ASSEMBLYWOMAN FELICITA G.

BERNARDINO
MEMORIAL TRADE SCHOOL

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE VOTERS’

POLITICAL THOUGHTS

A Thesis Presented to the

Faculty of the Senior High School Department

Assemblywoman Felicita G. Bernardino Memorial Trade School

Marilao, Bulacan

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements in

Practical Research 1

SPS Arimado - RA Binucas - MAD Dela Cruz

CE Fernandez - F Hizarza - A Palaran

AJ Razon - AJ Santos - AN Segura

MA Soliva

2022
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CHAPTER 1

The Problem and Its Background

The modern era has paved the way for new technologies and

innovations that are incredibly beneficial to us. One of these

innovations is the social media. Social media has become such a

massive part of our everyday lives primarily due to its convenience

and capability. This popularity has grown even further when the

pandemic has forced the government to impose a lockdown

throughout our country, this leaves the Filipinos with no other

choice but to use social media as a source of information.

The rising popularity of social media has enabled us to

discuss popular and controversial matters alike. Among these

'controversial issues' is the elections, primarily due to their

significance to our country. The pandemic started 2 years ago, the

2022 elections are drawing nearer, and the campaign season for

national and local offices has begun. This election season is partly

different from the previous ones due to the health restrictions that

the government imposed. It is now noticeable that the politicians

have grown adaptive to the current environment and have

managed to develop innovative methods to campaign themselves

now that they are on the time of the new normal.

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One of these 'innovative' methods is the use of social media,

the use of social media as a campaign platform has grown in

popularity and so far, has been a great choice by candidates to

perform a cost-effective campaign. This claim could be proven

through the rising ad spending of aspiring politicians, For example,

presidential aspirant Leni Robredo has reportedly amounted to a

total 14.1 million pesos between August 4, 2020, to December 31,

2021, through the platform Facebook. The emergence of the social

media as a dominant variable in the electoral calculation has been

proven now that we are on the campaign period.

Social media platforms such as Facebook are persuasive and

often work to change or influence opinions regarding political views

because of the abundance of ideas, thoughts, and opinions

circulating through the social media platforms. Social media

enables the voters to discuss matters that are in trend, including

politics. These reasons prompted the group to conduct this study,

with the aim of identifying the impact of social media in the voter's

thoughts.
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Statement of the Problem

This study aims to identify the impact of social media to

the voters’ political thoughts. Specifically, it will seek to answer

the following research questions:

1. What are the benefits of using social media during campaign period?

2. What are the risks involved in the use social media for political

purposes?

3. How does social media impact the respondent’s political thoughts?

Assumption

The researchers assume the following as the most probable

findings of our study:

1. The voter's thoughts are directly influenced by the political belief

that they agree with.

2. Social media serves as a source of information, but their

perception about the given information may vary depending on

their own political beliefs.

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Significance of the Study

This study addresses the impact of the social media in

shaping the voter’s thoughts. The following group of people are the

most probable beneficiaries of this study:

Aspiring politicians – This study could help the aspiring

politicians in the future as it assesses the voter's pattern of

thinking and provides them with the necessary information that

could help them perform an effective campaign.

Voters – The voters are the ones who are the most important

beneficiaries of this study. This study could protect the voters as

it enables them to identify the risks involved in the use of social

media such as fake news and bullying.

Future researchers - This research will provide facts, information,

and references relevant to the researchers that would conduct a

study related to this topic.

Social media platform companies – This study could provide the

platform creators with the relevant information that could help

them create a safe and healthy environment for their clients.

Campaign strategists – The campaign strategists could use this

study in creating a cost-effective campaign.

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Scope and Delimitations

This research was conducted digitally. The main objective of

this research is to determine the impact of the social media to the

voter's thoughts. In this research, data is collected by the means

of online survey and interview. Only the eligible voters within the

range of eighteen (18) to sixty (60) years old will be part of the

study. This study will only cover the voter's thoughts in the 2022

national elections

This study was conducted with limited resources and a strict time

framework.

