CHAPTER V
I. RESPONDENTS’ PROFILE
The profile of the respondents is part of the first section of the questionnaire that includes the age, gender, course and year and their respective current relationship status.
The 20 respondents needed are equally distributed to each year level of Computer Science resulting to a five per year level respondents.
Table 1: Distribution of Respondents (Computer Science Students) from Each Year Level
| Year Level | Number |
| (Computer Science Students) | of Respondents |
| First Year | 5 |
| Second Year | 5 |
| Third Year | 5 |
| Fourth Year | 5 |
Since the respondents for this study are the University of the Philippines Cebu College Computer Science students from all year level, then the age of the respondents vary based from what year level they are into. The age of the majority of the respondents came from the age of 18 which is nine (45%) out of 20 respondents while the age that has the lowest number of respondents is 23 which is one (5%) out of 20 respondents.
Table 2: Age of the Respondents (Computer Science Students) from each year level
| Year Level | Age | ||||
| (Computer Science Students) | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 23 |
| First Year | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Second Year | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Third Year | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Fourth Year | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 3(15%) | 5(25%) | 9(45%) | 2(10%) | 1(5%) |
Another important part in this section is the current relationship status of the respondents because they can only be qualified to answer this study’s survey if they are currently involvedin a romantic relationship or are currently singles but already experienced being in a romantic relationship. The total number of respondents is equally divided to those who are currently single (but already experienced being in a relationship) and to those who are currently involved in a romantic relationship. Table 3 on the next page shows the distribution of the current relationship status of the respondents from each year level.
Table 3:Current Relationship Status of Respondents (Computer Science Students) from Each Year Level
| Year Level(Computer Science Students) | Current Relationship Status (Single) | Current Relationship Status (In a Relationship) |
| First Year | 2 | 3 |
| Second Year | 3 | 2 |
| Third Year | 3 | 2 |
| Fourth Year | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 10 (45%) | 10 (55%) |
II. FREQUENCY OF USING FACEBOOK
The next section in the questionnaire presents the frequency of the respondents in using Facebook or the number of hours in using Facebook in a weekly basis. Computer Science students have internet access at home or via internet cafes for academic and non-academic purposes such as playing online games or chatting with friends through social networking sites.
Table 4: Frequency of Using Facebook
| Year Level(Computer Science Students) | 0-5 Hours | 6-10 Hours | 11-15 Hours | 16-20 Hours | More than 20 Hours |
| First Year | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Second Year | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Third Year | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fourth Year | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 3(15%) | 5(25%) | 5(25%) | 3(15%) | 4(20%) |
The table above shows the respondents answer on the question, “How many hours do you spend in a weekly basis allotted to using Facebook”. Their choices are (1) 0-5 hours (2) 6-10 hours (3) 11-15 hours (4) 16-20 hours (5) more than 20 hours. The options with the highest number of frequency are options 2 and 3 that both garnered 25% of the population, while the lowest rank goes to options 1 and 4 that both had 15% of the respondents. It is also equally important to note that the remaining 20% is allocated to those who chose option 5 which is spending more than 20 hours in Facebook.
The data gathered above shows that all the respondents have internet access from their households or through internet cafes. Furthermore, this implies that despite of the hectic schedules of computer science students due to programming exercises and assignments, they still allot time chatting with friends via Facebook.
III. EFFECTS OF FACEBOOK ELEMENTS IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
The third section in the distributed questionnaire aims to know how the elements of Facebook affect romantic relationships of UP Cebu College Computer Science students.
Facebook is in continuous development despite of the success it has gained for such a small period of time. Thus, it offers its users different ways on how to interact with other users in the “global village”. It is composed of different elements that continue to attract users making it one of the most popular social networking sites in the world. These elements are (1) Wall Posts, (2) Photo Sharing, (3) Instant Messaging and (4) Status Updates. In determining such relationship, we asked the respondents to indicate their level of agreement and disagreement in a statement presented to them about a specific element in Facebook.
A. Wall Posts
Facebook walls are like public walls of your home. It is where your friends can post any messages they want to tell you publicly. The Facebook wall also keeps a record of the recent activities you did while logged in, like the latest friend requests you accepted and latest status/posts you commented. If any of your friends wants to stalk you then, your Facebook wall is his/her first venue. Thus, it is important to note how this element/feature in Facebook affects one’s romantic relationship.
