AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY

Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE PREVALANCE OF MISINFORMATION

BASED ON THE PERCEPTION OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

IN AISAT COLLEGE QUEZON CITY

A Research Presented to the Faculty of Senior High School Department of AISAT College

Quezon City Fairview branch

Submitted by:

Abatayo, Jemreek

Boquiron, Aaliyah-Li

Cielo, Sherly Cerdan

Lazaro, Juvie Ann Grace

Mabulac, Melanie

Maduro, Angelica

Maduro, Earl Laurence

Submitted to:

Mr. Charls Dave Saragoza

Instructor

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ............................................................................................................................................... I

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................... II

CHAPTER I

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ III

Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................................................... IV

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................ VI

Significance of the Study ....................................................................................................................... VIII

Scope and Delimitation .......................................................................................................................... IX

Definition of Terms ................................................................................................................................ XI

CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature Foreign.................................................................................................... XII

Review of Related Literature Local ....................................................................................................... XV

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY

I. INTRODUCTION

The abundance of information sources available to internet users has created potential for more

sophisticated news consumption. However, consumers, particularly young people, may find it

difficult to distinguish between true and false information due to exposure to news and reflections

on current events across a variety of platforms, including blogs, social media, and news websites.

This development worries many media professionals, as social media has become the primary

source for news for most users in an increasingly digital world. In line with this pattern, the

quantity of "fake news" or unauthorized news sources is growing quickly, as is the material they

disseminate. The problem lies in the fact that, with the proliferation of these news sources, people

are more susceptible to being duped by the content they find on social media. A situation like this

may cause people to distrust the media (Ali et al., 2023).

Many people have moved away

from more traditional news sources as a result of the rise of social media. As a result, many

now doubt the news they read and have mistrusted media organizations in general.

According to a Pew Research Center research, 57% of respondents believe that the news

they see on social media is "largely inaccurate." Those who would rather acquire their news

from social media than from traditional sources should also be skeptical. Knowing how

viewers choose their news is crucial in a time when false information travels fast.

Being able to distinguish

between reliable and bogus news sources in the era of "fake news" has made it difficult for

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

many people to accept actual news, particularly if it conflicts with their personal values

(Matsa & Shearer, 2018). Recognizing the significance of comprehending how the notion

of media trust materializes in a digital media landscape, the purpose of this research is to

ascertain how internet users choose which news sources on social media to believe and

what factors sway their judgment of a news article as fake news (Mould, 2018).

With this aim, the objective of

this study is to investigate the impact of social media on the prevalence of misinformation

among students in AISAT College, Quezon City, focusing on their perceptions and

behaviors regarding the consumption and dissemination of information through online

platforms. Specifically, the study aims to analyze how students discern between credible

and unreliable sources of information on social media, identify the factors influencing their

trust in news shared online, and explore their attitudes towards verifying information before

sharing it further. Also, the study seeks to understand the extent to which students are aware

of the potential consequences of spreading misinformation and to propose strategies for

enhancing media literacy and critical thinking skills among this demographic to mitigate

the spread of false information on social media platforms.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

More sophisticated news

consumption is now possible because to the proliferation of information sources on the

internet, especially for youth. Nevertheless, this beneficial change has a drawback in that

users, especially students at AISAT College Quezon City, find it difficult to discern

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

between accurate and inaccurate information. Concerns are raised by the "fake news"

phenomenon's explosive expansion on social media platforms, which could breed mistrust

of media companies. As evidenced by a Pew Research Center survey, which found that

57% of respondents thought social media news was "largely inaccurate," there is a

detrimental effect on public confidence in the media. The trustworthiness of information

sources is at danger as more people rely on social media for news and run the risk of being

misled by false information.

The media landscape's integrity is under threat due to this paradox between the potential

benefits of smart news consumption and the detrimental effects of disinformation. The

matter at hand concerns not just the accuracy of information but also the decline in

confidence in media establishments. The goal of this study is to clarify the nuances of how

internet users—in this case, AISAT College students—maneuver around this digital media

environment. It aims to comprehend the variables affecting their perceptions of reliable

news sources on social media, their aptitude for identifying reliable information, and their

attitudes in confirming and disseminating news online.

Given these difficulties, the goal of the study is to investigate how social media affects

students' perceptions, actions, and the underlying causes influencing their confidence in

online information sources. In order to shed light on the complexities of media trust in the

digital era, the research examines how students differentiate between legitimate and

inaccurate sources. In addition, it seeks to mitigate the negative effects of misleading

information on social media platforms by bringing attention to the possible repercussions

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

of disseminating misinformation and by offering techniques to improve students' media

literacy and critical thinking abilities.

III. THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Melvin Defleur and Sandra Ball-Rokeach's 2019 theory of media dependency

serves as the theoretical foundation for this study. The crucial connection between media,

audiences, and the greater social structure is explained by the media dependency theory

(Husain et al., 2019). They contend that people utilize the media to achieve specific goals,

and that people become more reliant on the media the more these goals are fulfilled by the

media. As a result, the degree of audience dependence is determined by factors such as

frequency (the amount of time spent using traditional or social media), the significance of

the message conveyed by a particular media use, and the degree of conflict and change that

exists in the society.

