THE INFLUENCE OF FACEBOOK ON THE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS OF

COLLEGE STUDENTS

A Research Proposal
Presented to
Name of Teacher

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

Experimental Psychology

By
Manie Tapaya

September 2015

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Internet plays a large role in our daily lives, and that role is only increasing
over time. Future generations will never know a world without computers, Internet, and
online interaction. Todays young adults have never lived in a world without the Internet.
For a majority of those young adults, almost 100% among college students, Internet
communication includes use of the online social networking site, Facebook.
Facebook is one of the social networking sites that help us to communicate with
our friends, classmates, and relatives but they also allow us to communicate with other
people who share common interests with us. For instance a person added another
person, as a friend on Facebook since both of them is addicted on playing certain
games or are they belong to same group of interests. Through Facebook, we develop
virtual interpersonal relationships.

An interpersonal relationship is a relatively long-term association between two or

more people. This association may be based on emotions like love and liking, regular
business interactions, or some other type of social commitments. Interpersonal
relationships take place in a great variety of contexts, such as family, friends, marriage,
acquaintances, work, clubs, neighborhoods, and churches. They may be regulated by
law, custom, or mutual agreement, and are the basis of social groups and society as a
whole.
Social networking sites particularly Facebook, influence the interpersonal
relationship of students in many ways. Through Facebook, users come to meet other

people worldwide. These people can affect the users interpersonal relationship with
other people close to him/her. This influence can either be good or bad for the user.
The researcher chose the topic about the influence of Facebook to be studied
because it is shown evidently that most of the college students use Facebook as part of
their activities done in the Internet.
Many students always log in to their account on Facebook, as a part of their
everyday routine. Could you imagine the number of all the students logging in to this
site, everyday? That would be millions of students logging in social networking sites.
Why students are interested on these sites?
Facebook offers many features and those features are positively the reason why
many students are interested in checking out these sites. One of the general features of
Facebook is profile. A profile contains all the information about the person plus their
photos, videos, applications that they use and comments/messages posted by other
persons.
It is evident that many students greatly rely on these sites in order to interact with
their friends and other people whether they know them or not. Being dependent to
Facebook promotes online friendships that are not nice since they might encounter
people that are suspicious in behavior. It hinders face-to-face friendship but many
students reason out that they use FB in order to communicate conveniently with their
distant friends. What do this Facebook possess to make the students keep on using
them?
Why do students upload photos, videos, post comments/messages on other
profiles and play social games? What are the benefits and purpose of doing these

activities? Why do students frequently use Facebook nowadays? What makes

Facebook so influential in our interpersonal relationships?
The main goal of the study is to address these questions and have an in-depth
study with regards to those questions stated above. Students usage of Facebook
provides long-lasting insights to identity construction, social behavior and peer-to-peer
interaction therefore studies such as this arises that found out the real perspective of
students about social life.

Statement of the Problem

This study aimed on determining the Influence of Facebook to the interpersonal
relationship of the students.
Specifically, iit sought the answers of the following questions:
1. What is the profile of the students in terms of:
1.1 Age?
1.2 Gender?
1.3 Year Level?
2. What is the profile of the students in terms of using Facebook?
2.1 Frequency of Using
2.2 Purpose of Using
2.3 Number of close friends. Online friends
1. What is the influence of SNS to interpersonal relationship of students toward
their:
3.1 Family
3.2 Friends
3.3 Teachers
3.4 Others

Significance of the Study

The researchers determined the role of social networking sites on the social
aspects of students.

Guidance Counselors. This study will help the guidance counselors to be aware of the
influences of Facebook to the students enrolled in different colleges of Manila
City. By informing them of this matter, they will be able to relate more with
students and to give accurate advices to students that have problems involving
Facebook site.

School Administrators. This study will help the school administrators, like the
guidance counselors, to be aware of the influences of Facebook site to the
students. With enough information about Facebook and their influence to the
students, school administrators can help in solving problems of the students
regarding this topic and give advices that are appropriate to the situation when
Facebook affects the interpersonal relationship of students.

