F.

Bustamante National High School

Tibungco, Davao City

Understanding the Root Causes of Social Media Addiction among Students

in FBNHS

A Practical Research

Submitted to the Senior High School

Department

of F. Bustamante National High School

In Partial Fullfillment of the Requirements

For the Practical Research 1

By:

Eljewin Baluca

Kayla Mae Calubag

Jade Montana

Arjay Olalo

Marl Tenajeros

Bawaduli

Christoper Zaragoza

Junerey Completo

To:

Amyblle Bacalla
REFERENCES
 Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to offer their sincerest gratitude to the Lord our God for
giving them strength, guidance, patience, wisdom and knowledge to have this idea of
their study and to start and finish the qualitative research successfully.

The researchers would also like to thank Teacher Amybelle Bacalla for guiding
them throughout their study.

Their parents and friends who extended their help in making this study.
 Abstract

The ease of internet access worldwide has made it one of the most popular
medium of seeking information and for communication. Social media has become a global
phenomena and a very important means of communication among peers, families, and
all manner of persons. Majority are logged on to their facebook accounts checking on
notifications or browsing through their walls or their friends’ walls; many are looking at
photos in Instagram, others on twitter, or watching something in Youtube and others either
browsing or surfing through the worldwide web, others checking their emails; others
playing online or offline games; and others, well, working on assignments perhaps. Thus,
the goal of this basic phenomenological qualitative study is knowing and understand the
root causes of social media addiction among students in F. Bustamante National High
School. The data needed were gathered through conducting survey questionnaires at F.
Bustamante National High School and using internet to know more about the researchers
topic. The result show, basing on their answers from the survey questionnaires conducted
by the researchers, most of the respondents is addicted in social media because of
entertainment that social media gives them.
 Table of Contents

Pages

Title

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Table of Contents

Chapter I

Introduction

Statement of the Problem

Significance of the Study

Scope and Delimitations

Theoretical Lens

Definition of Terms

Chapter II

Review of Related Literature

Review of Related Studies

Chapter III

Research Design

Sample and Sampling Technique

Instrument of the Study

Validity and Reliability

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The ease of internet access worldwide has made it one of the most popular
medium of seeking information and for communication (Ramamohanarao et al, 2007).
The internet is now very vital in the modern world. It has become an important instrument
in education and social life such that it is gradually becoming indispensable in the daily
life of many people (Pew Internet Research, 2004). The internet is a highly enlightening
and entertaining medium, therefore people engage in several activities on it; some of
which may be potentially addictive. One of such activities is the use of social media (Kuss
& Griffiths 2011).

The introduction of social media in the last decade has largely attracted many
people. This has therefore shifted their focus from mainly using just traditional media and
traditional forms of social networking for social interaction (globalwebindex, 2015). The
mass appeal of social media could be an issue of concern, especially with regards to the
steady increase in the time users spend online. Also, the qualities of social media make
it a desirable escape for many of these people increasing their dependency on it; thereby
contributing to the growth of the social media addiction phenomenon worldwide (Brewer,
2013)

Social media has become a global phenomenon and a very important means of
communication among peers, families and all manner of persons. Social media sites such
as Facebook, Twitter, instagram, LinkedIn and mobile instant messaging services (IM)
such as WhatsApp, Viber and IMO and video calling services like Skype have become a
popular means of communication in the past few years. Statistics show that active social
media users the world over are estimated at about two thousand two hundred and six
billion, a global diffusion of 30% which is a rise in number of users by about one hundred
and seventy-six Million users in the last year alone (www.socialmediatoday.com). Boyd
and Ellison (2007) define social media as “a public web-based service that permits users
to create a personal profile, identify other users with whom they can relate to or have a
connection with, read and react to posts made by other users on the site, and send and
receive messages either privately or publicly.” Kuss and Griffiths (2011) also define Social
media as “virtual communities where users can create individual public profiles, interact
with real-life friends, and meet other people based on shared interests.” Any website that
enables social interaction by users is considered a social media site. Such sites are
powered by web 2.0; an online technology with the ability to allow users to interact and
share information online. The increase in number of these social media sites, combined
with the fast growth and advancement of mobile device technology in the last few years,
coupled with the ease of access to broadband and mobile data services have created a
major avenue for daily social interaction; encouraging regular profile updates and replies
to comments and messages in real time.