Definition of Terms

The following words are defined according to their use in this

study:

Cost-effective. The production of something effective without

the need of much resources.

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Social media. forms of electronic communication (such as

websites for social networking and microblogging) through which

users create online communities to share information, ideas,

personal messages, and other content (such as videos)

Extremism. The act of holding an extreme political or religious

view, also known as Fanaticism

Ideology. The integrated assertions, theories and aims that

constitute a sociopolitical program

Radical. Someone who advocates a complete social reform; a

completely different belief from the current norm.

Trolls. Someone who intentionally disrupt a community through

various methods such as bullying and harassment.

CHAPTER 2

Voter’s thoughts & Social Media Usage

Heblich (2016) stated in his study that social media had a

substantial impact on the nature of Philippine elections. When

their candidates utter harmful factoids, slurs, and offensive

remarks, it sends political hacks and apologists into a frenzy. On

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the other hand, the ability of voters to obtain and absorb

information from the media has been altered by technology,

eliminating the need for editorial offices to filter information. Users

have had to learn how to filter vital data on their own as a result.

During the early days of the internet, voter turnout was lower due

to "complexity" or less-focused political information. On the other

side, the subsequent rise of social media may aid in reversing the

negative influence on turnout. This, however, poses issues for

regulatory policy. Understanding how the internet influences data

consumption is also crucial for voters' policy perceptions.

Heblich, S. also contends that the internet is the new huge

phenomenon that has an impact on many facets of daily life.

Empirical data reveals that during the early days of the internet, a

"crowding-out" of political information occurred, affecting voter

turnout. Although the development of dynamic social media and

"user-defined" material seems to have rectified this trend, there is

one drawback: voters could now be specifically identified and

tactically manipulated by targeted information. While regulation of

the internet is vital, it could also stifle progress. As a result, policy

makers should consider implementing steps to enhance citizens to

be much more cautious in one‘s browsing habits.

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Voter’s Reliance on Social Media for Information

According to N. Almarez DM & Malawani A. (2016), the

increasing use of Social Media in Social Interaction has changed

the mode of political campaigning in the Philippines. His research

aims to determine how social media influences Internet users'

presidential preferences during the campaign period for the 2016

Philippines presidential elections. He also examined the evolving

response preferences among the five candidates in the 2016

presidential election. They found out social media does not have

much influence on respondents' preferences, with only 44% of

respondents claiming their presidential preferences were

influenced by social media. David CC, San Pascual MRS, and

Torres MES (2019) came up with a hypothesis based on an online

survey of 978 Filipinos. Those with more politically active friends

on Facebook have higher levels of exposure to political content

online, The result shows that those who rely less on social media

as a news source exhibit higher levels of perceived knowledge

about politics than those who rely more on it for news.

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Information

Pazon (2018) stated that as more people engages in social

media platforms, people tend to seek out and use news from

social media. According to him, the primary reasons of

consuming news from social media than other news organization

like print and television, since it is often real – time and less

expensive, easier to comment, discuss and share with other

friends or users in social media. With this, the quality of

information is now a subject for tampering and transforming it

into 'fake news'. Misinformation leads to public confusion and

might be abused, especially in the field of politics.

The distinction between misinformation and disinformation

becomes especially important in political, editorial, and

advertising contexts, where sources may make deliberate efforts

to mislead, deceive, or confuse an audience in order to promote

their personal, religious, or ideological objectives. The difference

consists in having an agenda. It thus bears comparison with

lying, because “lies” are assertions that are false, that are known

to be false, and that are asserted with the intention to mislead,

deceive, or confuse (Fetzer 2004).