In this subpart, respondents are given five statements about wall posting, two of which are positive statements while the other three are negative. This part will determine how wall posts affect the attitude of the respondents towards their lovers. The positive statements are, first, I always post love quotes on the Facebook wall of my boyfriend/girlfriend. Second is, I feel like my day is complete when my boyfriend/girlfriend posts “sweet nothings” on my Facebook wall. The remaining three negative statements are, first,My boyfriend/girlfriend gets jealous whenever I post something on the Facebook wall of my opposite sex friends. Next is,I feel annoyed when I always see posts from my boyfriend/girlfriend in my Facebook wall. Lastly, I always expect my boyfriend/girlfriend to reply all my posts in his/her Facebook wall.
Table 5: Effects of Facebook Wall Posts to Romantic Relationships
| | Positive Statements(2) | Negative Statements(3) | ||||
| Frequency | Weight | F(x) | Frequency | Weight | F(x) | |
| Strongly Disagree | 5 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Disagree | 12 | 2 | 24 | 17 | 2 | 34 |
| Undecided | 7 | 3 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 24 |
| Agree | 14 | 4 | 56 | 16 | 4 | 64 |
| Strongly Agree | 2 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
| Total : | 40 | | 116 | 60 | | 173 |
| Remarks: | | µ = | 2.9 | | µ = | 2.9 |
| Neutral | Neutral | |||||
Remarks:
1.0 – 1.4 = Strongly Disagree 3.5 – 4.4 = Agree
1.5 – 2.4 = Disagree 4.5 – 5.0 = Strongly Agree
2.5 – 3.4 = Neutral
Table 5 above shows the respondents’ agreement and disagreement on the statements presented in the first part of the third section of the questionnaire. There are 20 respondents and there are two positive statements making the total frequency for the positive statements be 40. The 35 percent of the total number of frequency goes to the top choice of the respondents saying that they agree that wall posting has a positive effect on romantic relationships; 30 percent agree; 17.5 percent are undecided; 12.5 percent strongly disagree and five percent disagree. Thus, the resulting weighted mean for the positive statements of wall posting is 2.9 indicating that the respondents are Neutral in general. This implies that wall posts in the respondents’ Facebook walls have no effect on their respective romantic relationships.
The table also includes three negative statements for wall posting in Facebook making the total frequency for this part of the survey be 60, 28.3 percent of the frequency goes to the option stating that the respondents “Disagree” on the negative statements about wall posting in Facebook; 26.7 percent agree; 18.3 percent strongly disagree; 13.3 percent strongly agree and another 13.3 percent are undecided. The statistics above results to a weighted mean of 2.9, stating that they are also Neutral towards the negative effects of using the wall post feature of Facebook.
Based on the data gathered above, it implies that the respondents’ romantic relationships are not affected with their use of wall posting/commenting in Facebook.
B. Photo Sharing
Photo sharing is a feature of Facebook that allows users to transfer or publish publicly his/her photos. This feature of Facebook allows individuals involved in a relationship to be updated of what his/her girlfriend/boyfriend’s latest gatherings and outings. Also, this can be an avenue for lovers in showing to the public that they are in a relationship with someone by uploading photos that show display of affection. On the other hand, this can also cause gaps in a relationship, since if one sees his/her lover with someone in an intimate photo can trigger misinterpretations that might cause love quarrels that will lead to break ups if not prevented. This section of this study will determine which side of Photo sharing contributes most to romantic relationships among UP Cebu College Computer science students.
In this subpart, respondents are given 5 statements about photo sharing, two of which are positive statements while the other three are negative statements. This part will determine how public sharing of photos between lovers affects the attitude of the respondents towards their lovers.The positive statements are, first, I feel happy when my boyfriend/girlfriend makes my photo his/her profile picture. Second is, I feel happy when my boyfriend/girlfriend puts caption “My boyfriend/girlfriend” on my picture. The remaining three negative statements are, first,I immediately remove tag whenever a different girl/guy is with me in a picture. Next is,I expect my boyfriend/girlfriend to comment/like my photos. Lastly, My boyfriend/girlfriend gets jealous if Im chatting with male/female friends.