People are now logging on to social media on mobile devices everywhere, at any
time and on the go; making it a common everyday activity and this can be confirmed by
statistics released by socialmediatoday.com which estimates that about 1.925 billion
users of smartphones make use of their devices for Social Media. The level of popularity
and use of social media has increased greatly over the years since it was first introduced.
In a survey carried out in September 2014, the Pew Research Centre found that the
popularity of Facebook continues to grow as it is still the most popular social media site
though there has been a slowdown in its growth. The number of engaged users on the
platform has however improved while other social media platforms such as Pinterest,
Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram saw a substantial rise in usage.

The use of social media has risen considerably over the past few years. The growth
in the rate of internet usage and in effect social media can be tied to the advancement of
communication technology. The growth in the usage of smartphones and the ease of
access to broadband and mobile Internet (BiztechAfrica.com)

The magnitude of the use of these various platforms have become a cause for
concern in recent times as this phenomenon has driven many researchers across the
globe to undertake studies in the area both from the psychology point of view and the
angle of communication studies. Like any other place in the world, users of social media
in Ghana can be affected by the Social media addiction phenomenon. Social media
addiction is a term used to describe a situation where a user spends too much time on
social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, instagram) such that it negatively affects other
aspects of his or her daily life like school,work or relationship with others (Walker, 2011).
Addiction as described by the American Psychological Association refers to a compulsive
behaviour that leads to negative effects. In other forms of addictions such as drugs,
gambling, video gaming, overeating etc., people feel bound to particular activities such
that they become harmful habits, which then obstructs other important activities in their
lives and this can be said of people who use social media excessively.

According to Pavlicek (2013) a social media addict can be considered as one with
an urge to use social media excessively. For instance, engaging in activities like
“frequently checking status updates and posts or “stalking” the profiles of other users for
many hours” and this ehavior or habit conflicts with his/her everyday responsibilities, such
as family, school, work or other social obligations.

In a world where we’re never too far from a free wifi location, the social media giant
Facebook has 2.23 billion active monthly users and our mobile phones are used for just
about everything from counting our steps to paying for lunch, leading price. As more and
more corners of the globe gain access to the world wide web, individuals suffering from
online addiction disorders are emerging across nations in their thousands. In June 2018,
the NHS announced that they were looking into opening the first internet addiction clinic
to help those suffering with gaming disorders. Studies have also shown how smartphone
addiction could be changing our brains and that 50% of teens feel they are addicted to
their mobile devices.comparison website Compare the Market have conducted their study
to discover which nations are the most obsessed with being online. Macao, China, there
are over three times as many phones as people as the average person here has 3.22
mobile phone subscriptions – that could be anything from a couple of mobile phones to
their iPad or tablet. In a city built for the internet, you would expect that access to the
internet would be free and simple… The data reveals that in Macao there are just 292
free Wifi spots, that’s fewer than Luxembourg (1,160), Bahrain (4,034) and Denmark
(8,013). Compare the Market also looked at the number of internet users in each of the
world’s 15 most internet addicted countries to reveal who has the highest percentage of
their population accessing the online world. Bahrain and Luxembourg both take the crown
with 98% of their populations using the internet whilst Denmark follows closely behind
and has the second highest percentage of their population accessing the internet (97%).
The UK rounds off the top three with 95% of the population using the internet, that’s more
than Hong Kong (87%) and the USA (76%) – countries notorious for being leaps and
bounds ahead in technology and connectivity.

