Chapter I PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Jejemon is a sub-culture in the Philippines which rose to fame in year 2010 mostly by the Filipino youth. According to Wikipedia: Jejemon (Tagalog pronunciation: [ddmon]) is a pop culture phenomenon in the Philippines. The word "Jejemon" supposedly originated from online users' penchant to type in "hehehe" as "jejeje", either because "jeje" is derived from Spanish, whose speakers denote the interjection as laughter, or because the letters "h" and "j" are beside each other, and that it is appended by "-mon" that came from the Japanese anime Pokmon, with "-mon" meant as "monster," hence "jeje monsters." The Jejemons are said to be the new "jologs", a term used for Filipinos of the lower income class. The parameters of being classified as a Jejemon are still unclear, and how the different "levels" of "Jejemonism" are reached. The origin of short-handed typing was through the short messaging service, in which each text message in cellphone is limited to 160 characters. As a result, an "SMS language" developed in which words were shortened in order to fit the 160-character limit. Although some jejemons aren't really "conserving" characters instead they are lengthening it. Later the use of word "Jejemon" to refer such people made rounds in various Filipino internet message boards.

Jejemons, young people who are part of the subculture, deliberately exaggerate ordinary words by adding or subtracting letters, by using a mixture of capitalized and not capitalized letters in words, and even adding numbers. This style is used in texting, and in communicating via social networking sites such as Friendster and Facebook. (abscbnnews.com) In an episode of the television show Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho entitled Attack of the Jejemons, sociologist Bro. Clifford Sorita said the jejemon phenomena can be considered a form of refuge. He says those who engage in the fad most likely have the desire to be recognized as unique. Having their own language and ways of communicating might give them the feeling of being distinguished from the rest.

In the same program, writer Pete Lacaba said that we should not think too little of Jejemons because their new word inventions mean that our language is still alive and continues to grow. According to a news article in The Philippine Star, Beatriz Piramide, Senior Executive for Talent Acquisition of Aegis People Support in Cebu City, fears that jejemon language may infiltrate mainstream communication among the young and could ruin their chances at landing jobs in call centers where career opportunities abound. Former DepEd Secretary Mona Valisno said she has not issued any order against jejemon, or the use of alternate spellings of common words, but she appealed to parents and teachers to discourage students from adopting this pop culture phenomenon. The researchers were very eager to know why Jejemons exist in the Philippine society. We observed that in the year 2010, the jejemons became a sudden concern among the public. We wanted to find the factors involved as to why they became popular amongst the youth. Were there other factors that triggered them to form another culture besides their popularized way of texting/typing? What are the personal and professional backgrounds of these Jejemons that may have initiated them to form their culture? In connection with this, it was very important to know the personal profile of Jejemons such as their age, gender/sexuality orientation, civil status, educational attainment, employment status, and family background. It was also vital to know their way of thinking of themselves. The researchers also wanted to find out if the reasons of the existence of this modern tradition were related to the following aspects: studies, family, peers and other social relationships.

Finally, the researchers were interested also to discover further determinants of their fulfillment in their attempt to be different, to be unique. Statement of the Problem This study aimed to identify the reasons that influence the youth to have arisen the modern pop culture of Jejemonism. It also sought to answer what are their advantages and disadvantages to the society, as for their consideration to be role models to other youth who, of course, need a healthy social life, as Jejemons have accepted good and bad remarks from the public. With this as the major purpose in mind, the researchers desired to seek the answers to the following sub-problems: 1. What are the personal, professional and other characteristics of the respondents in this study? 1.1 Personal Profile 1.1.1 Age 1.1.2 bisexuality) 1.1.3 Civil Status 1.2. Professional Profile 1.2.1 Educational attainment 1.2.2 Employment Status 1.2.3 Salary Range 1.3 Other Personal Information 1.3.1 Family Background Gender/Sexuality Orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality,

