Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Usage of social media among senior high students

In an article entitled "The Relationship of Social Media with the Academic Performance
of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology students of Centro-Escolan University-
Malolos", Tamayo and Dela Cruz (2014) said that generally, social media users largely are from
teens and generation Y (internet users age 16-36). They stated that these younger generations are
significantly more likely than their older counterparts to seek entertainment through online
videos, online games, and virtual worlds. They are also more likely to download music to listen
to. This suggests that younger generations tend to lean more towards the use of the internet than
adults.

B. How the social media was overused affects students

As smartphones and social media become more ubiquitous, the potential for social media
addiction and abuse is surging. According to Charles Crews, associate professor of educational
psychology and leadership, the mind’s reaction to social media is biological. His research has
shown that social media usage triggers a dopamine rush. This dopamine rush gives users a high
that leads them to want to use more social media.

It is also said that social media can make it hard to focus on the real world. It is easy to
get distracted by how many likes one is getting on a photo, and it often results in unhealthy
comparisons with others. It is uncommon for students to become addicted to social media,
especially without other underlying issues. In most cases, students who overuse social media are
still able to successfully go through daily life.

However, when social media, or the lack of it, starts to seriously affect a student’s mood,
relationships or functioning, it is time to get professional help. We all have a little withdrawal
(without internet) because we are connected with everything, but if it interferes with your daily
functioning, there’s a problem. It is important for everybody to take some time away from social
media. Students should try to have real conversations and go out without their phones. (Crews
YEAR).
 C. How the use of social media could negatively affects students.

Psychologists found robust cross-culture evidence linking social media use to body image
concerns, dieting, body surveillance, a drive for thinness, and self - objectification in adolescents.
It is noted that it doesn't mean social media is the cause of these problems but that there's a
strong association between them (Simmons, 2016). To ratify her point of self-objectification
among teens, Simmons explains in her article that: "Visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram
and Snapchat deliver the tools that allow teens to earn approval of their appearance and compare
themselves to others". She also quotes researchers in saying that the most vulnerable users are
the ones who spend most of their time posting, commenting on, and comparing themselves to
photos. Simmons points out that teens use everything to alter their bodies in pictures because
they have linked their self-worth to the approval of peers to how they look in pictures.

To support this statement, a blog article entitled “Media Teaches Bad Values to Your
Children” explains that the media—specifically, social media—is teaching children “success at
any cost”. Taylor (2012) expressed that this culture of success causes children to believe that
they must succeed to be esteemed by society and peers. This message has created a desperate
need for social media (fame) in children. This statement suggests that children need to succeed to
be acknowledged by the society. This desperate need to ‘belong’ causes them to alter themselves
just for the thought of being accepted.

In addition to social media success, Taylor (2012) also wrote that this culture of avarice
not only tolerates, but also encourages this “win at all costs” mentally by modeling and messaging
dishonest, cheating, manipulation and back stabbing. This explains that adolescents are not only
altering themselves physically in photos but social media has also caused them to alter mentally.

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

 Social media serves as the internet to majority of Filipino online users. To prove this point,
results of the Universal McCann’s 2008 Wave 3 study on social media that found that the
Philippines had the highest penetration of social networking among internet users at 83%,
compared with the global average of 58% are included. The research focuses on the violation of
privacy as an effect of social media. It states that the perimeters as to what is considered private
and public in social media is blurred, especially in the Philippines. Social media sites have become
primary gathering places for the Filipina adolescents. This is proven true by interviews and surveys
she held in the Philippines that revealed that ages 10-17 are in social media networks. The privacy
of these girls are in jeopardy because they “do not diligently practice privacy” especially in
applications like Facebook in which strangers can easily access some of their pictures and
information. (Brutas, 2015)

Emerging studies find that youth spend a considerable portion of their daily life interacting
through social media. They are among the first to have grown up entirely surrounded by
communication technologies. Teenagers are also in a period of rapid development, growth and
motivation. This statement solidifies the reason why social media can surely and easily affect the
way adolescents develop and mature into adults. There are many concerns involved with this topic,
ranging from privacy, safety, psychological well-being, social development, and academic
performance. Its explains that individuals were found to have increased depression, loneliness, and
smaller social circles due to longer time use of technology or social media that has features and
infrastructures that impacts user behavior and development. As a conclusion, the abusive and
excessive use of social media will inevitably cause an individuals’ character to alter. (Ahn, 2011).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The researches searched for all the related literatures and studies they can gather to further acquire
sufficient knowledge for their study. They