressions, gestures and body
language in which it can be learned and improved. People receive messages
through such forms of nonverbal behaviour by observing cues of posture, facial
expression, and dress to form an impression of the other's role, emotional state,
personality and/or intentions. Sender and receiver have to interact with each other,
sending back and forth both verbal and nonverbal messages in order to understand
each other. For instance, while one is listening, he or she may be sending out
responses using nonverbal cues by smiling or nodding. By that, the sender
(Speaker) will perceive that the receiver (listener) has agreed or understand the

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intended message. When the message being sent and understood by both parties
will considered as a successful communication (p.6-7).

Interpersonal communication is believed to be the most essential use of the

internet sites, (Cummings, Butler & Kraut, 2002). It has been accepted that the Internet is

the most modern in terms of an advancement of technological breakthroughs in

interpersonal communication, following the telegraph, telephone, radio, and television. It

combines pioneering features of its ancestors, such as bridging great distances and

reaching a mass audience. In current years, much of the communication that transpired

face-to-face has moved to computer-mediated communication. Computer-mediated

communication has had and continues to have an effect on all people around the entire

nations especially teenagers who mostly use social media sites to communicate, and its

effects on interpersonal communication have many benefits as well as many downsides.

Some scholars have argued that Internet communication had weakened the form

of social exchange compared to traditional face-to-face interactions, and will

consequently produce negative outcomes (loneliness and depression) for its users as well

as decline neighbourhood and community ties. Media reporting of the effects of Internet

use over the years has consistently emphasized this negative belief (McKenna & Bargh

2000) to the point that, as a result, a significant minority of (mainly older) adults rejects

to use the Internet at all (Hafner 2003).

In contrast, others feel that, Computer-mediated communication has improved

interpersonal communication by making it easier. Since face-to-face communication is

not always realistic, using the Internet helps connect those who are not able to physically.

Computer-mediated communication has also improved the levels of self-disclosure, with

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many people saying things through the Internet that they wouldn’t normally say in person

(Adler, et al. 2010), especially among teenagers. Others believe that the Internet allows

latest and different avenues of social interaction that enable groups and relationships to

form that otherwise would not be able to, thereby intensifying and enhancing social

connectivity.

Effects of Social Media Sites on Interpersonal Relationships among Teenagers

A teenage year is a stage that is related with a strong need for friendships and

peer-group connections along with the need for person-to-person communication (Lee &

Sun, 2009). The varying dynamics of communication within the adolescent population

especially those in their teenage years, have important implications on their social

relationships and communication in real life. Social media sites act as a mediator between

real and virtual communication, leading directly to the individual‘s virtual interpersonal

relationship (Lin, Sun, Lee, & Wu, 2007). According to Mikami et al. (2010), the

presence of higher positivity and lower negativity in a peer interaction in early

adolescence each predict a greater number of friends on their social networks. In a way

that most of the teenagers would keep them logged into their social media sites to chat

with the increasing number of friends they have online, impacting in one way or another

on their interpersonal relationships both offline and online.

With peer-based connectedness, being so imperative to teenage adolescents, their

interactions with others boost their sense of belonging and help them understand their

individual self and others (Boneva, Quinn, Kraut, Kieler, & Shklovski, 2006).This

explains the long hours they spend logged in their social media sites worldwide,

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adolescent lives have become so busy and full of activities that their time to interact with

friends is becoming more limited (Lee & Sun, 2009), they adapt these new technologies

to continue improving and sustaining their relationships. Social media sites have in fact

helped the teens to be more connected to their social groups and maintain relations as

they also expand their network of friends. By staying associated to their social groups,

they are defining their self-identity (maintaining individual friendships) and their social-

identity (belonging to peer groups) (Lee & Sun, 2009).

According to Asilo et al. (2010), students develop two possible types of

interpersonal relations that is stronger interpersonal relationship with their friends,

teachers, and parents. They are always updated with the status of their close friends,

teachers, or even their parents that are in the friends list of the social networking sites. It

is easier for them to know when will be the birthdays of their friends and so they get in

touch with them, even if they are apart with less time and effort. Asilo 2012 also adds

that, students, also, tend to develop weaker interpersonal relationships with their friends,

teachers, and parents. This is due to too much dependency of students to the internet and

computer as a medium of communication with their friends, teachers, and parents.

Sometimes, students can only tell what they want to other people whenever they

are chatting, or when they post comments on the wall of a person‘s account or profile. If

they do this over and over again, this develops into a habit and become used to it until the

time comes that they only depend on the internet and computer on telling what they want.

Through this, a person can‘t express his/her emotions well and that results to an

unhealthy relationship with other people.

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Filipino Youth Online

Dr. Grace Cruz, the main author of the study on media use and youth lifestyle

noted how media consumption of young adults had shifted through the years. “Young

people’s consumption of traditional forms of mass media, especially of newspapers, has

been low and this declined further in 2013. This however, does not necessarily mean that

they read less. It could be that they get their news online now.”

In additional, in her study found out the following:

“In 2013, 6 in 10 of young people in this age range are regular internet users,

more than half have social network and email account and 78 percent have mobile

phones. On average, they spend 6 hours a week online, some logging in as much

as 35 hours of internet use. Females, the younger youth and those from

economically better off regions show higher social media consumption than

males, older youth and those coming from poorer regions. This pattern of internet

and information technology use translates on how they build relationships. One in

three young people for instance said that they have friends whom they only met

online, while 25 percent have friends whom they met through text and have not

seen personally (http://www.drdf.org.ph/yafs4/pressrelease/02-06-2014/05).

