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 Baos

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

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE STUDENTS:
FACEBOOK AS A MODEL prepared and submitted by CHARLE DAVID
This

thesis

entitled

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
Panelist

NAME 2
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 Paraaque 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 Analysis30
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 twentyfour 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, shes 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-socialmedia-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 Paraaque city, particularly in the areas of Brgy. Sto. Nio 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 audiences 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 todays 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 Paraaque 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 students 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 students social activities especially with regards of using social media
sites. In line with this, teachers, as students 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 childs 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 studys 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. Nio 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 yesterdays
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 peoples 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 ones 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-toface 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).
Chasombats (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 wouldnt 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 individuals 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 socialidentity (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 persons 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 cant 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
peoples 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 todays 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 openended 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 peoples 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. Nio and La Huerta of Paraaque 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 nonprobability 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. Nio 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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