This document provides an introduction and background to a study on the impact of technological changes on the behavior of adolescents. It begins with a brief history of communication technologies before focusing on the evolution of mobile phones. The theoretical framework discusses adolescent development theories from Adler, Maslow and Hull. The conceptual framework presents a model linking modern technology to aspects of adolescents' socialization, self-esteem, school performance and socio-economic status. The problem statement then outlines the objectives and questions of the study.
1. Chapter I
Introduction and Background of the Study
Introduction
Man has always wanted to communicate from afar. In the primitive ages,
people have used smoke signals, jungle drums, carrier pigeons and semaphores to
get a message from one point to another. And that is a clear evident that even
before, it is very important to communicate or to get messages from other places.
That is why Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Probably no
means of communication has revolutionized the daily lives of ordinary people more
than the telephone.
Telephone comes from the Greek word tele, meaning from afar, and phone,
meaning voice or voiced sound. Generally, a telephone is any device which conveys
sound over a distance. A string telephone, a megaphone, or a speaking tube might
be considered telephonic instruments but for our purposes they are not telephones.
These transmit sound mechanically and not electrically.
As the year change, the telephone also evolved. From the tin can telephones
to the coin operated pay phone. Then there’s the pager and the bulky mobile
phones. And today, cellular phones are the most rampant to use in this society.
From the time it was out in the market, it never stops in developing. It
always finds a way to satisfy the necessity of its consumers. At first it was just with
a non-colored screen until there’s the mobile phone with built-in cameras, music
player, internet and some with television in it. Now, we are dealing with mobile
2. phones with touch screens. Touch-screens phones have trickled down into the
midrange handset category as well. Every company of cell phones is very
competitive with each other. They are scrambling to make the best touch screen
phone and that’s great news for us consumers.
In our society, it is now considered that cell phones are one of the needs not
a want. In fact, the Philippines have been crowned as the Texting Capital of the
World due to the overwhelming number of SMS messages it sends each day. An
SWS survey conducted in 2001 strongly proves this point: ―Out of the 15 million
households in the Philippines, an estimated 2.5 million have a cellular phone, of
which 2.3 million have text-messaging capacity. Expect that every month, there are
latest models of cell phone.
We cannot deny the fact that technology industry is very successful when it
comes to cell phone. And when a latest model is released, we, Filipinos will
immediately buy it. We do not want to be left behind. Sometimes, the unit of our
cell phone determines what our socio-economic status is.
Often, we see the latest model of cell phones in the adolescents because they
are the one who are always eager to explore and try something new. And they are
the highlight of this research. Does the development affect them?
3. Theoretical Framework
According to Adler's theory, each of us is born into the world with a sense of
inferiority. We start as a weak and helpless child and strive to overcome these
deficiencies by become superior to those around us. He called this struggle a
striving for superiority, and like Freud's Eros and Thanatos, he saw this as the
driving force behind all human thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Also, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can relate in this study. When the first
three classes of needs which are the physiological needs, safety needs and need of
love, affection and belongingness, are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become
dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person
gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-
respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels
self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are
frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless.
In relation to this study, knowing that cellular phones nowadays are classified
as needs, these might be connected in building self-esteem and confidence.
Hull developed a version of behaviorism in which the stimulus (S) affects the
organism (O) and the resulting response (R) depends upon characteristics of both O
and S. In other words, Hull was interested in studying intervening variables that
affected behavior such as initial drive, incentives, inhibitors, and prior training
(habit strength). Like other forms of behavior theory, reinforcement is the primary
factor that determines learning. However, in Hull's theory, drive reduction or need
satisfaction plays a much more important role in behavior than in other frameworks
(i.e., Thorndike, Skinner).