1.3.1.1 Civil status of parents (single, married, widowed, separated) 1.3.1.2 Relationship with parents 2. What are the different reasons for their Jejemonism in the following aspects: 2.1 Family 2.2 Professional 2.3 Work or study load 2.4 Interpersonal relationships 2.5 Economic 2.5.1 Salary/Allowance 2.5.2 Standard of living (transportation, residency) Significance of the Study The result of this study would be significant to the following: 1. To the youth, especially the teenagers, for they are the ones mostly affected by the occurrence of this issue, and so they may have ideas on how to develop themselves in the social aspect; 2. To the students, in the sense that they would be aware of the possible consequences of being or not being Jejemons, especially that education has the biggest influence in the onset of this study; 3. To the parents, so they will know what to do in order to guide their children in being active socially but of course in the right way; 4. To the teachers, especially those who lecture on social studies or more particularly, in the psychological field, for they may have reference when they teach

about the behaviors of the youth of the present generation and as a basis of information also to the youth of the next generation as this topic becomes part of history; 5. To the readers, who may also benefit from this study for they could have further knowledge about the topic of this research; and, 6. To other researchers, for this study could be a basis, reference and used by other researchers in their studies which has related topics with this research. Definition of Terms There are technical terms and words used in this research that may be difficult to understand. This part of the study will give us the meaning of some of the technical terms and words used in this study in order to fully comprehend the entirety of the study. Jejemon a person "who has managed to subvert the English language to the

point of incomprehensibility." (Urban Dictionary) a "new breed of hipster who have developed not only their own language and written text but also their own sub-culture and fashion." (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Jejenese the sociolect of the Jejemons, derived from English, Filipino and their

code-switched variant Taglish. (Wikipedia) Jejebet their alphabet, which uses the Roman alphabet, including the Arabic

numerals and other special characters. Words are created by rearranged letters in a word, alternating capitalization, over-usage of the letters H, X or Z and mixture of numeric characters and our normal alphabet. (Wikipedia) Short Message Service [SMS] the text communication service component of

phone, web or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications

protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices. (Wikipedia) Social network service an online service, platform, or site that focuses on

building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. (Wikipedia) Gender/Sexuality Orientation a person's sense of "personal and social

identity based on emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to men, women, both genders, neither gender, or another gender, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them. (Wikipedia) o Bisexuality desire for both sex or gender (Wikipedia) o Heterosexuality desire for the opposite sex (Wikipedia) o Homosexuality desire for the same sex (Wikipedia) Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study is focused on the existence of the Jejemons in the society. The scope is limited only to the Jejemons among youth, aged up to 18 years old. It was, especially, limited to Jejemons that are aware that they are part of the fad and willingly embrace it. The respondents were of different working status, economic status, age, gender, and educational attainment. The respondents were chosen randomly inside and outside the Trinity University of Asia campus. The researchers classified the respondents among

differences in profile. The researchers explained and oriented the respondents regarding their roles in the research. The respondents were given a set of survey form which includes the respondents profile and his or her opinion towards the topic.

Chapter II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents some of the related literature and studies that were conducted in the local scene and other countries and were reviewed by the researchers. Related Literature Following is the review of articles found to be related to this study and written by foreign writers. Foreign A society is a social system that shares a geographical territory, a common culture, and a way of life. It is held together by a shared identity and is relatively independent and self-sufficient. Because of the central place of societies in social life, sociology has a great deal to say about societies that are put together and how they operate (Johnson, 1996). According to Kendall (1998), sociology promotes understanding and tolerance by enabling each of us to look beyond our personal experiences. Personality, according to Walter (1977), is the distinctive patterns of behavior, including thoughts and emotions, which characterize each individuals adaptation to the situations of his or her life. According to Shephard (1999), fads, one of the dispersed or unstructured form of collective behavior, are unusual patterns of behavior that spread rapidly, are embraced zealously, and disappear after a short time. The widespread popularity of a fad rests largely on its novelty.

According to Jay (2003), language is organic, growing new words and expressions, and killing of expressions that are not longer useful; obsolete. Language grows from words that are functional for everyday life. Language also undergoes change through the use of other languages. Jay (2003) said Jargon is the idiomatic speech of a special activity or social group. Knowledge of Jargon identifies one as an insider, a member of the group. Jargons are created to facilitate within group communication. Slang is an informal, non-standard lexicon used between members of speech community to mark membership in that community, to affront authority, to lower speech standards, or to preserve secrecy. According to Lumsden (2003), you use words and non-verbal cues to represent what you mean, but your listeners backgrounds and experiences with the language shape how they understand your meaning. As a communication transaction proceeds, you and the others together take bits of meaning from one another to create a new mutual understanding. In an article in Wikibooks.org about the sociology of texting, the abbreviations and slang associated with text messaging is referred to as textese. The development of textese is often discussed with respect to its history and its parallel development with internet slang as part of internet linguistics. There have been several cases where textese has been used outside of text messages. These incidents, along with several other factors, have led to debate about the impact of textese on the English language and its subsequent implications on the literacy of youth. According to Humphrys (2007), it is the relentless onward march of the texters, the SMS (Short Message Service) vandals who are doing to our language what Genghis