Summary

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It is our belief that technology is a crucial part of today’s youth success equation,

as social media sites continue to grow in popularity. The use of social media sites and

other mobile applications have been increasing exhaustively, not to mention, numerous

researches implied that it is one of the factors that impact the relationship maintenance

between one another. It is substantially enviable for all civilians to have a pleasant

interpersonal communication to uphold and develop further relationships. Poor

communication skills may have damaged the interpersonal relationships. On the other

hand, when talking about social media sites like Facebook , Instagram or Twitter and

what it does to the society, people instantly thought of a smaller world or a

communication platform with no limits. With several discussions on the effects of social

media sites on the youths, it is evident that these social media sites have an impact on

interpersonal relationships among teenagers. These arguments form a basis for the above

research topic. The researcher intends to add to the existing knowledge on social media.

Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODLOGY

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This chapter deals with the research methodology that the researcher used when

carrying out her research. This includes the research designs, description of the sample

and sampling procedure, research instruments, and data analysis procedures.

Research Design

This study applies survey research in that the data were obtained by administering

a questionnaire to the participants. However, since the data collected from the

questionnaire is both qualitative and quantitative data, this research study can be seen as a

mixed research design. Mixed methods research is a methodology for conducting

research that involves collecting, analyzing and integrating quantitative (e.g.,

experiments, surveys) and qualitative (e.g., focus groups, interviews) research

(http://resourcecentre.foodrisc.org/mixed-methods-research_185.html). This approach to

research is used when this integration provides a better understanding of the research

problem than either of each alone.

Although most items on the questionnaire are quantifiable, six questions are open-

ended and it allows the participants to describe what they do. Therefore, the six items on

the questionnaire is most related to qualitative data in nature. It can be used when

collecting information about people‘s attitudes, opinions, habits or any of the variety of

education or social issues like use of social media sites.

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The researcher used to integrate the qualitative approach in this study due to its

significant advantages. The use of qualitative data gathering method is advantageous as

they are more open to changes and refinement of research ideas as the study progresses;

this implies that qualitative data gathering tools are highly flexible. Aside from these

advantages, the researcher believes that qualitative data are particularly pleasing as they

provide rich and well-grounded descriptions and explanations as well as unforeseen

findings for new theory construction. One of the notable strengths of the qualitative

instruments is that they evoke a more realistic feeling of the research setting which

cannot be obtained from statistical analysis and numerical data utilized through

quantitative means. These data collection methods allow flexibility in conducting data

gathering, research analysis and interpretation of gathered information. In addition,

qualitative method allows the presentation of the phenomenon being investigated in a

more holistic view.

Research Population

Muguenda (2003) found “Population refers to an entire group of individuals,

events or objects having a common observable characteristic.” The populations in this

research are the youths located in Bgy. Sto. Niño and La Huerta of Parañaque City.

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Sample and Sampling procedure

To test the application acceptability, the convenience sampling method will be

applied. The convenience sampling (Calderon & Gonzales, 1993), a general type of non-

probability sampling technique which involved the process of selecting out people in the

most convenient and fastest way to immediately get their reactions to a certain hot and

controversial issue.

The target population of the study is 40 teenagers from Bgy. Sto. Niño and La

Huerta. A sample size of 20 teenagers per barangay will be sampled randomly from each

form in the tow areas. These areas will be preferred because they have a large number of

teenagers from urban homes that are familiar with social media sites.

Data Collection Procedure

Data Collection is gathering specific information aimed at proving or refuting

some facts. (Kombo and Tromp 2006:99). The study will utilized both secondary and

primary methods to collect data. In secondary data collection, the researcher used the

available documents. In primary data collection, the researcher collected original data

from the respondents though focus group discussions and questionnaires.

A questionnaire is a research instrument that gathers data over a large sample

(Kombo and Tromp 2006:89). The questionnaires will be used on the respondents

because the information needed will be given in a simple manner. The questions are both

structured and unstructured.

Focus group discussions are a form of qualitative research in which groups of

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people are asked about their perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards a concept or

idea. Responses in a focus group are spoken, open-ended, relatively broad, and

qualitative. They are also useful because one can observe nonverbal communications in

group interactions.

Research Instruments

Research instruments are the items that the researcher uses to collect data. In this

study, questionnaires and focus group discussions are the research instruments.

Focus group discussions will give in-depth information regarding the object of

research that is not possible with quick methods based on questionnaires. The researcher

will facilitate the focus group discussions. Questionnaires will be preferred to other

methods of data collection because of their ability to collect information of a large group

in a short span of time, and also because their objectivity. They are self-administered

questionnaires.

Data Analysis

The data collected from the field are both qualitative and quantitative but much of

it was qualitative. The collected data will be analyzed using SPSS (statistical package for

social sciences). It will be presented in pie charts, bar charts and graphs.

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Online Articles

http://www.rappler.com/bulletin-board/23820-social-media-influence-philippines

http://www.drdf.org.ph/yafs4/pressrelease/02-06-2014/05

http://resourcecentre.foodrisc.org/mixed-methods-research_185.html

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