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Conceptual Framework

This study is primarily anchored to the Social Judgment

Theory (SJT) coined by C Sheriff, M Sheriff, and C Hhovlan

(1961). Based on their theory, each individual interprets and

accept an information based on a self-determined anchor that

determines their degree of acceptance in every opinion. There are

three spectrums on the anchor, these are:

1. Acceptance. This refers to the zone or spectrum of

positions that a voter accept.

2. Non-commitment. This refers to the zone or spectrum of

positions that a voter neither accept or reject upon.

3. Rejection. This refers to the zone of position that a voter

completely rejects.

This study is also supported by the Information

Manipulation Theory (IMT) by S McCornack (192). Based on his

theory, any information, factual or non-factual that is present

can be used in controlling the flow of information in order to

persuade or deceive anyone that relies on a single source of

information. According to him, any individual could persuade or

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deceive anyone by breaking the four conversational maxims,

these maxims are:

1. Quantity. Relates to expectations regarding the

reasonable amount of information that should be provided

in a given message

2. Quality. Relates to expectations regarding the

truthfulness of information that is presented in a given

message

3. Relation. Relates to relevancy expectations regarding the

constraints of the conversation established by earlier

remarks

4. Manner. Relates to expectations regarding the manner

something is said.

Based on this set of theories, any information that is distributed

on social media could be manipulated and presented by a politician to

a voter in a convincing manner. They could either persuade or deceive

the voters by breaking at least one of the four maxims. The voters

meanwhile, would create a judgment, opinion, or thoughts based on

their anchor. The voters could either agree, disagree, or be neutral on

the information that is presented to them.

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Research Paradigm

Input

Information

Manipulated / Not manipulated

Process

Use of Social Media

Reliance on
Social Media

Expected Output

Thought and Judgment

Acceptance / Non – Commitment /

Rejection

Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

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As shown in the paradigm, the input on this study was the

information that is present on social media. Information was

processed by the voter through the use of social media. Reliance

meanwhile, was considered as the main controlling factor

between the process and the output as it could influence the

outcome of the entire process.

Chapter 3

Methodology of the Study

Introduction

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the

research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying

how research is done scientifically (Patel 2019).

In this study, the researchers have used a combination of

multiple methodologies. This chapter presents the methodologies

that have been used in order determining the impact of social

media on voter’s political thougths.

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Methods and Techniques Used

The goal of this study is to identify the impact of social

media on the voter’s political thoughts. The researchers employed

the phenomenological qualitative investigation approach to

gather enough information about the voter’s thoughts. According

to J Creswell (2013), phenomenological study is an approach to

qualitative research that focuses on the commonality of lived

experience within a particular group. The researchers has used

this technique as it will be an effective method to gather essential

data. The phenomenological study will be employed digitally

through the use of observations, interviews, and online surveys.

Respondents of the Study

In the course of this study, purposive sampling technique

has been employed and eligible Filipino voters within the range of

eighteen (18) and sixty (60) years old as the primary respondents

for the online surveys. Interviews and observations will be

conducted on a randomly selected people in order for the

researchers to gather sufficient information for the study.

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Instrument of the study

The researchers have used multiple instruments to gather

sufficient information for the study. The researchers have utilized

google forms for online surveys. The researchers also performed

multiple interviews through the use of multiple digital platforms

such as google meet and zoom. Most of the work have been

conducted digitally due to the health restrictions imposed by the

government during the pandemic.

Data Gathering Procedure

The data used in this study will only be gathered from the

chosen respondents. A letter has been sent to the principal of

A.F.G.B.M.T.S asking for a permission to conduct an independent

study digitally. Upon approval interview and observations with the

said respondents will be conducted in order to obtain relevant

information about the impact of social media to the voter’s political

thoughts. The use of online surveys has also been utilize in order

to gather additional information for the study.

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Data Processing and Statistical Treatment

After the collection of data, the researchers will record the

gathered information on an excel document and will be subjected

to further analysis.

The researchers has utilized the thematic analysis as a

method in analyzing the gathered data on interviews and

observations. Thematic analysis enables the researchers to

specifically analyze and interpret the gathered data based on their

distinct theme, topic, characteristics, etc.