Khan did to his neighbours eight hundred years ago. They are destroying it: pillaging our punctuation; savaging our sentences; raping our vocabulary. And they must be stopped. On the other hand, Crystal (2008) defends the use of textese by saying it is merely the latest manifestation of the human ability to be linguistically creative and to adapt language to suit the demands of diverse settings. There is no disaster pending... In texting what we are seeing, in a small way, is language in evolution. Local Personality may be the result of the individuals socialization and may arise as he interplays with various factors around him (Javier, Costales & Rivas, 2002). According to Panopio (1994), there are determinants which influence the personality formation of an individual, some of them being the: a.) geographic environment, which pertains to the places, climate, topography and natural resources, and; b.) social environment, which refers to the various groups and social interactions going on in the groups of which one is a member. Javier et al. (2002) explained that to mention various agents of socialization must not mislead us. It is not a process wholly conscious and calculated. Outcomes are often unintended, produced by a cryptic mix of influences typically unidentified and unassessed: family size, sibling position, region, race, religion, parental prejudices, relatives, class and crises factors and infinitum. In the process, attitudes and values are shaped, becoming, along with cognitions, the essential person. To challenge them is to affront the person: for his conceptions of what ought to be lie at the center of his being. Slowly, often imperceptibly, the newcomer picks up his culture.

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According to Santos (2005), there are two social processes involved adoption and adaptation. It is the natural instinct of humans to try to fit in/with people he/she is regularly with. As a result, the individual assimilates the ideas and habits of the group. Jejemons, as usually believed by people who are not Jejemons or are Jejebusters, belong to a lower social class. According to Javier et al. (2002), there are criteria observed in social classes, which includes the following: (1) wealth, property, income; (2) family or kinship; (3) location of residence; (4) occupation; (5) education, and; (6) religion. According to Lim (1995), gay jargon has already invaded the laymans everyday conversation. It may be safe to say that people using gay lingo have favorable attitude towards the gays. This is also probably one of the reasons why some gays speak and use the language flauntingly even with the presence of non-gays because they feel that the jargon they are using receives favorable response from the non-gay listeners. Jamora (2002) believes that gays formed such language as a form of revolution against the society who has discriminated and regarded them as outcasts. The gay community believes that having their own language is a symbol of their unity and will serve as a protector from their enemies. Related Studies The related studies were reviewed in order for the researchers to have a better understanding on the youth which would trigger them to embrace the Jejemon culture.

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Foreign A research conducted by Catriz (Pizaro, 2002), on language showed a similarity with regards to purpose of the gay language and the slanguage. The slanguage or the language of now is born out of the youths needs where he or she accepted by others. Communication takes place between people, what matters is not the correct grammars, syntax, pronunciation, and diction is well taken only to the extent that the rules invoked actually facilitate mutual understanding (Pacheco, 1995). Local Samonte (1995) made a study on swardspeaks/gay lingos use as an integrative tool to establish identity and to distinguish the gays apart from the Philippine society. In her study, she stated the differences as to when, where, how, why and with whom gays are able to affirm belongingness in their subculture. Laurilla (2002) conducted a study entitled A Preliminary Investigation on the Linguistic Aspects of Text Messaging. According to her research, texting is part of the youths cellular phone use, and early to late evenings are the most preferred time for texting, owing perhaps to the fact that they are already out of school and use their time on leisurely activities, including texting. Students admit to abbreviating, citing convenience as the number one reason for doing so. Other reasons given: it is the "in" thing or fad, or that they do not know the spelling of the words. Statistical tests show that there are no significant differences in the grammar and spelling scores of both cellular phone owners and non-owners. It can be implied that the students performance in terms of their language skills or competencies is independent or not related at all to the fact that they own cellular phones. Among cellular phone owners,

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their frequency of texting has no effect on their grammar and spelling scores. Similarly, it can also be implied that language skills or competencies are independent of the extent they use the technology. Laurilla partly dispelled the popular observation that cellular phones may bring more harm than good to students. Results of her study indicate that college students are able to discern the formal language the kind that is used in the classroom from the non-conventional texted English. Indirectly, the technology serves as an "image maker" for the youth, who are impressionable and are finding their own identities.