According to the theory, a person's usage of the media is influenced by both external

and perhaps uncontrollable external elements, in addition to internal factors including how

well the media meets the person's requirements. The availability of alternative non-media

options as well as the types and methods of media use are restricted by these external

factors. People become less reliant on any one medium the more options they have for

meeting their needs. This implies that people may occasionally become more reliant on a

particular media simply due to its accessibility. Social media has developed into an

effective instrument for communication because of its enormous capacity to provide the

public with vast amounts of information, but it also increases risk and crises.People are

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

becoming more and more reliant on social media, regardless of their age, gender, education

level, or religion. They trust its messages and use it to comprehend social phenomena, act

purposefully and successfully in society, and even for fantasy and escape without

questioning the veracity of the content. Some people, on the other hand, prefer to rely on

traditional media for information and are not impacted by social media. The audience with

more needs is more impacted by the media than the audience with lower requirements. For

a variety of reasons, including the expense of some conventional media and the ease with

which messages from traditional media may be obtained on social media, students are

shown to be more reliant on social media than traditional media (Husain et al., 2019).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

The prevalence of misinformation is what the study seeks to understand in relation

to social media usage among senior high school students. The perception of these students

is crucial as it indicates how they interpret and respond to social media content, thus

influencing their susceptibility to misinformation. The inclusion of the specific college

context helps to contextualize the findings within a particular educational environment.

The effect of social media is the presumed driver or influencer of the prevalence of

misinformation. This variable is manipulated or observed to understand its impact on the

dependent variables. It serves as the focal point of the study's investigation into the

relationship between social media usage and misinformation prevalence. By studying these

variables, researchers can gain insights into the dynamics of misinformation among senior

high school students in a specific context and understand how social media usage

contributes to it, as perceived by the students themselves.

IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study on the effect of social

media on the prevalence of misinformation based on the perception of students in AISAT

College Quezon City holds significant importance in several aspects. In today’s digital age,

social media platforms have become primary sources of information for many individuals,

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

especially students. Understanding how social media influences the spread of

misinformation is crucial in combating the dissemination of false or misleading

information among the youth. Focusing on the perception of students at AISAT College

Quezon City provides valuable insights into how young adults interpret and interact with

information on social media. By examining their perspectives, this study can shed light on

the factors that contribute to the acceptance or rejection of misinformation among senior

high school students.

Investigating the impact of

misinformation on students’ beliefs and behaviors can help educators and policymakers

develop strategies to promote media literacy and critical thinking skills among the youth.

By identifying the specific challenges faced by students in discerning accurate information

from misinformation on social media, interventions can be tailored to address these issues

effectively. Studying the relationship between social media usage and misinformation

prevalence among college students can contribute to a broader understanding of the role of

digital platforms in shaping public discourse and opinions. This research can inform efforts

to enhance digital literacy programs and create a more informed and discerning society that

is less susceptible to the harmful effects of misinformation. This study’s significance lies

in its potential to advance knowledge about the impact of social media on misinformation

prevalence and its implications for young adults’ perceptions and behaviors. By addressing

these issues, this research can pave the way for more targeted interventions and educational

initiatives aimed at fostering a more critical and informed digital citizenry.

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

V. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The scope of this study is

centered on the Effect of Social Media on the Prevalence of Misinformation based on the

Perception of Senior High School Students in AISAT College Quezon City. Specifically,

the study aims to investigate experiences and perceptions of misinformation on various

social media platforms. The study will pay particular attention to how these students

distinguish between reputable and inaccurate sources of information on social media sites

including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (previously Twitter), and Instagram. Only

seniors high school enrolled at AISAT College Quezon City will be the participants in this

study, which will be geographically restricted to the college.

Several criteria that restrict the

study's scope are included in the delimitations of this qualitative investigation. It would be

limited spatially to senior high school students who are enrolled in AISAT College Quezon

City. This study will involve senior high school students. All other online information

sources will be excluded from the research, which will mainly focus on well-known social

media sites like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. In addition, the

study will be carried out within a designated time frame and will only focus on the

perspectives and experiences of AISAT College Quezon City students as of right now.

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

VI. DEFINITION OF TERMS

Susceptible - Likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.

Duped - Deceive; trick.

Notion - A conception of or belief about something.

Detrimental - A formal way of saying "harmful."

Nuances – A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.

Repercussions - An unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action,

especially an unwelcome one.

Pave - Cover (a piece of ground) with concrete, asphalt, stones, or bricks; lay paving over.

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

FOREIGN

Studies are being conducted to

analyze the unclear statements that are extensively

disseminated on social media. Words like "misinformation," "disinformation," "fake

news," and "rumor" are frequently used, emphasizing how information is generated.

Scholars distinguish "disinformation" from other misleading content by defining it as

purposefully distorted facts spread randomly for one's own benefit (Zannettou et al., 2019).