Students. The result of this study will make the students aware of how does Facebook
influence them and how does it affect their interpersonal relationships. This will
educate the students regarding the proper usage of Facebook site. This will help
the students to improve their social life with the use of social networking site.

Teachers. This study can help the teachers by suggesting some ways in order for them
to relate with students social activities especially with regards of using social

networking sites. In line with this, teachers, as students second parents, will
know a way to help the students if they will be encountering a problem regarding
the relationship of their students with other people.

Parents. This study will help parents to understand their childs purpose of using social
networking sites and for them to be aware of the influence from social networking
sites that might affect their children. With enough knowledge, parents can think
of possible preventive ways if their child is prone to develop a weak interpersonal
relationship with other people because of too much usage and dependence from
social networking sites.

Future Researchers. This study can help the further studies of future researchers
regarding the influence of social networking sites on the interpersonal
relationship of students. This can serve as a reference for further improvements
to be done in their study.

LITERATURE
In general, online relationships contain much weaker ties than face-to-face
relationships (Vitak, 2008). Social networking sites such as Facebook offer users a
convenient method for maintaining a large number of weak ties. While maintenance of

strong ties typically requires significant commitments of time and energy, weak ties may
be managed solely through the connections that link Facebook friends. Facebook
allows users to stay up-to-date on their weak ties lives simply by viewing the
information available in those friends profiles and by connecting through actions such
as pokes, private messages, wall postings and photo comments. By offering multiple
methods of interaction, Facebook saves users significant time, thus enabling them to
create and maintain a massive social network, although one predominantly composed
of weak connections between users. For example, a recent survey found that the
average user had 180 friends on the website, which is far more friends than the
average person would say they have in the real world (Golder et al., 2006).
In cases where factors such as distance change a face-to-face relationship into a
primarily online relationship, strong ties are maintained and even strengthened further.
Social networking sites is a tool for person to keep in touch with his distant friends by
following their updates, sending a message or posting commentsusers have a quick
and easy way to stay connected thus keep the relationship healthy when they are too
busy to commit more time to face-to-face interaction (Vitak, 2008).

Facebook has added entirely new meanings to interpersonal interaction and

community. It is the interplay between internet and real life communication and its
subsequent effect on interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, it provides bundled of
the internet communication standards such as e-mail, forums, and instant messaging
into one resource. However, its usage has become a staple activity in a young adults
life. While it varies slightly among gender and race groups, overall, young adults

(college aged) who have internet access use Facebook regularly for some type of social
contact. With this mass assimilation into daily life, it has already begun to change the
way in which interpersonal relationships are defined. It is one of the, if not the top
medium for young adults to scope out and research potential partners. With
Facebook playing a large role in many romantic relationships, its important to see how
this will continue to shape interpersonal communication in the future. The importance of
this research proposal is to look at how Facebook is an extension of real life.
This aims to discover how far Facebook is used to define, cultivate, and maintain
real life interpersonal romantic relationships. Through looking at previous research on
Facebook,

online

romantic

relationships,

and

disclosure

through

internet

communication, we will see what direction research needs to go to find valid

conclusions on the interplay of real life and Facebook in the development of
interpersonal romantic relationships. Internet based communication has been
incorporated into the development of interpersonal relationships.
It was found that 28% of the students in the study had been deceptive in their
internet communication. The students were found to do this through both direct
communication using the wall post and private message features as well as indirectly by
the viewing of others profiles. While Facebook is used to cultivate old and new
relationships, it is also used by students in romantic relationships to display and check
the status and commitment of their relationship. When people write and develop their
profile, choose their profile picture, and publicly write on other users Facebook walls,
Research has shown that when college aged males posted information about culturally
negative moral behaviors (partying, sexism, etc.) that they were participating in on other

