The Interaction and Politeness of Adolescents in the Virtual Context

THE INTERACTION AND POLITENESS OF ADOLESCENTS IN THE VIRTUAL CONTEXT

Leigh Leviste

Ricaly Tablo

Princess Vegilla

Jennessy Pedernal

Ernest Avila

Andrew Glico

Tristan Capispisan

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the introduction of the research problem, importance of the study, frameworks that guide the researchers, statement of the problem, operational definition of variables, and the scope and delimitation of the study.

INTRODUCTION

The generation of today is very much different from before in terms of the advancement in the way of living of the people. In today’s generation, most of the people have an easy access to the technology and information and that allows them to make life easier and improve their way of living. The presence of technology and its continuous advancement pave way to different changes in our society. These changes brought by the technology are significant to the lives of people. Technology plays a vital role in every people as it becomes part of their daily lives, especially when they communicate with other people or interact with the existing environment. Susan Greenfield, an Oxford University researcher stated in her article on Daily Mail UK (14th September 2010) named The Quest For Identity In the 21st Century, “as growing numbers of people discover the potential of the World Wide Web and as they become active parts of it and as technology more becomes even more advanced, expanded, accessible and sophisticated, current forms of communication will transform, taking advantage of the crowd sourcing phenomenon.”

Social media, being part of the advancement in technology, is one of the most known platforms in communicating and interacting with other people. Social media is defined as a computer-based communication tool that enables people to interact with each other by both sharing and consuming information. Most of the people especially the adolescence choose to make use of the so called social media in particular to communicating with other people rather that meeting with them personally. Pew Research Center (2018) stated that 88 percent of youth, mostly in middle and high school age, have access to computer at home. Having an access to computer differs by family income and education level. However, 95 percent of teenagers from 13 to 17 years old own a smart phone and 87 percent of teenagers exclusively boys, have access to video game consoles. Almost all of the adolescence can easily access technology and do have firm relation and interaction in social though the use of technologies.

Many people specifically the adolescence, use virtual context such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Snapchat etc. to connect with different people around the world as well as to liberally express and share their feelings, thoughts, ideas and views by posting, commenting and sharing it. Teens are the most exposed in virtual context due to having enough leisure time and having lesser responsibilities and duties than the older people. Since they are the most exposed, they are the one who receives the negatives effects of using the social media. Being exposed to it can lead to some risks of the way a teenager behave and think towards something.

These includes cyberbullying through posting inappropriate content or photos that can humiliate them, pornography that can lead the teenagers to addiction that is harmful to the brain, body and quality of life, less face time which means that adolescents socialize through the use of gadgets instead talking to them personally, serious mental effects like depression, anxiety, sleeping problems