Social media misinformation is a critical subject matter, and controlling its spread

requires an understanding of its deceptive nature. Misinformation is deceptive, which

causes emotional and psychological reactions that affect how people make decisions and

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

behave as a society. False information can magnify emotional reactions during social crises,

which could cause broad social disruption (Pennycook et al., 2021).

Social media platforms changed communication by making it possible to share

content quickly and widely. Studies show that a large number of young adults get much of

their information from social media on a daily basis. Nevertheless, user-generated content's

anonymity and encouragement can promote hate speech, disseminate false information,

and distort the lines between personal and professional life, harming society and enterprises

(Shahbaznezhad et al., 2021).

Furthermore, the speed at which information circulates on social media frequently

giveslittle opportunity for a critical evaluation of its veracity. Instead of exposing users to

a variety of viewpoints, social media algorithms are designed to show them content from

others who hold similar opinions, which creates echo chambers where users are constantly

exposed to content that confirms their own beliefs (Puri et al., 2020).

Scholars have devised a range of assessments and metrics to assess individuals'

comprehension of false information, comprising abilities like spotting misleading

headlines, detecting typical fake news strategies, and being skilled at fact-checking. Studies

have looked into how people's behavior and decision-making are affected by interventions

meant to raise awareness of fake news. Higher levels of media literacy are associated with

a greater awareness of fake news; media literacy initiatives attempt to strengthen students'

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

critical thinking and information evaluation abilities in order to counteract misinformation

(Ali et al., 2023).

Second, awareness of misinformation and educational attainment are positively

correlated. Higher educated people are typically more astute news consumers and more

capable of spotting false information. Also, studies reveal that older people are frequently

more conscious of bogus news than younger people. Because they are more accustomed to

using digital media, younger people can be exposed to more false information and fake

news (Khan & Idris, 2019).

Students believe that irresponsible people post fake news on social media because

they believe that this is the trend that people are following. It also shows that students

believe that blackmailers are the ones who post fake news on social media because they

believe that all information on social media is false and they will never trust anything they

see there. Although they were aware of fake news, students did not immediately recognize

it when they spread it to others and consumed it themselves (Gradon et al., 2021).

Social networks are filled with a large amount of misinformation, which often

misleads the public to make wrong decisions, stimulates negative public emotions, and

poses serious threats to public safety and social order. In the study, we took the

misinformation spread on social media as the research object and compared it with true

information to better understand the characteristics of the spread of misinformation in

social networks. The research findings reveal that the spread of misinformation on social

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

media is influenced by content features and different emotions and consequently produces

different changes. (Han Luo & Meng Cai & Yong Cui, 2021)

LOCAL

An interdisciplinary approach was used to identify tweets with COVID-19 misinformation.

Natural language processing mislabeled tweets, likely due to tweets written in Filipino or a

combination of the Filipino and English languages. Identifying the formats and discursive

strategies of tweets with misinformation required iterative, manual, and emergent coding by human

coders with experiential and cultural knowledge of Twitter. An interdisciplinary team composed

of experts in health, health informatics, social science, and computer science combined

computational and qualitative methods to gain a better understanding of COVID-19

misinformation on Twitter. (Solano et al. 2023)

Researchers all over the world have varied findings on the effects of these forms of media

on the academic performance of students. Hence, the University must implement policies and

projects designed for more easy access of the students to the Facebook network site in the school

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

including the strengthening of the Philippine education system, especially around the subjects of

history, current affairs, and digital literacy, partnerships with civil society, especially youth

organizations and social media platforms, on anti-fake news campaigns and programs; the

provision of mechanisms to support fact checkers; and a review of the current policy network on

fake news. (Sagun et al. , 2023)

With the rise of the usage of internet, the ability to write news and articles without

verification and post it online spreads. Fake news is not entirely new. It can be traced way back

then in traditional media. But this era is called the era of misinformation as it is like a tidal wave

that destroy lots of things (Cruz, 2017).

Buzzfeed made a study, and they conclude that fake news affects the opinion of the people.

They also stated that, back then, presidential poll results are high according to the performance of

president, but when the fake news circulates around social media, it changes everything. The

information are hallowed with lies and falsehood and it almost influencing the public opinion.

(Severino, 2017)

There are two things to fight fake news. (1) The continuous honesty and better way of

presenting articles, and (2) imprisonment for those people who are caught in the act of making

fake news. It is not completely fake, and it is filled with facts but twisted or manipulated just to

push the agenda. (Danuco, 2017)

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 AISAT COLLEGE – QUEZON CITY
Block 3 Lot 02 Loma St. Phase 1 The Neopolitan Business Park, Brgy. Greater Lagro,
Quezon City

A glance at the literature reveals that a vast number of studies have been published using

social networks both as a source of data and as a subject of study. In fact, the proliferation of

studies has furthered the publication of many systematic and scoping reviews on the topic that try

to summarize the amount of information produced. Particular attention has focused on the use of

social media in general, highlighting the prominence of the COVID-19 conversation on Twitter

and, especially, misinformation and fake news. ( Joseph et al.,2022)

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