4. Conceptual Framework
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
Socialization Profile
Self-esteem Adolescents Socio-economic status
School performance Priorities
Statement of the problem
This study aims to find out the impact of technological changes to the
behavior of adolescents. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following
questions:
1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:
a. Age
b. Sex
c. School
d. Socio-economic status
2. How the technological changes affects the behavior of adolescents in terms
of:
a. Socialization
b. Self-esteem
5. c. School performance
Hypotheses
There is no significant relation between the technological changes and the
behavior of the adolescents.
Significance of the study
This study can be use as a reference for further studies conducted in the
same field. For some reasons, this study will be highly beneficial to the following:
School administrators, teachers and guidance counselors. This will give them
baseline information with scientific results about the behavior, study habits, and
attitudes of adolescents towards the growing technology industry specifically mobile
phones.
Psychologist and other concern professionals. This will assist them to define,
assess, interpret and evaluate intensively the behaviors, study habits and attitudes
of adolescents towards the growing technology industry specifically mobile phones.
Parents and Guardians. They will be enlightened of the impact of
technological changes to the behavior of their child.
Adolescents. For whom the study is directly address, this will serve as an eye
opener.
Scope and limitation
6. This study is to be conducted to determine the impact of technological
changes to the behavior of college students studying at the San Sebastian College-
Recolletos in Manila. The aspects will look into the priorities, socialization, self-
esteem and school performance. How they perceive on the rapid changes of
technology.
Definition of terms
To facilitate better understanding of the study, the following terms are
defined:
Touch screen - electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of
a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touch or contact to the
display of the device by a finger or hand. Touch screens can also sense other
passive objects, such as a pen.
SMS- Short message service; refers to the exchange of brief written messages
between mobile phones over cellular networks.
Cellular phone- is an electronic device used for mobile telecommunications (mobile
telephone, text messaging or data transmission) over a cellular network of
specialized base stations known as cell sites. Mobile phones differ from cordless
telephones, which only offer telephone service within limited range, e.g. within a
home or an office, through a fixed line and a base station owned by the subscriber
and also from satellite phones and radio telephones
7. Chapter II
Review of Related Literature and Studies
Foreign Literature
Adolescence may be viewed as a transition age in human development from
childhood to adulthood. During this period, an individual goes through many
changes including the formation of one’s values, attitudes and behavior to adapt
and adjust behavior to culturally acceptable adult forms (Dusek, 1996).
According to Hall (1904), he saw adolescence as a period of storm and
stress. Many people still adhere to Hall’s view. However, Coleman (1978) clarified
that various stresses in adolescence do not occur at the same time. Rather,
adolescents deal with one or two stressful events which alleviate the stress, then
deal with the others.
The peak age for stressful situation varies. Adolescence seems to represent a
series of smoothly evolving changes in development. Changes that adolescence is
experiencing within them redefine their roles as members of their family, peer
group and society as they, in turn, perceive these changes (Dusek, 1996).
Adolescents have a greater freedom to explore new situations. From Agence
France- Presse’s article in Washington on December 2009, there were three
teenagers who use cellular phone to sent semi-nude pictures. According to a survey
8. by a US family planning organization, published in 2008, 20%of American
teenagers said they had participated in sexting- the apparently popular practice of
sending semi-nude or nude photos to friends by using a mobile phone.
From the blog of Matthew Bishop he says that in rich countries, mobile
phones can seem something of a mixed blessing – particularly if you are stuck on a
train next to a teenager with a Crazy Frog ring-tone. But in poor countries, mobile
phones have no obvious downside and have already delivered remarkable benefits,
in terms both of economic growth and personal empowerment. They may even
enable poor countries to leapfrog over some of the traditional stages of the
development process.
The mobile phone has spread throughout much of the developing world more
quickly and deeply than any previous technology-based product – not least
traditional fixed-line phones. This has been helped by the fact that rolling out a
mobile phone network is far cheaper than building a fixed-line system. In Morocco
in 1995, for example, after decades of investing in the telephone infrastructure,
there were only four fixed lines per 100 inhabitants. In 2003, there were still four
fixed line subscribers per 100 Moroccans, but there were also 24 mobile phone
subscribers per 100 – up from zero in 1995, according to a recent study by the
London Business School for Vodafone, the British global mobile phone giant. In the
same period, mobile phone penetration has risen from 0 to 36 per cent in Albania,
0 to 30 per cent in Paraguay, 0 to 21 per cent in China and 0 to 9 per cent in India.