users walls. their perceived attractiveness went up. However, when females did it,
their attractiveness went down.
In the area of romantic relationships, no Facebook research has looked at how
much real life interaction is required before a potential romantic partner is not seen as a
stalker or in any kind of negative light. Since internet usage is directly related to
psychological well-being, relationships, and the identity of self, it is of interest to note
that there is a positive relationship between measures of internet usage and loneliness.
No research has looked into how lonely or desperate a Facebook user is when trying to
find a potential romantic partner. Matsubas research has shown that real life
relationships are looked at as more real in the negative and positive dimensions of
personal qualities, while internet only relationships were less extreme. If real life
relationships are seen as more real and Facebook is an online medium of
communication for those real life relationships, then research needs to look at how far
Facebook defines the romantic relationships. Research has found that those who use
the internet to create and maintain a secondary romantic relationship in addiction to a
real life one showed higher levels of relational certainty and high expectations of future
interaction with their online partners. Its also been found that time spent online and
positive views of the internet lead to a more favorable view of online romantic
relationships. Therefore, theres a possibility that personal romantic beliefs are used
more for a conventional relationship than an online-only relationship. While these
studies have little relevance to the cultivation of a real life romantic relationship through
Facebook, it is important to see the connections and disconnects between real life and
internet life. This needs to be developed further to see how much Facebook is used in

the initial stages of romantic relational development compared to usage when the
partners have a highly developed real life relationship. Some study found individuals
who reported high levels of social and/or dating anxiety were not more likely to use the
internet to make online relationships than those who reported lower levels of social or
dating anxiety. However, the research did show that certain online media (particularly
webcams) are more likely to be used by people with social and dating anxiety
symptoms, than those with less. This could play into new research about whether
certain features of Facebook are used more so in romantic relational development by
social and dating anxious than other features.
According to WebCredible social networks provide encouragement and support;
establish identity with others and fulfil the need to feel included; provide the outlet for
some people to establish their need for recognition, social status, control or leadership;
provide the necessary control over aspects of lives for those who don't want to be
leaders; help establish friends, relationships and the opportunity to interact with others.
Conversely, introverted adolescents used online communication to compensate
for their lacking of certain social skills. However, along with these characteristics came a
stronger motivation to talk online, resulting in more online based friendships. It is
interesting to note that the introverts use the internet to compensate for their lack of
social skills. The studies show how important a users perception of internet
communication affects their levels of self disclosure. Interpersonal trust is found online
through how much the users perceive the other person to be telling the truth. However,
with Facebook interaction, things could be different. Research needs to look into how
knowing someone directly could directly affect the way in which disclosure, empathy,

10

and trust is built through Facebook. We also see an entirely new set of internet based
non-verbal forming. While there have been numerous studies on internet based
communication

concerning

romantic

relationships,

self

disclosure,

and

social

networking, this research proposal takes it a step further to look at the social utility of
Facebook and the subsequent interplay of real life and on-line life in defining
interpersonal romantic relationships.
According to Vitak (2008), there are some reasons why an individual uses a
social networking site. The first reason is for them to meet strangers and become
friends with them. This type of relationship is what we call a weak interpersonal
relationship. The majority of respondents of her research paper (57%) said they were
initially introduced to those friends through mutual friends, which increases the
likelihood of such relationships developing into strong ties. On the other hand,
responses to a separate question overwhelmingly support the hypothesis. While a
significant portion or respondents said they have at least a few online-online friends,
85% said they do not communicate with the majority of their online-only friends, and just
one respondent said that he/she considered those friends as a strong tie. Through
social networking sites like facebook, the user tends to maintain his weak interpersonal
relationship with his online friends because of an easy communication. He can use
private messaging, chat rooms, and other method of communicating provided by the
website. On the otherhand, a strong interpersonal relationship with his offline friends
needs time and effort to be maintained.
Distance between two users that can change an offline relationship into online
relationship is also a reason why an individual uses SNSs. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of