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Chapter III RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter will describe how this investigation was conducted. It includes the methodology, respondents, data-gathering instruments, data-gathering procedure and statistical treatment. Method of Research In order to achieve the major purpose of this study, the researchers employed the descriptive method, particularly the analytical, longitudinal survey type. Since the study sought to identify the causes of a phenomenon: i.e. the outbreak of Jejemons, and the conditions giving rise to this movement, the descriptive method was deemed most appropriate. This method is concerned with the conditions or relationships that exists, practices that prevail, beliefs and points of view or attitudes that are held, processes that are going one, effects that are felt, or trends that are developing at the time of the study. (McGrath et al, 1963) The analytical type of description was utilized considering that the research problem embraced two components. The problem of the study was broken down into manageable topics for explanatory analysis. Good and Scates (1959) offered some possibilities for analysis by dissecting the problem into concepts, situations or conditions, activities, and processes. Hence, the study considered the reasons or factors of the youths Jejemonism which include the following: a.) personal-professional profile and other personal information, and b.) reasons for being a Jejemon.

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Respondents The respondents of this investigation were composed of 20 Jejemons, aged up to 18 years old. These respondents are composed of those with different modes of residences. They have different educational attainment. They come from different schools and workplace. They have different monthly income. Twenty Jejemons were identified from three areas. Quezon City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Marikina City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 San Mateo, Rizal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Locale of the Study This study was conducted in selected areas of Quezon City, Marikina City and San Mateo, Rizal. Quezon City is located in Metro Manila/National Capital Region [NCR]. With an entire population of 2,679,450 as of 2007, it is composed of 4 legislative districts and 142 barangays. The research was based in District 2, comprised of 30 barangays and 54% of the whole city population, and in District 4 which is comprised of 38 barangays and 17% of the whole Q.C. population. Marikina City is also located in Metro Manila/NCR, and is composed of 2 districts and 16 barangays, with an entire population of 479,394 as of 2007. The research was based only on District 2, which is comprised of 7 barangays and 54% of the entire city population. 20

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San Mateo is a municipality of the 2nd district of Rizal, in Region 4A (CALABARZON). It is comprised of 15 barangays with a total population of 184,860 as of 2007. Research was focused on Barangay Guitnang Bayan 2, with a 2007 population census of 12,246 or 6% of the towns population. Data Gathering Instruments The questionnaire-checklist was constructed for the components of the study. The instruments were subjected to the critic of our professor in the Faculty of Language of the Trinity University of Asia. Refinement of questionnaires took into account to suggestions and criticisms of the professor. As the primary data gathering tool, the questionnairechecklist was closely examined in the process of refinement. The questionnaire was also translated to Filipino for the benefit of the respondents and to ensure that they would have an accurate understanding of the questions provided. This was done to see that all the data needed to answer the specific research problems were yielded by the responses to the questionnaire. Data Gathering Procedure The researchers conducted their investigation using the refined questionnairechecklist to the respondents on the selected areas in Metro Manila and San Mateo, Rizal. The questionnaire-checklist was explained by the researchers to the respondents individually which includes the following aspects: 1. The personal, professional and other related data of respondents, and 2. The possible reasons for being a Jejemon.

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The researchers explained individually to the respondents regarding the purpose and the content of the study. They explained how to fill-up the questionnaire-checklist to the respondents, and then retrieved the questionnaire on the same day. Statistical Treatment The statistical tools that are used to treat the data in this study are the following: 1. Percent. To establish the personal, professional and other characteristics of the respondents, the percent will The formula is Where: % = f n be used. x 100

n = number of respondents f = number of frequency

2. Mean. To describe the central tendencies in the characteristics of the Jejemons like the average age and average income, the mean will be used, particularly the assumed mean method of calculation. The formula for the statistical procedure is: x = xo + fd . c n Where: x = mean xo = assumed mean f = frequency n = number of respondents d = deviation c = class size

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Chapter IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter describes the presentation of data gathered from the questionnairechecklist. It also includes the analysis and interpretation of the tabulated data with its corresponding percentage. Problem 1: The personal, professional and other characteristics of Jejemons respondents. The data pertaining to these youth who embraced being a Jejemon are represented in the succeeding tables. 1.1 Personal Profile. The personal profile is described in the four tables that follow (Tables 1.1.1, 1.1.2, and 1.1.3). Table 1.1.1 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Age AGE 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total Mean FREQUENCY 2 1 1 2 7 3 2 2 20 14.90 PERCENTAGE 10 5 5 10 35 15 10 10 100%

Table 1.1 presents the respondents age. Majority of the respondents were aged 15 years that comprise 35 percent or 7 participants of the total number o respondents. 15