In the past few years, Africa, so often left behind by other economic
advances, has seen the world’s most rapid growth in mobile phone penetration
9. (albeit from a very low base). Subscriber growth in several sub-Saharan African
countries exceeded 150 per cent last year; there are now eight subscribers per 100
people across the region, up from three in 2001. In Tanzania, it took just five years
from the first mobile phone call for the number of mobile phone subscribers per 100
people to exceed the number of fixed lines, compared with 15 years in a rich
country such as Britain. The true extent of mobile phone use in developing
countries is far greater than these figures suggest, thanks to all that phone sharing.
When you get a mobile phone it is almost like having a card to get out of
poverty in a couple of years.‖ So says Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the micro-
credit provider, Grameen Bank, and its hugely popular mobile phone offshoot in
Bangladesh, Grameen Phone.
Foreign Studies
A study from Aligarh Muslim University, India said that the world is
becoming increasingly dependent upon technology. Technology is playing a crucial
role in contemporary society. It has transformed the world from a primitive
communal to an industrialized world. The internet has become a major shareholder.
Developing nations can derive tremendous advantage from this technology for
updating the knowledge of its researchers and scientists. Even educational
organizations are influenced by the development of information technology. The
most obvious example has been the introduction of information technology related
courses.
10. This study concluded that society expects to be able to manipulate the
information it has for its own benefits, to increase understanding and discover new
relation.
Another study by Ben Meadocroft said that technology influenced the
interactions between the individuals. It has been enhanced by the development;
the individuals then have the ability to communicate through e-mails, chat rooms,
and social net workings.
Common Sense Media in San Franciso USA recently released the results of a
national poll on the use of digital media for cheating in school(2009). The poll,
conducted by The Benenson Strategy Group, revealed that more than 35% of teens
admit to cheating with cell phones, and more than half admit to using the Internet
to cheat. More importantly, many students don’t consider their actions to be
cheating at all. The results highlight a real need for parents, educators, and leaders
to start a national discussion on digital ethics. In this poll, kids reveal that they’re
texting each other answers during tests, using notes and information stored on
their cell phones during tests, and downloading papers from the Internet to turn in
as their own work. Because the digital world is distant, hard to track, and mostly
anonymous, kids are less likely to see the consequences of their online actions,
especially when they feel they won’t get caught.
These are the result of the study conducted:
-41% of teens say that storing notes on a cell phone to access during a test
is a serious cheating offense, while 23% don’t think it’s cheating at all.
11. - 45% of teens say that texting friends about answers during tests is a
serious cheating offense, while 20% say it’s not cheating at all.
- 76% of parents say that cell phone cheating happens at their teens’
schools, but only 3% believe their own teen has ever used a cell phone to cheat.
- Nearly two-thirds of students with cell phones use them during school,
regardless of school policies against it.
- Teens with cell phones send 440 text messages a week and 110 a week
while in the classroom.
According to the London Business School study, this looked at 92 countries,
rich and poor, between 1980 and 2003. Overall, says the study, in a typical
developing country, a rise of 10 mobile phones per 100 people boosts the rate of
growth of GDP by 0.6 percentage points a year. That may not seem much, but
compounded over a few years it can add up to a big increase in living standards.
Those developing countries that have higher levels of mobile phone penetration
may become the success stories of the coming decade. For instance, notes the
study, the Philippines had 27 mobile phones per 100 people in 2003, compared with
Indonesia’s nine. If that gap remains, the Philippines could expect its GDP to grow
by one percentage point a year faster than that of Indonesia.