Table 6: Effects of Photo Sharing in Facebook to Romantic Relationships
| | Positive Statements(2) | Negative Statements(3) | ||||
| Frequency | Weight | F(x) | Frequency | Weight | F(x) | |
| Strongly Disagree | 5 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Disagree | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Undecided | 8 | 3 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Agree | 20 | 4 | 80 | 18 | 4 | 72 |
| Strongly Agree | 6 | 5 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
| Total : | 40 | | 141 | 60 | | 180 |
| Remarks: | | µ = | 3.5 | | µ = | 3.0 |
| Agree | Neutral | |||||
Remarks:
1.0 – 1.4 = Strongly Disagree 3.5 – 4.4 = Agree
1.5 – 2.4 = Disagree 4.5 – 5.0 = Strongly Agree
2.5 – 3.4 = Neutral
Table 6 above shows the respondents’ agreement and disagreement on the statements presented in the second part of the third section of the questionnaire. There are 20 respondents and there are 2 positive statements making the total frequency for the positive statements be 40. The 50% of the total number of frequency goes to the top choice of the respondents saying that they “Agree” that Photo Sharing in Facebook has a positive effect to romantic relationships; 20% are undecided; 15% strongly agree; 12.5% strongly disagree and two point five % disagree. Thus, the resulting weighted mean for the positive statements of Photo sharing in Facebook is 3.5 indicating that the respondents Agree to the statements presented. This implies that seeing updated photos of the respondents’ boyfriend/girlfriend improves and develops their relationship.
The table also included three negative statements for the same feature in Facebook, 33.3% of the frequency indicates that the respondents “Disagree” on the statements; another 30%agree; 13.3% strongly agree; 11.7% strongly disagree and 11.7% are undecided. The statistics above results to a weighted mean of 3.0,stating that they are also Neutral towards the negative effects of using the photo sharing inFacebook. This implies that the respondents don’t mind the negative side of photo sharing; their major concern is the good thing it brings to their respective romantic relationships.
Furthermore, this also implies that the respondents think that the photo sharing feature of Facebook is more of a tool that enhances relationships since it keeps them updated with the latest photos of their loved ones, making their relationship transparent.
C. Instant Messaging/Chatting
Facebook Chat is a feature in Facebook that allows users to communicate faster compared to posting onto someone’s wall or sending him/her a message on his/her inbox. This feature provides more convenience to Facebook users in communicating. Yet, it is so convenient that it makes the researchers think inspite of its accessibility, does chatting has any effect to romantic relationships?
We aim to answer that in this section of the study, respondents are given 5 statements about the instant messaging feature of Facebook, three of which are positive statements while the other two are negative statements. This part will determine how constant chatting in Facebook between lovers affects the attitude of the respondents towards their lovers. The positive statements are, first, I feel excited when my boyfriend/girlfriend’s name pops out in the chat box.Second, Constant chatting adds spice and thrill to our relationship.Lastly, I feel butterflies in my stomach while chatting with my boyfriend/girlfriend.The remaining two negative statements are, first, When my boyfriend/girlfriend is online I expect him to chat or to message me. Last is, I get pissed off when my boyfriend/girlfriend replies my chat messages late.
Table 7: Effects of Instant Messaging in Facebook to Romantic Relationships
| | Positive Statements(3) | Negative Statements(2) | ||||
| Frequency | Weight | F(x) | Frequency | Weight | F(x) | |
| Strongly Disagree | 5 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Disagree | 14 | 2 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Undecided | 9 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Agree | 20 | 4 | 80 | 10 | 4 | 40 |
| Strongly Agree | 12 | 5 | 60 | 12 | 5 | 60 |
| Total : | 60 | | 200 | 40 | | 132 |
| Remarks: | | µ = | 3.3 | | µ = | 3.3 |
| Neutral | Neutral | |||||
Remarks:
1.0 – 1.4 = Strongly Disagree 3.5 – 4.4 = Agree
1.5 – 2.4 = Disagree 4.5 – 5.0 = Strongly Agree
2.5 – 3.4 = Neutral
Table 7 of the previous page shows the respondents’ agreement and disagreement on the statements presented in the third part of the third section of the questionnaire. There are 20 respondents and there are 3 positive statements making the total frequency for the positive statements equal to 60. The 33.3% of the total number of frequency goes to the top choice of the respondents saying that they “Agree” that Instant Messaging in Facebook has a positive effect to romantic relationships; 23.3% disagree;20% strongly agree, Strongly Disagreegot 8.3% and 15% said that they are still “Undecided”.