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percent were 16 years of age with 3 respondents, 40 percent were 11, 14, 17, and 18 years old with 2 respondents each, and 10 percent were aged 12 and 13 years with 1 respondent each. The mean age of the respondents was 14.90. This implies that the age of respondents are in the adolescent stage and are mature enough for the conducted survey, and they have definitely become the focus of the study. Table 1.1.2 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Gender GENDER Female Male Total FREQUENCY 16 4 20 PERCENTAGE 80 20 100%

Table 1.2 shows that females were dominant in our sample population. Eighty percent are female or 16 respondents and twenty percent are male or 4 respondents. The table also shows that female Jejemons are more verbal about their involvement in the fad than male Jejemons. Table 1.1.3 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Sexual Orientation SEXUAL ORIENTATION Heterosexual Homosexual Bisexual Total FREQUENCY 11 7 2 20 PERCENTAGE 55 35 10 100%

Table 1.3 shows that a relatively large portion of our sample population is composed of heterosexual individuals. 55 percent or 11 respondents are heterosexual, 35 percent or 7 respondents are homosexual and 10 percent or 2 respondents are bisexual.

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1.2 Professional Profile. The professional profile includes the variables that are related to Jejemonism (Table 1.2.1 and 1.2.2) Table 1.2.1 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Educational Attainment EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT Elementary (Private) Elementary (Public) High School (Private) High School (Public) College (Graduate) College (Undergraduate) None Total FREQUENCY 0 3 5 7 0 3 2 20 PERCENTAGE 0 15 25 35 0 15 10 100%

Table 1.2.1 illustrates the educational attainment of each respondent. Most of the respondents are public high school students that embrace a total of 35 percent or 7 of the total respondents, and private high school students which comprise 25 percent or 5 of the total respondents. 15 percent or 3 of the respondents were college undergraduates, 15 percent or 3 respondents were students from public elementary schools, and 10 percent or 2 respondents had not received formal education. Public school students make up a total of 50 percent or 10 of the total respondents, while those from private schools comprise 25 percent or 5 respondents, which show that there are more Jejemons in public schools than in private schools.

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Table 1.2.2 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Professional Status PROFESSIONAL STATUS Employed Unemployed Self-employed Full-time Student Working Student Total FREQUENCY 2 0 0 17 1 20 PERCENTAGE 10 0 0 85 5 100%

Table 1.2.2 demonstrates that most of our sample population was full-time students which comprise 85 percent or 17 respondents. Next is the employed youth which comprise of 10 percent or 2 respondents. The remaining 5 percent or 1 respondent was a working student. It can be gleaned from the data that most of the Jejemons are still in learning stage and are doubtful in terms of their knowledge in spelling and grammar, or school is the most favorable environment for spreading of Jejemonism. 1.3 Other Personal Data. Data for other personal characteristics of the respondents are given on Tables 1.3.1 and 1.3.2. Table 1.3.1 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Civil Status of Parents CIVIL STATUS OF PARENTS Single Married Widowed Separated Total FREQUENCY 4 13 2 1 20 PERCENTAGE 20 65 10 5 100%

Table 1.3.1 illustrates the civil status of parents of the respondents. Most of their parents are married which yielded 65 percent or 13 of the total respondents. 20 percent or

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4 respondents are children of single parents. 10 percent or 2 respondents are children of widowed parents and 5 percent or 1 respondent is a child of separated parents. If all the civil statuses, except married, would be combined, it would make up 35 percent or 7 respondents, which is a relatively large portion of the total number of respondents. Table 1.3.2 Frequency, Percentage and Ratings of Respondents by Family Monthly Income FAMILY MONTHLY INCOME P19, 999 and below P20, 000 P39, 999 P40, 000 P59, 999 P60, 000 P79, 999 P80, 000 P99, 999 P100, 000 and above Total FREQUENCY 13 6 0 1 0 0 20 PERCENTAGE 65 30 0 5 0 0 100%

The table above implies that majority of the respondents belong to the minimum range in terms of their family monthly income. This means that those from the lower social class (according to income) are more into joining this type of fads. Problem 2: What are the different reasons for their Jejemonism? The following are the items that express the possible reasons of the youth from being Jejemon. They are categorized under family, professional, education, workload/study load, interpersonal relationship, economic, geographic location, and other personal intentions. Family: 1. I am not in good terms with my parents. 2. Some members of the family are Jejemons, too. 3. My parents are not in good terms with each other/separated.