Local Literature
From the journal of Jerry Liao of Manila Bulletin, technology has brought a lot
of benefits to mankind. It made most of us more effective and efficient both in our
professional and personal tasks. But as much as there are a lot of advantages,
12. there are still those who are more innovative than others - like using technology in
some other ways, the bad ways. From Ronald S. Lim’s journal, the temptation to
cheat is even easier for today’s technologically-advanced youth. With mobile
phones making the transmission of messages easier and the Internet making the
sharing of information much quicker, today’s Filipino student can just as easily
download his answers from a computer as he can from looking at his seatmate’s
answers.
However, it would seem that the tried and tested technique of looking at the
answer of seatmates, passing around notes, and ―reliable‖ classmates are the
methods preferred by today’s young Filipinos.Technology, particularly mobile
phones, once again came under fire because of the Pinoy youth’s new texting style.
Now a national phenomenon (or a national plague?), the Jejemons’ improper use of
words have caused alarm among parents and teachers alike. Teachers have
complained about their students’ adapting this newfound language in their regular
schoolwork. In this case, instead of making things better, technology has been
distorted and has caused bad influence on today’s generation.
However, also from Manila Bulletin, a journal of Angelo G. Garcia, says
there’s a lesson from mobile phones. Technology has done more good than harm
for the youth admittedly. The advent of e-book readers, for instance, has made
books more available to everyone with just a touch of a button. Laptop computers
are being used as an affordable education device to children around the world. Even
mobile phones are now channels to teach children.
13. In 2003, Nokia, the International Youth Foundation, Pearson, and the United
Nations Development program conceptualized the global BridgeIT program which
uses cellular technology to bring educational materials to the developing world. The
program was pilot-tested in the Philippines on the same year and the Text2Teach
program was born.
“Text2Teach is now an evolution of what we have in the past. What we have now is
the ability to download these videos, at very high speeds using the cellular network.
The beauty of this is you can take the program, and take it to those areas that are
very, very rural and don‟t have access to the internet. It is much easier with a
cellular tower and with that speed and you can serve the entire community with this
content to help the teachers,‖ saysNokia Europe Community Involvement head
Patrick Gonzales.
Using the mobile application Nokia Education Delivery (NED) installed in special
Nokia phones, teachers are able to download and choose educational audios and
videos on Math, Science and English specifically created for the program.
“One of the differences of Text2Teach is that learning has become more mobile. For
example I‟m a teacher, I can download the materials today, I will teach it tomorrow,
I can study the materials tonight, at home or wherever I am because it‟s in the
mobile phone. It could be the advent of one day, students having their own mobile
phones, downloading educational video materials over the mobile phone. Text2Teach
actually creates that culture of learning in a mobile way,” explains Globe Telecom
Corporate Social Responsibility head Jeffrey Tarayao.
The videos are specifically produced by SEAMEO INNOTECH, with the help of
teacher-experts, for the program based on the Department of Education’s Basic
14. Education Curriculum on Grade 5 and 6 Math, Science and English. The program
also uses real time technology where it utilizes the fast 3G network of Globe for fast
download of the educational materials.
“This program is based in real-time so they can download updated content from the
server. In the case of DVDs, you have to. That‟s the benefit of this technology,”
explains Nokia Asia Pacific Community Involvement head Jenny Lim.
Many of the materials are preloaded in the mobile device and because of the TV
connection capability of mobile phones, it can be then connected to the television
for viewing.
More recently, the Text2Teach program was launched in Ligao City, Albay. Twenty
four out of 49 public elementary schools in the area were given Text2Teach
packages that included a Nokia N86 8MP device, — with special TV out feature —
preloaded with almost 400 educational audio and video materials on Grade 5 and 6
Math, Science and English curriculum. It also included a Globe prepaid SIM card
and a 29-inch color television provided by Kolin Philippines International.
Although Ligao City division has improved its performance indicators among
students over the past years problems in drop-outs and low participation rates are
still evident. In the latest performance indicator given by Ligao City Division, in
school year 2008-2009, out of 18,202 enrolled elementary students in public
schools, the participation rate is at 82.22 percent with drop-out rates of 0.18
percent. That’s 372 students who dropped-out from school in the whole division
that school year.