11

respondents said the majority of their friends have a Facebook account, which suggests
that many students use the site to stay in touch with their offline friends. Keeping in
touch with friends remains the primary reason for site usage across both years in school
and gender. Furthermore, approximately one-third (31%) of respondents with friends
who do not have a Facebook account say they would be closer to those friends if they
were on the site, and 87% of respondents said they had never experienced negative
consequences in their offline relationships due to content in their Facebook profiles,
which suggests that most respondents benefit from using the site. With the use of
private messaging and chat rooms of this site, students can communicate and maintain
a healthy relationship with their friends from far places with ease that takes only a few
seconds to complete it.
Facebook also had negative effects in offline relationships. Some things found in
the site can lead to misinterpretation for some people. Because of online messaging or
comments that are visible to everyone in the friends list of a user, an offline relationship
can be affected or destroyed due to fights that will happen. For example, a jealous
boyfriend saw a comment from a mysterious boy posted on the wall of his girlfriend that
says intimate words, because of this, the relationship between the girl and his boyfriend
can be broken. Another negative effect is, because of posting comments on the wall of a
user became much easier, it will also be effortless for other people to spread rumors
and gossips that can destroy a life of an individual.
As a larger percentage of communication moves into the digital arena, we will
see a general weakening of ties between people. This weakening will be less pervasive
among a persons closest circle of friends and more obvious among lesser friends, as

12

digital communication will become the primary mode of communication in these

relationships.
Synthesis
Several studies, researchers, and articles have already sited the effects of SNS,
particularly Facebook to our present lives today. Using Facebook may have positive and
negative effects that change us over the recent years. The relationship of Facebook and
how it influenced on the interpersonal relationships may not have that concrete linked
but for the studies made in the past years, it has shown that it affects the way we think,
the way we communicate, the way we have relationships, and more so of our behavior
because whether we accept it or not, Facebook has become a part of our lives. The
impact of FB has greatly affected the mindset of the youth today that may influence their
interpersonal relationships nowadays. Its now a challenge particularly for the educators
and the parents to guide our youth in strongly uplift and strengthen their moral values in
life.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design
This study used descriptive research design. It involves the description,
recording, analysis, and interpretation of the present nature, composition, or processes

13

of phenomena. It focuses on prevailing conditions or how a person, group, or thing

behaves or functions in the present. It often involves some type of comparison or
contrast.
The researchers used the survey technique which is under descriptive research
design. Survey technique, requires gathering of facts that requires sufficient and
accurate interpretation. This technique is used to collect demographic data about
respondents behavior, beliefs, opinions, interests and the like and then the gathered
data are analyzed, organized, and interpreted.

Sampling Technique
The researcher used purposive sampling. This sampling method included
respondents that fall under the purpose of the study and others that are not useful for
the study are positively excluded. The study focused on the influences of Facebook to
the interpersonal relationship of the college students. This research involved 239
current students of different colleges within the school year 2014 to 2015 who use
Facebook every day. This study used purposive sampling to determine the respondents
since everyday users of Facebook are only considered.
Research Instrument
The researcher used questionnaires and survey forms as research instruments.
The survey form asked if the respondents are using Facebook and their frequency of
using this site. After determining those who use FB everyday, the questionnaire asked

14

for the profile of the respondents and the status of their interpersonal relationship with
their family, friends, teachers, classmates and others.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researcher distributed a survey form to each section in order to determine
the users of social networking sites and must be accomplished within two to three days.
After the researchers collected the survey forms, a list of the respondents which are
Facebook users will be organized then copies of the main questionnaire will be
produced. The copies of the main questionnaire will depend on the number of the
respondents. However, extra copies will be reproduced if some respondents loss their
questionnaires. The respondents will be given thirty minutes approximately to answer
the main questionnaire. Once they finished answering the questionnaire, the researcher
will gather all the needed data for the study and it will be organized, summarized,
analyzed, and interpreted.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The researcher used the following formulas to analyze the results of the survey:
Frequency is the number, proportion, or percentage of items in a particular
category in a set of data, while percentage is the proportion or share in relation to a
whole. This technique is used to determine the percentage of our respondents out of
total population in terms of frequency of using Social Networking Sites. Through this,

15

the researchers also determined the percentage of the respondents who are affected by
the influence of social networking sites. The formula for frequency and percentage is:

f
P = ------- x 100 %
N

Where:

P is percentage
f is number of respondents falling under a particular category
N is total number of population

The mean, or average, is the sum of the values divided by the total number of
values. This determined the average result of the data gathered from different
respondents.

x
n

Where:
X represents the sample mean
n represents the total number of respondents
x represents the frequency

16

PRESENTATATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

PROBLEM 1: What is the profile of the students in terms of year level, age,
gender?