The Philippines again topped the world in terms of social media usage as the
number of internet users in the country hit 67 million people, according to a new report by
London, United Kingdom-based consultancy We Are Social. HEADLINES 233 SHARES
PH is world leader in social media usage By: Miguel R. Camus - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:24 AM February 15, 2018. The Philippines again topped the
world in terms of social media usage as the number of internet users in the country hit 67
million people, according to a new report by London, United Kingdom-based consultancy
We Are Social. In its Digital 2018 report, which compiled data from various third-party
sources, We Are Social said Filipinos spent an average of 3 hours and 57 minutes a day
on social media sites, mainly on Facebook. It said there were 67 million accounts on
Facebook in the Philippines, matching the total number of internet users in the county.
Another 10 million Filipinos were on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook. The
Philippines was ahead in terms of social media usage in a list of 40 countries. Least
interested in social media were the Japanese, who spent an average of 48 minutes a day
updating their Facebook status and posting pictures on Instagram. In its Digital 2018
report, which compiled data from various third-party sources, We Are Social said Filipinos
spent an average of 3 hours and 57 minutes a day on social media sites, mainly on
Facebook.

It’s the most common scenario everywhere we go, where there’s a chair, a couch,
a place where one can sit, in restaurants, in parlors and barber shops, in offices, in school
lobbies, in malls, inside elevators and restrooms, in hospitals, inside churches (yes, even
inside churches), on floors and stairs inside malls – people of all ages are holding on to
gadgets, oblivious of their surroundings, lost in another world or dimension. Majority are
logged on to their Facebook accounts checking on notifications or browsing through their
walls or their friends’ walls; many are looking at photos in Instagram, others on Twitter, or
watching something in YouTube, and others either browsing or surfing through the world-
wide web, others checking their emails; others playing online or offline games; and others,
well, working on assignments perhaps. The researcher further explained that the Internet
and all the social media platforms are not necessarily evil. They were created for a good
purpose, but just like everything else, when abused, the result will ultimately cause
damage to the user. The study done by UP paints a very clear picture and it is something
that should be a concern not only by the parents of young boys and girls and the families
but also a matter of interest to educators, religious leaders, and social and civic
organizations. Some damage has been done to thousands of young people in Northern
Mindanao already, this according to the UP research study, but there is still hope. Tens
of thousands can still be helped, and we should all do our part – as parents and as
responsible adults. But time is of the essence and we all have to act now!

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

General Objective:

This study aims to understand the root causes of social media addiction among
the students in F. Bustamante National High School.

Specific Objective:

1. To know the different social networking sites which the students are addicted
to;
2. To know the reasons why students are addicted to social media; and
3. To know the benefits that they get from social media.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is significant to the following:

FACULTY AND STAFF. The data can be used by the teachers to determine the students
suffering from this addiction. The school administration could think of some various
activities to address this issue that their students are facing now.

PARENTS. The parents would understand their children more with the help of this study.
There could be lesser fights inside the home with regards to using gadgets. This could
build more harmonious and peaceful home. The parents could use the recommendation
that the researchers will be providing in addressing this issue

STUDENTS. The result of the study will give possible solution to the addiction of the
students in social media. The researcher will provide various recommendations on how
to reduce the said addiction of this generation. As this problem will be solved, the
students will be more focused and goal oriented individuals.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

This study is limited only to the students in F. Bustamante National High School in
Tibungco, Davao City during in school year 2018-2019. Their ages range from 13-18
years old. The study will examine the reason behind the students excessive use of social
media sites like facebook, Instagram, twitter, youtube and even social media games.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Addiction - is a complex disease, often chronic in nature, which affects the functioning
of the brain and body.

Root Causes- A root cause is defined as a factor that caused a nonconformance and
should be permanently eliminated through process improvement.

Social Media - is a phrase that we throw around a lot these days, often to describe what
we post on sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and others.

Social Media Addiction - is not a formal clinical diagnosis, it is fair to say that many
people spend far too much time on social media and may at the very least describe
themselves as being “obsessed”, if not addicted.

THEORETICAL LENS

There are many theories of communication that have been created regarding
computer mediated communication that can be applied to social media usage, as well
as general communication theories. Social media offers a unique interaction platform for
users, which allows communication theories to be explored in a different setting. Social
media does not allow for face-to-face interactions, yet studies in computer-mediated
communication show it yields highly-connected interpersonal relationships (Walther,
1996). There are several theories that are applicable to social media and the addiction
factor, including the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects, the Interpersonal
Impact Hypothesis, the Differential Impact Hypothesis, Uses and Gratifications Theory
and Media Dependency Theory.
 CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITTERATURE

Nowadays, social media has become an indispensable part of our daily lives.
Although there are many useful applications of social media, the excessive use of this
medium led to live personal, social and occupational problems. With these problems, it
began to lead social media addiction which describes as a new kind of addiction.