15. The division’s quality indicator in English (56.12 percent), Science (50.07), and
Math (57.73) is something that they hope will improve with the introduction of the
Text2Teach program.
“With the introduction of Text2Teach, we hope for a significant improvement in the
academic performance of the pupils because we expect that our students will be
benefiting much from this. Unlike in the normal method of teaching, which is simple
lecturing, this time subjects like Mathematics, Science and English have become
more lively, more enjoyable because. And leaning will become meaningful and
lasting with the students we are hoping for that direction,” Palencia shares.
The schools that will benefit from the program are: Amtic Elementary School,
Barayong ES, Basag ES, Baligang ES, Herrera ES, Paulog ES, Abella ES, Francia ES,
Ligao East ES, Maonon ES, Tupas ES, Oma-Oma ES, Bacong ES, Paulba ES,
Cabarian ES, Tiongson ES, Busac ES, Tandarura ES, Tula-Tula (G) ES, Tastas ES,
Allang ES, Cavasi ES, Tula-Tula (P) ES, and Culiat ES.
The local government of Ligao is also active in helping improve education quality in
their city. Mayor Linda Gonzalez gave P738,000 for the program as the local
government’s counterpart funds to implement Text2Teach.
Since its launch, more than one million public elementary school students and
almost 2,000 teachers and school officials in 350 schools in different parts of the
country have benefited from the program. And the Text2Teach team is happy to
say that impact on the students has been significant.
―In the case of Text2Teach, we measure the impact, by looking at the schools that
actually use of the program. Over the past years we have had two third party
16. evaluations. There have been an improvement on what they call the learning
gauge, in other words when you compare the scores of the kids after they have
used Text2Teach compared to before they used it there was a significant difference.
We noticed that there was a big difference especially in schools that started with
very low scores. Like schools in Mindanao, very large jump from the base core, to
the score after they have used the program,‖ Deriquito shares.
Among the program’s beneficiaries are the 11 schools in Dagupan City, Pangasinan
that implemented the program last January. School officials in Dagupan visited
Ligao City to share the positive experience they got from Text2Teach.
“Ang laki ng impact ng Text2Teach sa aming school. At ang enrolment po namin nag
increase, nilampasan po namin ang enrolment ng central school by 50 pupils.
Nagustuhan din po ng mga parents ang program,” shares Carael Elementary School
principal Manuel Ferrer.
According to him, Carael Elemetary School improved its National Achievement Test
scores to eight percent after only using it for a several months.
“Practical itong Text2Teach, kasi nagke-cater sa maiksing attention span ng mga
estudyante. Maliit „yung time na nacoconsume pero „yung impact sa bata malaki.
May nakikita po kami, in terms of performance like in Mathematics, significant po
ang difference compared sa dating performance nila,” explains DepEd OIC-Schools
Division superintendent, City Schools of Dagupan Dr. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.
Moreover, the partners of the program believe that Text2Teach program will not
solve all the problems of the country’s education system, this is just their share in
somehow improving it – for the children.
17. He also adds that they also have plans to expand the program to lower grade
levels. ―Another finding was, the longer children, they had the chance to observe
children that have undergone Text2Teach for one year, are exposed to Text2Teach,
the larger the learning gauge. That is why one of the things we’re discussing
Text2Teach is the possibility of extending the program to the lower level. We know
that it is good to extend it to the lower Grade level so that the children will have
longer exposure to the process.
The group is also hoping that someday, DepEd can mainstream the program and
integrate it into the national education system to cover all the schools in the
country.
“Another potential, it may be forward looking but by using this mobile phone and
accessing the network, they will be able to come out with user-generated content. If
the Text2Teach content is coming from one server, one day, others may come up
with materials about other cultures, make a video out of it and it may be viewed by
schools in other areas or other countries, who knows. That‟s the difference of
Text2Teach, it is the mobility of it, it‟s in your hands,” Tarayao says.