Table 1.1 Year Level of the Respondents

Year Level

Frequency

Percentage

First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
TOTAL

61
75
43
60
239

25.52
31.38
17.99
25.10
100.00

Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.1 showed that out of 239
respondents, 75 or 31.38 percent are sophomores, 61 or 25.52 percent are freshmen,
60 or 25.10 percent are seniors, and 43 or 17.99 percent are juniors.

Table 1.2 Age of the Respondents

Age
16
17
18
19

Frequency
25
70
54
49

Percentage
10.46
29.29
22.59
20.50
17

20
TOTAL

41
239

17.15
100.00

Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.2 showed that out of 239
respondents, 70 or 29.29 percent are 17 years old, 54 or 22.59 percent are 18 years
old, 49 or 20.50 percent are 19 years old, and 41 or 17.15 percent are 20 years old, and
25 or 10.46 percent are 16 years old.

Table 1.3 Gender of the Respondents

Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.3 showed that out of 239
respondents, 127 or 53.14 percent are females while 112 or 46.86 percent are males.

PROBLEM 2: What is the profile of the students in terms of preferred SNS,

frequency of SNS usage, purpose of using SNS and number of SNS friends?
Table 2.1 Preferred SNS of the Respondents

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Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.4 showed that out of 239
respondents, 200 or 92.05 percent preferred Facebook, 10 or 4.18 percent preferred
Twitter, 5 or 2.09 percent preferred other SNS, 3 or 1.26 percent preferred Instagram,
and 1 or 0.42 percent preferred Snapchat.

Table 2.3 Respondents Purpose of Using SNS

Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.6 showed that out of 239

19

respondents, 117 or 48.95 percent agreed that their purpose of using SNS is Just for
fun and entertainment; 76 or 31.80 percent agreed on Keeping in touch with friends;
25 or 10.46 percent agreed on Keeping in touch with family; 2 or 0.84 percent agreed
on To be in because it's popular nowadays; and 1 or 0.42 percent agreed on other
purpose.

Table 2.4 Respondents Number of SNS Friends

Using frequency and percentage, the results in Table 1.7 showed that out of 239
respondents, 45 or 18.83 percent has 100+ friends, 39 or 16.32 percent has 200+
friends, 38 or 15.90 percent has 300+ friends, 28 or 11.72 percent has 400+ friends, 21
or 8.79 percent has 500+ friends, 18 or 7.53 percent has less than 100 friends, 15 or

20

6.28 percent has 600+ friends, 14 or 5.86 percent has 1000+ friends, 8 or 3.35 percent
has 800+ friends, 7 or 2.93 percent has 700+ friends, and 6 or 2.51 percent has 900+
friends.

PROBLEM 3: What is the interpersonal relationship of students toward their

Family, Friends, Teachers, and Others?
Table 3.1 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with their Family

Legend:

3.51 4.00 = Always

21

2.51 3.50 = Often

1.51 2.50 = Sometimes
0.51 1.50 = Seldom
0. 00 0.50 = Never

Table 3.1 shows the respondents interpersonal relationship with their family. The
mean score of Table 3.1 is 2.9 or often. As a result of using social networking sites, the
respondents prioritize on having quality time with their family (3); want to keep in touch
with their family (3); have better communication with their family (3); express
themselves more with their family (3); balance their time with their family (3); obey the
rules of their parents (3); are ready to help when their family needs them (3); enjoy
having time with their family (3); want to interact more with their family (2.75); have
better relationship with their family (2.5).

Table 3.2 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with their Friends

22

Legend:

3.51 4.00 = Always

2.51 3.50 = Often
1.51 2.50 = Sometimes
0.51 1.50 = Seldom
0. 00 0.50 = Never

Table 3.2 shows the respondents interpersonal relationship with their friends. The
mean score of the Table 3.2 is 3.0 or often. As a result of using social networking sites,
the respondents enjoy spending time with their friends (3.25); interact more with their

23

friends because of SNS (3); relate to their friends since they also use SNS (3); have
good terms with their friends (3); always want to keep in touch with their friends (3);
have better communication with their friends because of SNS (3); prefer to spend more
time hanging-out with their friends (3); are open with their friends (3); are ready to help
when their friends need them (3).
Table 3.3 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with their Teachers