On the positive side, technologies such as Skype, Instagram, and Facebook allow
us to stay in contact with family and friends on the other side of the planet. Yet,
unfortunately, people spend hours every day updating their status, uploading pictures,
commenting on walls, playing Facebook games, reading updates from others, and
searching for new friends to add.

According to Arifin (2013), Internet addiction was rapidly growing field of research,
and it receives a lot of attentions among the researchers, journalists, and policy makers.

When using Facebook as an addiction, the user is distracted in whatever it is he

or she is doing and finds it hard to be fully present at the moment. For addicts, they may
take a significantly longer amount of time to complete simple tasks like doing house
chores or maybe some of their friends may complain that they don’t pay enough attention
to what they say. The use of Facebook then becomes a distraction from problems
because one’s attention is always diverted with its use.

According to Griffiths (1999) that many years ago online addictions are primarily
about addictions on the internet rather than addiction to the internet, and the most of
those with online problematic behavior are addicted to the online content rather than the
Internet itself. Online video-sharing applications is the various types of social media sites
which is the highest interactive level (Khan, 2017).
 According to Boyd & Ellison (2007), although the concept of this online networking
sites has existed for a long time but this concept only became a dynamic phenomenon
after the year 2003.

Online social networking addiction has the biggest overlap with Internet addiction more
generally.

REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

There have been many studies in recent years on addiction to Facebook (Kuss &
Griffiths, 2017). There have been many Facebook addiction studies since then, which
have dealt with various aspects such as clinical disorders (Rosen, Whaling et.al 2013).

Over the past five years there has been a proliferation of studies assessing how
excessive social media use can impact negatively on health. In a recent paper Dr. Kuss
and I again reviewed the latest research on the topic and showed that social media use
for a minority of individuals is associated with a number of psychological problems,
including anxiety, depression, loneliness, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and
addiction. Because social media is most frequently accessed via smartphones, their
usage is intimately intertwined and their mobile nature contributes to excessive checking
habits, which often derives from what is commonly labelled as the ‘fear of missing out’
(FOMO).
In addition to this, the findings of the presented studies indicate that compared to
the general population, teenagers and students make most use of SNSs by utilizing the
inherent Web 2.0 features. Additionally, there appear to be gender differences in usage,
the specifics of which are only vaguely defined and thus require further empirical
investigation. In addition, SNSs tend to be used mostly for social purposes of which
extracting further information from friends’ pages appears particularly pleasurable. This,
in turn, may be linked to the activation of the appetitive system, which indicates that
engaging in this particular activity may stimulate the neurological pathways known to be
related to addiction experience.
 The International Business Times (UK) reported on research from Tel Aviv
University in Israel. Researchers found that social networking sites like Facebook can
have a great deal of negative influence on the user's mental health. The researchers
have linked psychotic episodes in patients to internet addiction and delusions caused as
a result of virtual relationships cultivated on social networking sites.

For the study, the researchers studied three patients who were involved in intense
virtual relationships, in order to escape loneliness. All the participants had a common
underlying problem of loneliness, but none of them were drug abusers or had any history
of psychosis.

"As internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so do related

psychopathologies," said lead researcher Dr Uri Nitzan of Tel Aviv University's Sackler
Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care Centre. The study suggested
that though the virtual relationships did bring solace to the patients initially, feelings of
hurt, betrayal and invasion of privacy soon followed. “In each case, a connection was
found between the gradual development and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms,
including delusions, anxiety, confusion, and intensified use of computer communications.
 Chapter 3

Research Design
The research design for this study is the phenomenological qualitative study since the
researchers aim to understand the root causes of social media addiction among students
in F. Bustamante National High School. The main purpose of this study is to know the
causes why the other students in F. Bustamante National High School are addicted in
social media.

Sample and Sampling Technique

The researchers used non-probability sampling specifically purposive sampling
since the target respondents solely have to be addicted in social media addiction from
F. Bustamante National High School. We have 2 female respondents and 3 male
respondents. A total of five respondents were interviewed to achieve the needed data to
answer the objectives.