Local Studies
In the Philippines, records from the National Statistics Coordination Board
(NSCB) show that in 2006, cell phone use while driving ranked as the 12th most
common cause of traffic accidents. From 2001 to 2006, traffic accidents caused by
cell phone use while driving increased more than five times in the Philippines, the
highest increase among causes of traffic accidents. There are now 40 countries
worldwide restricting or banning the use of cell phones while driving. Sadly, the
18. Philippines is not one of them. Many appear unaware, however, that the MMDA has
an existing ban, issued since 2007, on the use of cell phones and hand-held radios
while operating or driving motor vehicles in Metro Manila. The cities of Makati and
Cebu have also imposed the same ban. Hopefully, our congressmen and senators
will find time to finally enact a law that will effectively make the ban nationwide.
Many appear unaware, however, that the MMDA has an existing ban, issued since
2007, on the use of cell phones and hand-held radios while operating or driving
motor vehicles in Metro Manila. The cities of Makati and Cebu have also imposed
the same ban.
According to the studied conducted by Cecilia Alessandra S. Uy-Tioco of New
School University(2004), cellphone technology has broken through class divisions.
Because of pre-paid numbers, people without credit history, reasonable incomes, or
permanent addresses have been able to obtain cellphones. For a country that is
socially stratified, this is very empowering. Having the capability of owning and
using a technology that the rich use is very empowering for the lower and lower-
middle classes.
Cellphones in the Philippines are not age-specific nor are they gender-
specific. While countries like Japan and Finland attribute text messaging as a
phenomenon dominated by the youth, in the Philippines, young and old alike send
and receive text messages on a regular basis. The young may tend to use their
cellphones more to make friends, for idle chat, or to make plans with friends; and
older people tend to use it for work, to keep in touch with family members, and for
keeping up with what is going on in the country. The youth may be the quickest to
19. learn a new technology, but in the Philippines, it is not unusual to see
grandmothers, society ladies, or priests and nuns tapping away at their cellphones.
While there is no study that measures the cellphone uses between the sexes,
Pertierra, et al believe that is neutral about gender.92 Men may text more sexually
explicit messages, and women more gossip, but the frequency seems to be similar.
Because the medium has allowed non-confrontational communication, men and
women can pursue normally tabooed topics such as sexuality. Certainly this small
Southeast Asian nation has been a major test site for new cellphones. To many,
this is a sign of modernity, of being not too far behind the developed nations. The
ability to communicate with others across the world in real time through text
messaging gives a sense that the Filipino is present in the global stage.
Widespread cellphone use has resulted in the blurring of the private and
public spheres. While the cellphone is a private technology in that it is
communication between two people at a time, it also is a public one because we
receive the calls outside the privacy of our offices, our homes, or phone booths. It
has become acceptable for Philippine society to take cellphone calls or to check text
messages while eating or in a meeting. Visit the Makati nightspots and one will
notice the proliferation of cellphones on the tables in restaurants. Or you will notice
that not everyone in the table is engaging in conversation. Instead, some are
distracted by the constant beeping and ringing of their cellphones. Movie theaters,
banks, gas stations, and places of worship have been actively campaigning for the
silencing of cellphones in their premises. Countries like Germany have banned
cellphone use inside restaurants. But in the Philippines, it is part of daily life.
20. With the popularity of text messaging as the main use of the cellphone,
many have become concerned on its effects on language. Already many have
begun using text shorthand in their email messages.
Paul Anthony Villegas (2000), a teacher at the Ateneo de Manila High School
noticed that his students have been using shortcuts in their compositions. In
addition, text messaging has become the new way of cheating. Students send
questions and answers to each other during exams. To combat these, elementary
and high schools have prohibited the use of cellphones during and in-between class
hours.