Another part of this table is the two negative statements, 30% of the frequency states that the respondents “Strongly Agree” on the negative statements about photo sharing in Facebook; 25% agree; 20% disagree; 17.5% strongly disagree and seven point five% are left undecided.
Based on the data on the previous page, the respond of the respondents to the positive and negative traits of Instant Messaging through Facebook are both neutral. This implies that instant messaging or chatting has nothing to do with their misunderstandings or love quarrels.
D. Status Updates
This feature in Facebook allows users to publicly express what’s their current status like what is in their mind, what they are doing, and how are they feeling. This allows the other users to know one’s current mood, thus they can readily comment or like it. Moreover, status may also refer to the current relationship status of the user. This is found in the profile of the user and is publicly displayed in the internet. Certainly, this will give feeling of excitement to the individuals involved in a relationship but what if one doesn’t want to display his/her relationship status. This might be misinterpreted by the other party.
In this subpart, respondents are given 5 statements about the Status updates feature of Facebook, two of which are positive statements while the other three are negative statements. The following positive statements are, first, I feel happy when my boyfriend/girlfriend tag me on his/her status.Last is, I feel happy when my boyfriend/girlfriend send/accepts my relationship status request.The remaining statements are as follows: first, When my boyfriend/girlfriend and I have a misunderstanding I always share and put it on my status.Second, I get jealous when i see other person’s name in my boyfriend/girlfriend’s status.Finally, I get jealous when my boyfriend/girlfriend is tagged in other person’s status especially if it is male/female.This part will determine how constant update of status in Facebook between lovers affects the attitude of the respondents towards their lovers.
Table 8: Effects of Status Updates in Facebook to Romantic Relationships
| | Positive Statements(2) | Negative Statements(3) | ||||
| Frequency | Weight | F(x) | Frequency | Weight | F(x) | |
| Strongly Disagree | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Disagree | 1 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 38 |
| Undecided | 5 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 24 |
| Agree | 23 | 4 | 92 | 20 | 4 | 80 |
| Strongly Agree | 9 | 5 | 45 | 6 | 5 | 30 |
| Total : | 40 | | 156 | 60 | | 179 |
| Remarks: | | µ = | 3.9 | | µ = | 3.0 |
| Agree | Neutral | |||||
Remarks:
1.0 – 1.4 = Strongly Disagree 3.5 – 4.4 = Agree
1.5 – 2.4 = Disagree 4.5 – 5.0 = Strongly Agree
2.5 – 3.4 = Neutral
Table 8 above shows the respondents’ agreement and disagreement on the statements presented in the fourth part of the third section of the questionnaire. There are 20 respondents and there are 2 positive statements making the total frequency for the positive statements equal to 40. The 57.5% of the total number of frequency goes to the top choice of the respondents saying that they “Agree” that Updating status in Facebook has a positive effect to romantic relationships; 22.5% is allocated to the respondents stating that they “Strongly Agree” that there are positive contributions of this feature in Facebook to the development of romantic relationships; 5% agree; 12.5% are undecided and 2.5% disagree.
Three negative statements are also included in the table, 33.3% of the frequency states that the respondents “Agree” on the negative statements; another 31.3% implies that the respondents “Disagree” on the statements. The remaining 33.4 are distributed to the other choices such as “Strongly Disagree” with 11.7%, “Strongly Agree” with 10%lastly, 13.3% said that they are “Undecided”.
Based on the data above the response of the respondents gives a weighted mean for the positive statements is 3.9 which gives a positive notion that Updating status in Facebook enhances their relationship while that of the negative statements is 3.0 which gives a neutral remark towards their position on the negative effects of updating status. This implies that the respondents think that the Updating Status is more of a tool that enhances relationship between lovers because it shows how much the respondents’ boyfriend/girlfriend is proud of him/her.