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4. I am a child of a single parent. 5. My father/mother married again after separating or after being a widow. 6. My father/mother is a widower/widow. Professional: 7. Some of my co-workers are jejemons. 8. My workplace/job does not necessarily require professionalism in terms of spelling and grammar. Education: 9. My school is a society full of Jejemons. 10. Being a Jejemon purposely hides my spelling and grammatical errors. Workload/Study Load: 11. I have a light load at work/school so texting or being active online is not a problem. 12. I spend fewer hours at work/school, so I have time for my leisure, Jejemonism being one of them. 13. Jejemonism eases me from too much stress that I get from my work/school. Interpersonal Relationship: 14. My barkadas/friends are Jejemons. 15. My girlfriend/boyfriend is a Jejemon. 16. A group/organization which I belong or participate is a Jejemon group. 17. People dont really notice me unless there is something new in me. 18. Those with the same sexuality orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual) are Jejemons.

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Economic: 19. I have a high or enough income/allowance so I have no financial problem on being a Jejemon. 20. I only have a small income/allowance and Jejemonism comforts me from the thought of it. Geographic Location: 21. I live in a place where my neighbors are Jejemons. 22. I live in a problematic place (e.g. demolition, riots, etc.) and Jejemonism eases me from the thought of it. Other Personal Intentions: 23. I just want to be unique. 24. I wanted them to get amazed every time I come up with a new word. 25. I love the Jeje-fashion (so I adapted to Jejetext). 26. I wanted to be secretive so I wanted less people to comprehend with what I am saying.

For other reasons not indicated in the questionnaires, the respondents were instructed to write them on the blanks provided in the questionnaire. To present the data gathered in this portion of the research, Table 2 is hereby given. Table 2 presents the data that reveal the youth for being a Jejemon.

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Table 2 Reasons for Being a Jejemon

Rank Item Family: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average Professional: 7 8 Average Educational: 9 10 Average Workload/Studyload: 11 12 13 Average Interpersonal Relationship: 14 15 16 17 18 Average Economic: 19 20 Average Geographic Location: 21 22 Average Other Personal Intentions: 23 24 25 26 Average 6 9 3 1 1 3.33 1 2 1.5 8 15 11.5 11 6 12 9.67 30 45 15 5 5 16.67 5 10 7.5 40 75 57.5 55 30 60 48.33 15.25 9 21 23.75 23.75 f % Individually by Category

23.75 22

10.75 2.5

7.5 15.25 6

18 8 11 7 6 10 7 13 10 15 6 10.5

90 40 55 35 30 50 35 65 50 75 30 52.5

1 10.75 7.5 13.5 15.25

3.5

13.5 5

3.5

2.5 15.25

14 8 4 5 7.75

70 40 20 25 38.75

4 10.75 20 19

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Table 2 reveals the Jejemons reasons for embracing this kind of fad. Out of 26 items, there are only five top items that the researchers want to point out as the major reasons of the Jejemons why they adopt this pop culture. These are the reasons ranked according to frequency of citing them: 1. Item no. 14 which ranked first, tells that, My barkadas/friends are Jejemons. 2. Item no. 10 and no. 21 both ranked second and third, tells that, My school is a society full of Jejemons and I live in a place where my neighbors are Jejemons. 3. Item no. 23 which ranked fourth, tells that, I just want to be unique. 4. Item no. 20 which ranked fifth, tells that, I have a high or enough income/allowance so I have no financial problem on being a Jejemon. By category ranking, Table 2 reveals the following findings: 1. Educational reasons for being a Jejemon ranked first. This includes item no. 10 which ranked second by individual, show that most of them are students or are still in the learning stage and there is hesitation in terms of their knowledge in spelling and grammar. These findings suggest that school is the most favorable environment for spreading of Jejemonism. 2. Geographic location reasons for being a Jejemon ranked second. This includes item no. 21 which ranked third by individual. These suggest that the place where people live in also mainly influences the social activity of a person. 3. Interpersonal relationship and economic reasons ranked third and fourth for being a Jejemon. These include item no. 14 ranked first and item no. 20 ranked fifth, by individual. It means that a persons involvement with his/her friends has a large influence in an individual since they usually share common characteristics and interests. Economic

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reasons also concern the lives of Jejemons since texting and social network services are vital to being part of this fad and it greatly relies on a persons financial ability.