24

Legend:

3.51 4.00 = Always

2.51 3.50 = Often
1.51 2.50 = Sometimes
0.51 1.50 = Seldom
0. 00 0.50 = Never

Table 3.3 shows the respondents interpersonal relationship with their teachers.
The mean score of Table 3.3 is 2.4 or sometimes. As a result of using social networking
sites, the respondents keep their focus on the lesson being discussed by their teachers
(3); prioritize academic-related activities (3); prioritize tasks given by their teachers (3);
enjoy interacting with their teachers (3); easily approach their teachers (2.5); interact
more with their teachers because of SNS (2); communicate easily with their teachers
with the use of SNS (2); have better communication with their teachers in terms of
school works with the help of SNS (2); express themselves more with their teachers
because of SNS (2); open with their teachers (2).

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Table 3.4 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with Others

Legend:

3.51 4.00 = Always

2.51 3.50 = Often
1.51 2.50 = Sometimes
0.51 1.50 = Seldom
0. 00 0.50 = Never

Table 3.4 shows the respondents interpersonal relationship with other people.
The mean score of Table 3.4 is 2.4 or sometimes. As a result of using social networking

26

sites, the respondents make their contact number and address visible only to their
friends (3); share limited information about themselves (3); make their profile visible only
to their friends (3);cautious to the people they meet in SNS (2.75); ignore friends
requests from the people they dont know (2.25); block people that are suspicious (2);
delete comments or posts from other people that they dont know but added in their
friends list(2); visit profiles of people added in their list but they dont know (2);
comments to people they dont but added in their list (2); send friends requests to
people they dont know (1.75).
According to Vitak (2008), there are some reasons why an individual uses a
social networking site. The first reason is for them to meet strangers and become
friends with them.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings
The research was conducted for the purpose of finding out the influence of social
networking sites to the interpersonal relationship of college students. The descriptive
method of research and purposive sampling technique were used by the researcher in
gathering data.. The researchers used 239 respondents for this research. This research
was conducted during the school year 2014 2015.

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PROBLEM 1: What is the profile of the students in terms of (a) year level, (b) age,
(c) gender?

Out of 239 respondents, 75 or 31.38 percent are sophomores, 61 or 25.52

percent are freshmen, 60 or 25.10 percent are seniors, and 43 or 17.99 percent are
juniors. Out of 239 respondents, 70 or 29.29 percent are 17 years old, 54 or 22.59
percent are 18 years old, 49 or 20.50 percent are 19 years old, and 41 or 17.15 percent
are 20 years old, and 25 or 10.46 percent are 16 years old.
Out of 239 respondents, 127 or 53.14 percent are females while 112 or 46.86
percent are males.

PROBLEM 2: What is the profile of the students in terms of preferred SNS,

frequency of SNS usage, purpose of using SNS and number of SNS friends?

Out of 239 respondents, 200 or 92.05 percent preferred Facebook, 10 or 4.18

percent preferred Twitter, 5 or 2.09 percent preferred other SNS, 3 or 1.26 percent
preferred Instagram, and 1 or 0.42 percent preferred Snapchat. Out of 239 respondents,
80 or 33.47 percent use SNS for 1-2 hours, 76 or 31.80 percent use SNS for 3-4 hours,
35 or 14.64 percent use SNS for more than 6 hours, 27 or 11.30 percent use SNS for 56 hours, and 21 or 8.79 percent use SNS for less than an hour. Out of 239 respondents,
117 or 48.95 percent agreed that their purpose of using SNS is Just for fun and
entertainment; 76 or 31.80 percent agreed on Keeping in touch with friends; 25 or
10.46 percent agreed on Keeping in touch with family; 2 or 0.84 percent agreed on To

28

be in because it's popular nowadays; and 1 or 0.42 percent agreed on other purpose.
Out of 239 respondents, 45 or 18.83 percent has 100+ friends, 39 or 16.32 percent has
200+ friends, 38 or 15.90 percent has 300+ friends, 28 or 11.72 percent has 400+
friends, 21 or 8.79 percent has 500+ friends, 18 or 7.53 percent has less than 100
friends, 15 or 6.28 percent has 600+ friends, 14 or 5.86 percent has 1000+ friends, 8 or
3.35 percent has 800+ friends, 7 or 2.93 percent has 700+ friends, and 6 or 2.51
percent has 900+ friends.

