Students’ Exposure to Social Media and Their Radical Involvement on the Societal Issues in the Philippines

Abstract

The digital era has had a significant impact on people’s perspectives, thus determining whether the vast reach of social media and its free access impacts Filipino teenager’s understanding of the issues in the country and their engagement in politics is crucial. The key aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between exposure to social media to the awareness on various social issues and the complex political involvement of youth. The study employed a correlational design of quantitative research approach use to analyze data gathered based on the conducted online survey of senior high school students from Tanauan City Integrated High School. In addition, this study applied a Pearson correlation to determine if a significant correlation existed. Findings showed that there is no significant connection between the respondents’ social media exposure and their level of awareness regarding societal issues in the country. On the other hand, there is a significant relationship between the respondents’ social media exposure and their level of radical involvement. This research demonstrates how a broader and more advanced understanding of youth’s radical political participation associated with more comprehensive measures of social media use can help better understand the role of digital platforms in influencing political participatory behavior and awareness among the internet generation. It is recommendable that future researchers could focus on a different aspect, highlighting the effects of specific social media platform to bring in-depth information about its implications to the political behaviors and awareness of youth in this particular variable.