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Chapter V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations based on the findings of this study. Summary of Findings Problem 1: What are the personal, professional and other characteristics of Jejemons? The personal profile of respondents involved in this study shows that the age with the highest frequency was 15, with 7 out of 20 respondents, and the next highest frequency was 16, with 3 respondents. After computing for the mean representation, the average age of the Jejemons was 15 years old. Most of the Jejemons were female with 16 of them, and 4 males. Majority of them were heterosexuals with 11 respondents, followed by homosexuals with 7 of them, and the least in rank were bisexuals with 2 out of 20 respondents. Pertaining to the professional profile was the highest frequency, in terms of educational attainment, of those from public schools with 10 respondents (7 from high school, 3 from elementary). Next were private school students with 5 respondents (all from high school). Followed by college students with 3 respondents, and those with no educational attainment were 2. Regarding the employment of the respondents, majority of them are full-time students with 17 respondents, followed by 2 employed individuals, and 1 working student.

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Other personal information of the respondents include the civil status of their parents, which showed that 13 of them have married parents (biological), followed by 4 who are children of single parents, then 2 are children of widowed parents, and 1 of separated parents. The family monthly income of 13 respondents belongs to the lowest range of P19, 999 and below. They are followed by 6 respondents who said that their family income range from P20, 000-P39, 999. Lastly, 1 respondent claim a monthly family income of P60, 000-79, 999. Problem 2: What are the different reasons for their Jejemonism? Among the reasons that got the highest frequency about their Jejemonism by category are as follows: 1. Educational reasons for being a Jejemon ranked first, show that most of them are students or are still in the learning stage and there is hesitation in terms of their knowledge in spelling and grammar. These findings suggest that school is the most favorable environment for spreading of Jejemonism. 2. Geographic location reasons for being a Jejemon ranked second, suggest that the place where people live in also mainly influences the social activity of a person.
3. Interpersonal relationship and economic reasons ranked third and fourth for being

a Jejemon, means that a persons involvement with his/her friends has a large influence in an individual since they usually share common characteristics and interests. Economic reasons also concern the lives of Jejemons since texting and social network services are vital to being part of this fad and it greatly relies on a persons financial ability.

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Conclusions From the findings, the following conclusions are drawn: 1. On the personal profile, majority of the respondents who are Jejemons were 15 years of age, female and heterosexuals. On the professional profile, the majority of the Jejemons in the study was public high school students and was studying full-time. Regarding the other personal information, majority of the respondents have married parents, and have a monthly family income of P19, 999 and below. 2. The reasons for being a Jejemon were as follows: their barkadas/friends are Jejemons, there are many Jejemons in their school, they live in a place with many Jejemons, they want to be unique, and they have a favorable income/allowance for being a Jejemon. Recommendations Based on the findings in this study, it is hereby recommended that: 1. For the future researchers, we recommend that another study should be conducted concerning the social satisfaction of Jejemons in the fad. 2. The next researchers should interview experts regarding this matter (i.e. linguists, psychologists, sociologists, etc.). 3. Another study should be conducted with bigger number of respondents, and in another venue.

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APPENDIX
Questionnaire-Checklist on being a Jejemon

I. PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: ___________________________________ Age: _____ Gender: ___Female ___ Male Sexual Orientation: ___ Heterosexual ___ Homosexual EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ___ ___ ___ ___ Elementary: Secondary: College: None ___ Private ___ Private ___ Graduate ___ Public ___ Public ___ Undergraduate

___ Bisexual

OTHER PERSONAL BACKGROUND Civil Status of Parents: ___Single ___ Married ___ Widowed ___ Separated

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE Professional Status: ___ Employed ___ Unemployed ___Self-Employed ___ Full-time Student ___ Working Student ___ P19,999 and below ___ P20,000 P39,999 ___ P40,000 P59,999 ___ P60,000 P79,999 ___ P80,000 P99,999 ___ P100,000 and above

Family Monthly Income per Month:

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II. OPINION POLL Direction: Please check the following questions to reflect your point of view as accurately as possible and to answer factual questions to the best of your knowledge. You can choose as many as you can but PLEASE CHECK THOSE THAT APPLY TO YOU ONLY. Your information will be kept strictly confidential. Family: I am not in good terms with my parents. (Hindi maganda ang relasyon o pakikisama ko sa aking mga magulang.) Some members of the family are Jejemons, too. (Ang ilang miyembro ng pamilya ay mga Jejemon din.) My parents are not in good terms with each other/separated. (Ang aking mga magulang ay hindi magkasundo o magkahiwalay.) My father/mother is a widower/widow. (Ang aking ama/ina ay biyudo/biyuda.) My father/mother married again after separating or after being a widow. (Ang aking [mga] magulang ay nag-asawa ng iba pagkatapos maghiwalay/mabiyudo[a].) I am a child of a single parent. (Ako ay anak ng isang single parent.) Professional: Some of my co-workers are jejemons. (Ang iba kong katrabaho ay mga Jejemon.) My workplace/job does not necessarily require professionalism in terms of spelling and grammar. (Ang aking trabaho ay hindi naman nangangailangan ng kasanayan sa tamang ispeling at grammar.) Education: Being a Jejemon purposely hides my spelling and grammatical errors. (Sinasadya kong itago ang mga mali ko sa ispeling at grammar sa pagka-Jejemon ko.) My school is a society full of Jejemons. (Maraming Jejemon sa aming paaralan.) Workload/Studyload: I have a light load at work/school so texting or being active online is not a problem. (Hindi problema ang pagte-text at pag-o-online ko sapagkat magaan lamang ang trabaho/pag-aaral ko kaya hindi ito nakakasagabal.) 32