IV. EFFECT OF FACEBOOK ON ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP
Facebook according to Parr (2009) is a tool for strengthening friendship and any form of relationships but it also serves as “relationship buster” because it also creates misunderstandings between individuals.
Thus, the data gathered from the third section of this chapter must jive to the results of this section’s aim which is determining the effect of Facebook to romantic relationships of the respondents. To determine such, the respondents were given a positive and a negative statement to express their agreement or disagreement that is not biased. The positive statement is, Facebook strengthens your relationship because it gives our relationship transparency and develops trust and security.Contrary to that is the statement, Facebook destroys your relationship because it breeds insecurity among us because of how our friends interact with us on Facebook.
Table 9: Effects of Facebook to Romantic Relationships
| | I. Strengthens | II. Destroys | ||||
| Frequency | Weight | F(x) | Frequency | Weight | F(x) | |
| Strongly Disagree | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Disagree | 5 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Undecided | 5 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Agree | 8 | 4 | 32 | 8 | 4 | 32 |
| Strongly Agree | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Total : | 20 | | 59 | 20 | | 64 |
| Remarks: | | µ = | 3.0 | | µ = | 3.2 |
| Neutral | Neutral | |||||
Remarks:
1.0 – 1.4 = Strongly Disagree 3.5 – 4.4 = Agree
1.5 – 2.4 = Disagree 4.5 – 5.0 = Strongly Agree
2.5 – 3.4 = Neutral
Table 9 shows the respondents’ agreement and disagreement on the effects of Facebook to romantic relationships. Total number of frequency is 20 and 40% of that states that they “Agree” that Facebook has a positive effect to romantic relationships; 25% said that they strongly agree; another 25% is still “Undecided”. The remaining 10% said that they “Strongly disagree.
Contrary to that is the negative statement about Facebook,40% of the frequency states that the respondents “Agree” on the negative statements about Facebook; 30% disagree; 15% are undecided; 10% strongly agree and five% strongly disagree.
Based on the data shown on the previous page, the respond of the respondents of the positive and negative traits of Facebook to romantic relationships are both neutral then clearly, this implies that Facebook doesn’t affect romantic relationships of the respondents.
V. OVER-ALLEFFECT OF FACEBOOK IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP
| | F(x) | F(x) | AVERAGE |
| | POSITIVE STATEMENTS | NEGATIVE STATEMENTS | |
| WALL POSTS | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| PHOTO SHARING | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.25 |
| INSTANT MESSAGING | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| STATUS UPDATES | 3.9 | 3.0 | 3.45 |
| OVER-ALL EFFECT ( TOTAL: ) | 13.6 | 12.2 | 12.9 |
| OF FACEBOOK ( AVERAGE: ) | 3.4 | 3.05 | 3.225 |
The main objective of this study is to know the role of Facebook in romantic relationships of UP Cebu Computer science students and this can be answered by summing up all the data discussed previous section of this chapter.
Table 10: Summary of Tables 5 - 8
Table 10 shows the average weighted mean of the positive and negative statements of each element in Facebook. Wall posts gained an average of 2.9; photo sharing got 3.3; instant messaging garnered 3.3 and status updates gained 3.45. The over-all effect of Facebook which is 3.225 is get from the average of all the average weighted means of all the elements/features in Facebook.
It is also important to note that the overall effect of Facebook based from tables five to eight jives with the result in table 9 which is based from the respondents’ response to certain statements on the effect of Facebook to romantic relationships. Thus, this only proves that the respondents really think that Facebook has nothing to do with their relationships.
Facebook being a means of communication does not override or replace face to face conversations or interactions between lovers. It only plays an important role to long distance relationships since face to face conversations are very minimal. This implies that Facebook does not play a significant role in romantic relationships of UP Cebu College computer science students.
The result of this study is congruent to the study of Alda & Castillo (2010) that internet connection does not play a significant effect on the different daily activities of UP Cebu College 3rd year management students.
However, the finding of this study shows that all of the respondents have access to internet is a justification of a previous study conducted by Quijano (2000) asserting that more and more people are gaining access with the internet. Thus, this would imply that the population of Facebook or other social networking sites users will increase and that face to face interaction might be totally transferred online.
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