PROBLEM 3: What is the interpersonal relationship of students toward their

Family, Friends, Teachers, and Others?
The mean score of Table 3.1 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with their
family is 2.9 or often. All the statements were gathered under the mean of 2.50 to 3.49.
As a result of using social networking sites, the respondents want to interact more with
your family because of SNS (2.75), prioritize on having quality time with their family (3);
want to keep in touch with their family (3); have better communication with their family
(3); express themselves more with their family (3); balance their time with their family
(3); obey the rules of their parents (3); are ready to help when their family needs them
(3); enjoy having time with their family (3); want to interact more with their family (2.75);
and have better relationship with their family (2.5).
The mean score of the Table 3.2 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with
their friends is 3.0 or often. All the statements were gathered under the mean of 2.55 to
3.55. As a result of using social networking sites, the respondents enjoy spending time

29

with their friends (3.25); interact more with their friends because of SNS (3); relate to
their friends since they also use SNS (3); have good terms with their friends (3); always
want to keep in touch with their friends (3); have better communication with their friends
because of SNS (3); prefer to spend more time hanging-out with their friends (3); are
open with their friends (3); and are ready to help when their friends need them (3).
The mean score of Table 3.3 Respondents Interpersonal Relationship with their
teachers is 2.4 or sometimes. The statements that were gathered under the mean of
2.55 to 3.54 are the ff.: the respondents keep their focus on the lesson being discussed
by their teachers (3); prioritize academic-related activities (3); prioritize tasks given by
their teachers (3); and enjoy interacting with their teachers (3). The statements that
were gathered under the mean of 1.55 to 2.54 are the following: the respondents easily
approach their teachers (2.5); interact more with their teachers because of SNS (2);
communicate easily with their teachers with the use of SNS (2); have better
communication with their teachers in terms of school works with the help of SNS (2);
express themselves more with their teachers because of SNS (2); and open-up with
their teachers (2).
The mean score of Table 3.4 is 2.4 or sometimes. The statements that were
gathered under the mean of 2.55 to 3.54 are the following: the respondents make their
contact number and address visible only to their friends (3); share limited information
about themselves (3); make their profile visible only to their friends (3); and cautious to
the people they meet in SNS (2.75). The statements that were gathered under the mean
of 1.55 to 2.54 are the following: the respondents ignore friends requests from the
people they dont know (2.25); block people that are suspicious (2); delete comments or

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posts from other people that they dont know but added in their friends list (2); visit
profiles of people added in their list but they dont know (2); comments to people they
dont but added in their list (2); send friends requests to people they dont know (1.75).

Conclusions
After analyzing the data gathered by the researchers, they arrived with the
following conclusions:
1. Using social networking sites helped the respondents to develop a strong
interpersonal relationship with their family, friends, teachers, and with others.
2. Most of the respondents are using Facebook just to have fun and entertainment
because of its available features for the users.
3. The respondents are cautious with the strangers that they meet in SNS's
because of having a limited friends added to their account that they know.
4. The respondents intend to open-up more with their friends in social networking
sites than with others.
5. Most of the respondents use social networking sites for only 1-2 hours in a day.

Recommendations
Based on the conclusions that the researches made, they have formulated the
following recommendations:
1.) Parents, school administrators, teachers, and guidance counselors must encourage

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the students to use SNS since it promotes good interpersonal relationships.

2.) Students must properly use social networking sites and not just for fun and
entertainment but for communication with their family, friends and teachers.
3.) Social networking site developers and companies must improve the security and
privacy that they are giving to its users to promote a safe environment especially for
children and teenagers.
4.) Students must also encourage their classmates to use SNS frequently since it
promotes good communication with their teachers regarding school works and
related activities.
5.) Students must also encourage their friends to use SNS since it promotes good
relationship making friendship ties grow stronger.

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