 I spend fewer hours at work/school, so I have time for my leisure, Jejemonism being one of them. (Marami akong oras para sa aking mga libangan, isa na roon ang pagiging Jejemon, dahil kaunti lang ang oras na ginugugol ko sa trabaho/paaralan at hindi ito balakid sa aking schedule.) Jejemonism eases me from too much stress that I get from my work/school. (Ang pagiging Jejemon ko ay nakakatanggal ng stress na nakukuha ko sa bigat ng trabaho o dami ng gawain sa paaralan.) Interpersonal Relationships: My barkadas/friends are Jejemons. (Ang mga kaibigan o kabarkada ko ay pawang mga Jejemon.) My girlfriend/boyfriend is a Jejemon. (Ang nobyo/nobya ko ay Jejemon.) A group/organization which I belong or participate is a Jejemon group. (Ang mga kasama ko sa organisasyon o grupong aking sinalihan ay mga Jejemon.) Those with the same sexuality orientation (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual) are Jejemons. (Ang mga taong katulad ko ng pananaw sa kasarian (heterosexual [babae, lalaki], homosexual [bakla, tomboy], o bisexual [parehong homo- at hetero-]) ay mga Jejemon.) People dont really notice me unless there is something new in me. (Hindi ako pinapansin kung wala namang bago sa akin.) Economic: I only have a small income/allowance and Jejemonism comforts me from the thought of it. (Ang aking allowance/kita ay hindi ganoon kataas, kung kayat ang pagiging Jejemon ko ay nagpapagaan ng loob at hindi na ako napapaisip na ganito ang aking kalagayan.) I have a high or enough income/allowance so I have no financial problem on being a Jejemon. (Ako ay may sapat o mataas na allowance/kita kung kayat walang problema sa akin ang pagiging Jejemon lalo na sa mga paggastos na kaakibat nito.) Geographic Location (or Residence) I live in a place where my neighbors are Jejemons. (Ang aking tinitirhang lugar ay may maraming Jejemon.) I live in a problematic place (e.g. demolition, riots, etc.) and Jejemonism eases me from the thought of it. (Ang pagiging Jejemon ang nagpapagaan ng aking loob sa pag-iisip na magulo sa aming lugar.) 33

Other Personal Intentions: I just want to be unique. (Gusto ko lang maiba.) I wanted them to get amazed every time I come up with a new word. (Gusto ko silang mamangha tuwing may bago akong salitang sinasabi/sinusulat.) I wanted to be secretive so I wanted less people to comprehend with what I am saying. (Gusto kong maging misteryoso kung kayat nais kong kaunti lamang ang makaintindi sa aking mga sinasabi.) I love the Jeje-fashion (so I adapted to Jejetext). (Gusto ko ang pananamit o porma ng mga Jejemon (kaya kahit sa text ay nagpakaJejemon ako.)

Other reasons: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books: Javier, Jessie et al. (2002). Sociology and Anthropology: A Pedagogy. Rex Bookstore, Manila.

Thesis: Domado, Noraisha S. et al. (2006). Filipino Gay Language Usage in Relation to Peer Relationship Among CAS Students of TCQC, pp. 16-18, 24-25. Trinity College of Quezon City.

Internet Sources: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=590215&publicationSubCategory Id=107 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Lentis/Sociology_of_Texting http://www.newsflash.org/2002/06/si/si001247.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jejemon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vfzmDh0vsE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEZukc6p1Cw http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/05/16/philippines-the-jejemon-craze/ http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=577685 http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/lifestyle/05/26/10/deped-jejemons-drop-jejespeakif-you-want-job

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http://jejemon.i.ph/blogs/jejemon/2010/05/02/rason-bakit-may-mga-jejemon-ditosa-mundo/

http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/2bu/2bu/view/20100424-266068/gtJejemons-The-newjologs

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