The data gathered on surveys meanwhile will be calculated

in order to identify the distribution of the gathered results among

the participants. The calculation will be conducted through the use

of the use of the formula for Percentage:

P = F/N × 100

P = Percentage F = Frequency N = Total Number of Respondents

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Appendix

Appendix A. Permission Letter

[Date]

Rosauro A. Villanueva, Ph.D.

School principal

Assemblywoman Felicita G. Bernardino Memorial Trade School

Approval Sheet

Dear Mr. Villanueva,

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Practical

Research 1, we Grade 11 students of HUMSS -1, would like to
ask permission to conduct our study entitled "THE IMPACT OF
SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE VOTER'S POLITICAL THOUGHTS".

Respondents' confidentiality is assured and all data gathered will

solely be used for education purposes only. The information
involves their identity, addresses etc.

We are looking forward to provide Bernardinians information

that we can share upon completion of our research.

Respectfully yours,
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The Researchers

Soliva M.A., Fernandez C.E., Arimado S.P., Santos A.J.,

Razon A.J., Segura A.J., Palaran A., Delacruz M.A., Hisarza N.,

Binucas R.A.,

Recommending Approval:

MARIA KARLA NGAN VINOYA

Practical Research 1 Adviser

Approved By:

ROSAURO A. VILLANUEVA PH.D

School Principal

Appendix B. Observation Protocol

Length of Activity: 30 minutes

Descriptive Notes Reflective Notes
General Objective:

Observe how the voter react

based on the information that
they saw on the social media.
Start Of Observation:
The observation initiated as The interviewee looks
soon as the interviewer arrived nervous, I wonder if this
is his first interview
The interviewer and the There is a noticable
interviewee greeted each other silence within the room,
politely this makes the situation
more interesting
The interviewer presented a It seems like the
news article that discussess interviewee has read the
the results of the last article before as he
presidential survey, the managed to finish the
interviewer asked the entire article in a short
interviewee to read it time
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The interviewer asked a The interviewer asked

question afterwards, he started the question
by asking him about his interrogatively, this
reaction on the said article could possibly affect the
outcome of this
conversation.
The interviewee answered by The interviewee
stating his strong objection answered in a slightly
against the surveys, he cited it rude manner
as a form of propaganda
The interviewer proceeded to There is a buildup of
ask about the methods in pressure between the
which the surveys was conversation, I hope that
conducted, he stated that this will not trigger a
these surveys came from debate of some sort
reputable sources and was
conducted with a pure
scientific methodology.
There is a noticable annoyance The questions might
in the face of the interviewee, have triggered the inner
he answered emotionallly and thoughts of the
began speculating about the interviewee as his
manipulation of survey reaction quickly turned
emotional
The interviewer has no choice
but to finish the interview as
proceeding can lead to a
debate

Appendix C. Interview Protocol

Interview Background (Background Information on Interviewee)

Date :

Location:

Name:
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Introduction

Good morning, Ms./ Mr. [Interviewee Name]. My name is [

Interviewer Name] and I am a student at AFGBMTS in Lias, Marilao,

Bulacan, and I would like to thank you for meeting with me today! I

am presently conducting a study research in partial fulfillment of

the requirements in Practical Research 1. The Interview will cover

everything about The Impact of Social Media to the Voters’ Political

Thoughts. As a participant in this study, this interview will gather

empirical data and as well as learn about your experiences and

perspectives regarding the questions will be addressing.

I would like your permission to tape record this interview, so I may

accurately document the information you convey. I'll produce a

transcript of all your responses after our interview is finished. I'll

also replace your name, as well as anyone else's and any places you

mention, so nothing you say can be linked directly to you. I would

be the only one who has access to the data, and I will keep it safe

and secure until it is time to completely erase it.

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Opening Questions

Ms./ Mr. [Interviewee Name], please tell me a little bit about

yourself.