Instrument of the Study

The researchers used survey questionnaire that contains the questions that are
needed to be answered by the respondents. The questions were solely about knowing
the reasons why they are addicted in social media. Most preferably, their answers have
to be brief but still able to hit the core of the total issue of the study. The questions didn’t
have choices since it focuses more on the respondents own understanding.

Validity and Reliability

The researchers’ survey questionnaires has been approved by their research
adviser and has been carefully checked before it was used in the actual gathering of
data. It is reliable because the answers of the respondents were recorded in mobile a
recorder.
 Chapter 4

Presentation of Data

Respondents Questions ANSWERS

Cebuano Tagalog English
KR1 1. Are you Oh, ang social Oo, kasi Yes, social
addicted in media man nakakaadik media is
social media? gud makaadik ang social addictive
Why? kay naa kay media. Kasi because you
freedom sa may freedom have freedom
social media. ka sa social in social media.
media.
2. What kind of Facebook Facebook Im only using
social lang lang facebook
networking sites
are you using?
3. How many 24 hours 24 hours
hours do you
spend using
social media in
a day?
4. What is the Para Para To contact my
main reason makontak ang makontak relatives, and it
why you are mga relatives, yung mga also relieves
using social tapos relatives, stress.
media? makawala lud tsaka
ug stress nakakawala
din sya ng
stress.
5. Do you prefer Gusto jud ko Mas gusto ko I prefer
ang personal,
using social personal jud, personal
kasi mas mafi-
 media to kay mas feel mo yung communication,
message na
socialize with mafeel man because you
kino-convey
other people or gud nimo ang sa kausap mo can feel the
personal message nga message that
communication? ginaconvey sa conveys to you.
imong
kaistorya.

Respondents Questions ANSWERS

Cebuano Tagalog English

KR2 1. Are you Oh, kay diri Oo, kasi dito Yes, because
addicted in raman gud ko lang kasi ako this is the only
social media? malingaw. nalilibang thing that I
Why? enjoyed.

2. What kind of Facebook lang Facebook lang Im only using

social facebook
networking sites
are you using?
3. How many Mga 8 hours. Mga 8 hours, I spend 8
hours do you Kung walay kung wala hours using
spend using klase, namang klase, social media.
social media in magbuntag to simula umaga If we don't
a day? hapon jud hanggang have classes,
hapon talaga. from morning
to afternoon.

4. What is the Para ma- Para ma- To be updated

main reason update sa update sa mga in the
why you are mga nahitabo nangyayari sa happenings in
 using social sa atong ating our
media? komunidad, komunidad, at community, to
para malingaw para malibang be enjoy too.
sad din.
5. Do you prefer Mas prefer ko Mas prefer ko I prefer social
using social sa social ang social media,
media to media, kay sa media, kasi because I'm
socialize with personal nahihiya ako shy in
other people or maulaw man pag personal, personal. And
personal gud ko, mas at saka mas I am
communication? komportable komportable comfortable in
ko sa social ako sa social social media.
media. media

Respondents Questions ANSWERS

Cebuano Tagalog English

KR3 1. Are you Dili, tama- Hindi, tamang- No, just right,
addicted in social tama lang, tama lang, Im just using
media? Why? kay naga- kasi nagfi- facebook.
facebook lang facebook lang That's all
ko. Mao lang ako. Yun lang

2. What kind of Facebook,

social networking Twitter,
sites are you sometimes
using? youtube
3. How many Kuntahay alas Kunyare, alas Example 8
hours do you otso, maabtan otso ako am, I finished
spend using ko ug ala una, nagsimula, using social
social media in a so 5 hours . hanggang ala media in 1
day? Kung busy, una ako pm, so I
maabtan ko matatapos, so spend 5
ug isa ka oras 5 hours. Kung hours using
busy naman, social media.
maaabutan If I'm busu, I
ako ng isang just spend 1
oras. hour.