That cellphones have deeply affected the lives of Filipinos should by now be
evident. The Knowledge Institute of SGV & Co, Ernst & Young’s Philippine partner,
credits the growth of the cellphone industry to its mass-market appeal, its
affordability, and the convenience of a pre-paid service. Despite the fact that 40%
of the population lives on less than $1 a day, cellphones have had remarkable
market penetration at 25%. This paper has shown that the cellphone has made an
enormous impact on Philippine culture and society. But more than that, research
has revealed that there are cultural reasons unique to Philippine society that have
allowed cellphones to take root in the country. The success of any medium,
certainly the enormous success of the cellphone, means it has survived a human
test.
One social impact of widespread cellphone use is that the technology has
crossed boundaries of class, gender, and age. Filipinos of all sizes, shapes, and
background have adopted this technology. Unlike other nations where the youth
21. dominate the text messaging phenomenon, in the Philippines, both young and old,
male and female use this technology extensively.
Cellphone technology has also allowed a developing nation like the
Philippines to participate in the global village. Not only is the Philippines up to speed
in cellphone technology, it is even ahead of some developed nations. The cellphone
has also given the Filipino a way of keeping in touch with people around the globe.
Since Internet use is not as widespread (4 million Internet users versus 22 million
cellphone subscribers), the cellphone is the medium that lets the citizens of the
nation join the information superhighway.
Since the cellphone is ubiquitous and is used by people from all sectors of
society, it has also become a tool for social change. Yet the possibilities of using the
cellphone in other ways that can result to the betterment of the community and the
nation are being explored. While there is still no way to measure the success of the
government and non-government groups’ efforts, the opportunities are exciting.
There are traits and characteristics of Philippine culture that have allowed the
cellphone, particularly text messaging, to flourish. These are the importance of
family, ―hiya‖ (meaning shyness or embarrassment) and the need to be in the
know. The family is still the center of Philippine society and the cellphone has
allowed them to keep in touch and to communicate regularly. Despite the distances
of time and space, text messaging holds the family together. When faced with
emotions, confrontations, or demands, the Filipino is shy and embarrassed. Text
messaging allows the user to hide behind a mask instead of engaging in face-to-
22. face conversation. This is especially true when dealing with the opposite sex or
dating, parents, superiors at work, etc.
Filipinos also like to always be in the know. We may be shy about telling a
parent we love them or asking the boss for a raise or telling a guy we are attracted
to him; but we are definitely curious about the day-to-day lives of the people
around us. Years of colonization and oppressive governments have also created an
air of suspicion towards the media and the government. The cellphone has allowed
people to verify news and information through a network of friends and family.
While the tremendous impact of the cellphone on Philippine society and
culture cannot be denied, there have also been impacts on the economy. Since the
deregulation of the telecommunications industry in 1994, the industry has spawned
a host of entrepreneurial activity in areas such as application programming for
mobile content (ranging from simple ringtones and phone logos to Java-based
games for General Packet Radio Service [GPRS]) and new cottage industries
devoted to pre-paid call and text card sales, handset and accessory sales, service
centers, and others. There is room for growth in creating more content for mobile
phones whether it be games, advertising, new features, etc. As prices of cellphones
and the cost of making calls and texts go down, combined with growth in the
Philippine economy, the cellphone’s future looks bright. As more and more people
use this technology, more impacts on society and culture can be studied.
This thesis aimed to examine the impact of cellphones on Philippine culture
and society. Much further study can be made in this area. An in-depth study of the
differences or similarities in the use of cellphones by men and women would be
23. interesting. While currently there is no evidence of a disparity in the amount of
cellphone use between the sexes, it would be fascinating to see if there are any
differences in the kind of use.
While this thesis briefly touches on the impact of text messaging on
language, it would be of value to do a more in depth study on the matter. It would
be interesting to see conclusive data on how much speech, spelling, and writing has
been affected by shorthand text messages. In addition, a study on the texting
language and etiquette that have resulted from cellphones and text messaging
would be valuable.