Before we begin, do you have any questions? This Interview is

expected to take 20 minutes. Are you ready to start and begin the

interview and be recorded right now?

Thank you! Let’s begin with the first question.

Content Questions

1. Can you share with me regarding your ideas on what social

media can do for us nowadays?

2. Could you tell me about your thoughts on how social media

affects many of us as citizens in our country?

3. I was interested in what you said about media can be

unbiased information in us. Can you provide concrete

examples.
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Closing remarks

That concludes our time, thank you very much, Ms./ Mr.

[Interviewee Name]! The results will helps us to understand more

about our topic (The Impact of Social Media to the Voters’ Political

Thoughts) I would like to tell again that I am the only one who will

have access to this matter and after the research, the content will be

erased. Your responses will be kept private and will be used to learn

more about how you and your peers see life satisfaction and what

factors may impact it. If you wish to have a copy of the abstract of

this research, please feel free to let me know, and I would be very

willing to send you one.

Do you have any questions or concerns before we over? Then with

your permission we will conclude the interview.

Thank you very much!

Appendix D. Survey Form

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE VOTERS’ POLITICAL

THOUGHTS

I. Questions

Directions: Answer the following questions.

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Q1. Are you active with any social media platforms?

Q2. Which of these social media platforms do you find most

pleasant to use?

Q3. Do you contribute educational contents in Social Media?

Kindly place a “✓” mark in the box
of your answer.

[ ] Yes. [ ] No.

Q4. Do you use the technology to help others? Kindly place a “✓”
mark in the box of your
answer.

[ ] Yes. [ ] No.

Q5. Do you think the use of social media has an impact on our
political views? Kindly place a “✓” mark in the box of your answer.

[ ] Yes. [ ] No.

II. Fact Check

Directions: Please indicate your level of agreement or disagreement

with each of these statements regarding THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL
MEDIA TO THE VOTERS’ POLITICAL THOUGHTS.

Place a “✓” mark in the box of your answer.

1. I usually double-check the source of information to ensure it’s

legitimacy.
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[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

2. I always make sure that the information is relevant to the

current political discourse

[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

3. I properly assess the information that I saw on Social Media

[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

4. I have the ability to differentiate the true and false information

[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

5. I believe that a data without a legitimate provenance is most

likely false.

[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

6. I make sure to assess news content reliable sources I see online

before sharing it.

[ ] Strongly Agree. [ ] Agree. [ ] Disagree. [ ] Strongly Disagree.

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Appendix E. References

ABS-CBN News, & Benise Pabia Balaoing, ABS -CBN (2022,

January 20). Top facebook ad spender? Robredo says volunteers
paid for ads. ABS. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/20/22/top-facebook-ad-
spender-robredo-says-volunteers-paid-for-ads

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Cost-effective. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/cost-effective

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Social media. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved May 5, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/social%20media

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Extremism. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/extremism

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ideology. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/ideology

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Radical. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/radical

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Troll. In Merriam-Webster.com

dictionary. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/troll

Heblich, S. (2016) The effect of the Internet on Voting Behavior

from https://wol.iza.org/articles/effect-of-internet-on-voting-
behavior/long

N. ALMAREZ DM, D., & D. MALAWANI, A. (2016). The Social

Media as a Transformative Agent in the Electoral Process.
Journal Of Government And Politics, 7(3). doi:
10.18196/jgp.2016.003
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Pazon A.N.(2018) "Socioscientific Perspectives on ‘Fake News’ in

the Era of Social Media among Generation Z Filipinos"
https//asianjournal.org/online/index.php/ajms/article/view/76

Fetzer, J. (2004). Disinformation: The Use of False

Information. Minds And Machines, 14(2), 231-240. doi:
10.1023/b:mind.0000021683.28604.5b

Research design. (2007). The SAGE Dictionary of Qualitative

Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.4135/97814129862681.n304