4. What is the Sa facebook, Gamit talaga Facebook is

main reason why gamit kaayo para sa akin really useful
you are using sa ako, kay ang facebook, for me
social media? aron dali ra ko para madali because its
makontak sa akong easy for me
agency, sa makontak ng to contact the
akong agency na agency
trabaho. Sa tinatrabahuan where I am
twitter kay ko. Sa twitter working. Im
pang naman ay just using
entertainment pang twitter for
lang. entertainment entertainment
lang. only.

5. Do you prefer Sa ako a kay Sa akin ay I prefer social

using social social media, social media, media
media to maulaw man nahihiya kasi because I'm
socialize with gud ko akong not confident
other people or makipag- makipag- to
communicate
 personal communicate communicate with other
communication? sa laing tao. sa iba. people

Respondents Questions ANSWERS

Cebuano Tagalog English

KR4 1. Are you No, because I

addicted in social only use it for
media? Why? communicating

2. What kind of I use facebook

social networking and twitte
sites are you
using?
3. How many I spend 4-5
hours do you hours using
spend using social media
social media in a
day?
4. What is the . To
main reason why communicate
you are using with my friends
social media? online.

5. Do you prefer Yes, I prefer

using social social media
media to because its
socialize with very useful to
other people or me if I am far
away with your
 personal friend or
communication? family.

Respondents Questions ANSWERS

Cebuano Tagalog English

KR5 1. Are you Not too much

addicted in social
media? Why?

2. What kind of I am using

social networking facebook,
sites are you youtube. Im
using? also playing
Dota 2.

3. How many I spend 5-8

hours do you hours using
spend using social media
social media in a
day?
4. What is the . The main
main reason why reason why Im
using social
you are using
media, I am
social media? chatting
someone,
watching new
viral videos,
and updating
news.
5. Do you prefer I prefer,
using social personal
media to communication,
socialize with because you
other people or can feel what
personal they really feel.
communication? Unlike social
media

Data Analysis and Presentation

 Social Media Addiction

22%
28%
Emotional
Physical
Intellectual
Psychological

11% 22% Social

17%

Based on the results gathered through the survey interviews, researchers were
able to know why the students of F. Bustamante National High School is addicted in social
media.

Most of the respondents is addicted in social media because of the entertainment

in social media, and some of the respondents using social media to contact their relatives,
friends, and colleague. Answers are classified as social comes at first since most of the
respondents is using social media for communication and entertainment. Emotional
comes at second since some of our respondents is attached in social media because of
something that made them emotional. Intellectual comes at third because some of our
respondents want to communicate also, psychological comes at last because some of
the respondents is addicted in social media because they want to relieve their stress
through entertainment that social media brings them and physical is not stated in the
answers of respondents.
 Chapter 5
Summary of Findings
Questions
Are you addicted in social media? Why?
What kind of social networking sites are
you using?
How many hours do you spend using
social media in a day?
What is the main reason why you are
using social media?
Do you prefer using social media to
socialize with other people or personal
communication?
Compiled Answers
Some of the respondents are not addicted
in social media because they use social
media for communication only, and some
of them are addicted in social media
because of the entertainment that social
media brings them.
Majority of respondents is using
Facebook, twitter and Youtube.
Majority of our respondents use social
media most of the day, approximately 8-12
hours.
Some of them using social media because
they are contacting their friends and
relatives. And some of them is using social
media cause they are watching videos,
updating news, and also for entertainment.
Most of our respondents prefer social
media because they are more comfortable
in social media, and some of our
respondents prefer personal
communication because they want to feel
the message more, that friends or relatives
conveys to them.
 Recommendations

The researchers would like to recommend this study to everyone as they could
use this to be more aware of social media addiction. The researchers would also like to
recommend this study to the future researchers that would like to further develop the
research more so that they would have a better results and findings than what the
researcher had, able to maximize the target respondents, and go beyond the topic that
we focused on like the treatment process, for example.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results and findings that were gathered by the researchers, the
following conclusions were made:

1. Based of the respondents answers, they are using Facebook, Youtube and Twitter
for social media networking sites.

2. They are addicted in social media because of enjoyment, and entertainment that
social media gives them.Also for communication.

3. Aside from entertainment that they get from social media, they learn from different
sites they are using, such as youtube, they can learn something in the videos they
are watching. Not just from videos they are watching, also from what they read in
facebook or twitter.