Much can indeed by studied and written about cellphone use in the
Philippines. This paper only provides a general overview of the impacts and reasons
on why the cellphone has been so successful. Good or bad, there is no turning
back. The cellphone is here to stay and will continue to be an essential technology
for Philippine society and culture.
Relevance to the present study
The reviewed literature and studies are significant. This might help in seeking
the answer to the problem of this study. Moreover, it gives the researchers the
overview and idea of the benefits and disadvantages of technology in different
aspects of society.
24. Chapter III
Methodology
This chapter describes the operational plan of work or strategy. A number of
activities in the plan of work include the following operations: a) research design;
b) population (sampling size and techniques); c) research instruments; d) data
gathering procedures; e) statistical treatment of data.
Research design
The researchers will make use of descriptive method of research. This
method gives emphasis of what actually exist such as current conditions, practices,
situations and any given phenomenon. It gives a better and deeper understanding
of a certain condition on the basis of an in-depth study. It determines the true
nature of the problem and accurately describes the process that will be use. It
reveals problems so that remedial measures will be instituted and formed.
Since this study is concern with the impact of technological changes to the
behavior of the adolescence, to obtain concrete fact and strong-based information
about the subject, the gathered data needs to be interpreted and validate properly.
25. Population
The subject to be studied is the college students raging from 16-20 years old
studying at the San Sebastian College- Recolletos in Manila. Selecting respondents
to this study is through the use of Slovin’s formula.
n= N
(1 + Ne2)
n = Number of samples
N = Total population
e = Error tolerance
Research Instrument
Normative survey will be use to gather data. Questionnaire is the data
gathering instrument to be employed. This is so because it can gather data faster
than any other method. A survey is a method of collecting information about a
human population. In a survey, direct (or indirect) contact is made with the units of
the study (e.g., individuals, organizations, communities) by using systematic
methods of measurement such as questionnaires and interviews.
Data gathering procedures
The respondents will be chosen through the Pure Random Sampling. Each
individual is chosen randomly and entirely by chance, such that each individual has
the same probability of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process, and
each subset of k individuals has the same probability of being chosen for the
26. sample as any other subset of k individuals (Yates, Daniel S.; David S. Moore,
Daren S. Starnes (2008).
Statistical Treatment of Data
Data gathered through the instrument was subjected to statistical treatment
to test the alternative hypothesis advanced in this study. The following statistical
treatments are to be use:
1. The frequency distribution will be use in order to show the number of
respondents according to how they view their work. Such frequency distribution will
be made for interpreting the data and representing it, which will make it easier to
analyze, handle, and interpret.
2. To be able to know the average (mean) and percentile rank, the following
formulas are made.
X= ∑fx %= ∑x x50
N 1500
wherein:
N= total number of cases
∑x =sum of scores
3. In testing the null hypothesis that there is no significant relation between
the technological changes and the behavior of the adolescents, the researcher will
make use of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient with the formula:
r= N∑XY- (∑X)(∑Y)
√ [N (∑X2) – (∑X2)] [N (∑Y2) – (∑Y2)]
27. References:
Limpingco, Tria: Personality, 3rd ed. Ken Inc., 2006
Agence France-Presse. 'Sexting' teenagers sue over porn charge 2009. Inquiry.net.
2009
Dusek: Impact of Information Technology on Societal Development and E-
governance Vibha Gupta, Research Scholar Department of Library and Information
Science, Aligarh Muslim University, India. 2007
Cecilia Alessandra S. Uy-Tioco: CELLPHONES AS A CULTURAL TECHNOLOGY:New
Ways of Communicating in the Philippines, Master of Arts in Media Studies, New
School University. April 2004
Ben Meadrowcrof. The Impact of Information Technology on Work and Society.
http://www.benmeadowcroft.com/reports/impact/
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/208045/survey-shows-teens-use-mobile-phones-
cheat
http://www.developments.org.uk/articles/loose-talk-saves-lives-1/
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/273707/lessons-mobile-phone
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/229095