Knowledge and Understanding of Selected Senior High School Students of General de Jesus College on Misleading Advertisement

Abstract

Misleading advertisements have become a prevalent issue in today's consumer-driven society. Advertisers, driven by profit, sometimes resort to unethical practices such as exaggerating product benefits, manipulating statistics, or concealing unfavorable information. The study tries to determine the impact of misleading social media advertisements on the respondents and how they can avoid being deceived. This study employed the advertising value theory and source credibility through descriptive research. It focused mainly on 206 senior high school students in General De Jesus College using simple random sampling. Structured questions served as the basis of the survey questions to examine the impact of misleading advertising. The findings show that misleading advertisements significantly impact the respondents’ trust, emotions, financial and medical losses, and perceived interactivity. Given the situation, the respondents suggested that for them not to be misled by deceptive social media advertisements, it is crucial to examine them critically and assess them impartially. Finally, the results emphasize that the respondents recognized the various impacts of misleading social media advertisements. Such knowledge and understanding tend to result in the respondents’ positive experience as they become better informed, critical thinkers, and mindful before purchasing any products or services offered in social media advertisements; thus, they can avoid being misled.