The Influence of Facebook On Self-Esteem: A Phenomenological Study among Grade 12 Students in Padre Garcia National High School

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Social media especially Facebook plays a vital role in our lives. Many people spend a lot of their time on social media plat forms such as Facebook. The most important use of Facebook is to communicate with people around the world. It seems like it is normal because as of now we are surrounded by different technologies. According to Polce-lynch, et al. (2010), self-esteem, which refers to a person's general sense of worth or acceptance is recognized for the critical role it plays in mental health and psychopathology. This knowledge places emphasis in discovering how social media especially Facebook may influence self-esteem due to its overwhelming presence in today's life (Chen & Lee, 2013).

METHODS

The researchers used qualitative research method using phenomenological study. A phenomenological design was used for this study because it deals with the experiences of Grade-12 students in Padre Garcia National High School to determine Facebook’s influence on their self-esteem. The study was measured using the “Facebook-Self Esteem Survey.” To determine the influence of Facebook on self-esteem, six (6) students of Grade-12 were chosen using purposive sampling to participate in a semi-structured one-to-one interview.

RESULTS

The results of the data collection concluded that using Facebook can help students be entertained, to gain friends, to connect to other people around the world, and to be updated in the current events in our country. Results also indicated that they feel worthy and overwhelmed once their Facebook friends like and commented on their post. They feel happy looking at their Facebook friend's timeline. They also include that they did not feel lonely and isolated when using Facebook and that is because of their friends and the entertainment that Facebook provides.

DISCUSSIONS

It has been found out that Facebook can help students to be entertained, to gain friends, and to be updated in the current issues in the country. In addition, Facebook boosts the students’ self-esteem because they feel worthy and overwhelmed once their Facebook friends like and commented on their posts. The researchers suggested having an infomercial that can develop boost the self-esteem of the students.