Psychological Response: Social Media Users' Diverse Behaviors

Introduction

The emergence in social media use has raised concerns about the effects it may have on
users' psychological well-being. Social media have become an integral part of daily life and are
employed in a variety of contexts. Consequently, it is essential to comprehend how and why
users utilize and interact with social media. Personality traits are thought, feeling, and behavior
patterns that may influence an individual's use of social media. The purpose of this paper is to
increase comprehension of the role personality traits play in the psychological dynamics
underlying social media use and engagement. This paper conducts a comprehensive literature
review on personality, trait theory, and personality traits taxonomies, with a focus on the Big
Five Personality Traits – Five Factor Model (FFM). The main goal of this paper is to shed light
on the impact of social media use on psychological well-being.

In recent years, social media usage has grown substantially (Leong et al., 2019; Kemp,
2020). Social media refers to "the websites and online tools that facilitate user interactions by
providing opportunities to share information, opinions, and interests" (Swar and Hameed, 2017,
p. 141). People use social media for a variety of purposes, including entertainment,
communication, and information gathering. Notably, adolescents and young adults spend more
time on social networking sites, e-games, texting, and other forms of social media (Twenge and
Campbell, 2019). Some authors (e.g., Dhir et al., 2018; Tateno et al., 2019) have argued that
social media has altered the forms of group interaction and the individual and collective behavior
of its users across the globe.

The use of social media platforms and the internet has become increasingly widespread in
many different regions of the world. Based on the statistical report that was compiled by We Are
Social (2018), the Philippines has the highest rate of social media usage in the world. This is
because the number of Internet users in the Philippines has reached 67 million on a national
scale, and the average daily time spent using social media on any device is nine hours and
twenty-nine minutes. The findings of this research indicate a 12% annual growth in the number
of Internet users and social media users in the Philippines compared to the previous year.
Facebook is the social media application with the highest number of users (67 million), followed
by Youtube in terms of user volume (We Are Social, 2018).The Internet has become a very
reinforcing stimulus, which may encourage Filipinos to use it more frequently. The Internet
gives users an immediate and easy access to attain satisfaction and empowerment to manage the
way they present themselves, regardless of their true identity or physical characteristics. This
may motivate Filipinos to use the Internet more frequently (Wong, Yuen, & Li, 2015).
Individuals have been using social media as part of their daily routine, in school, at work or
everywhere they go. Social media has become a very essential part of one’s life many factor
have been affected by the use of social media and one of them is the behavioral impact of such.
Locally, there are many social media users we encounter in our environment.

This research was conducted with the purpose of gaining a better understanding of social
media and the varied behaviors exhibited by users of various social media platforms. The
purpose of the study was to shed light on the use of social media as a tool for expressing one's
thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

The literature talks about the existing definitions vary in complexity, with some focusing
on the nature of message construction in social media while others are more straightforward. For
instance, Russo, Watkins, Kelly, and Chan (2008) defined social media as "those that facilitate
online communication, networking, and/or collaboration." Other researchers have come up with
similar definitions, a similarly brief definition of social media was provided by Kaplan and
Haenlein (2010), who described it as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange
of User Generated Content". Even more, Lewis (2010) pointed out that the term "social media" is
nothing more than a "label for digital technologies that allow people to connect, interact,
produce, and share content". Within the field of public relations, Kent (2010) provided a
comprehensive definition of social media as "any interactive communication channel that allows
for two-way interaction and feedback." He went on to specify that modern social media are
distinguished by their "potential for real-time interaction, reduced anonymity, a sense of
propinquity, short response times, and the ability to 'time shift,' or engage the social network
whenever it suits each particular member". The behavioral factor of using social media was
supported by the literature that implies researchers from a number of different institutions have
conducted extensive searches for potential factors that may predispose an individual to use social
media and/or the internet. Przybylski, Murayama, DeHaan, and Gladwell (2013) conducted a
study in which they recognized the mediating role of a phenomenon known as Fear of Missing
Out (FoMO) in people's use of social media and the Internet. This study is one example that
stands out in particular. They conceptualized it as a "persistent apprehension that others might be
having rewarding experiences from which one is absent," which is an interesting way to put it
(Przybylski et al., 2013). It is distinguished by the requirement to maintain a continuous
connection with the activities of other people. Some people consider it to be a form of social
anxiety, which can be described as an obsessive fear that a person will fail to take advantage of a
chance for social interactions, enjoyable activities, or valuable experiences (Vaidya, Jaiganesh,
& Krishnan, 2015). In the study conducted by Herman (n.d.), there are two factors that contribute
to the phenomenon of fear of missing out (FoMO). These factors are the rise of mobile
technology and the expansion of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
These provide individuals with access to a diverse range of opportunities, which gives one the
impression that every act is important and that no opportunity should be passed up at any time
(Hernan, n.d.). (Browne, Aruguete, McCutcheon, & Medina, 2018; Burke, Marlow, & Lento,
2010; Wortham, 2011) Research has shown that fear of missing out (FoMO) is associated with
negative emotional states such as feelings of loneliness, boredom, and negative mood or
depressed feelings.

Coping through emotional expression can also provide an opportunity to confront a

stressful event and the emotions that accompany it, which in turn can prompt physiological
habituation (that is, reduced physiological reactivity, or physical responses, to thoughts or
emotions about the stressor over time; for example, Low, Stanton, and Danoff-Burg, 2006;
Stanton et al., 2000, Study 4), as well as a reduction in stressor-related intrusive thoughts
(Lepore et al., 2000). This kind of physiological and psychological habituation can lead to
improvements in both the perceived level of stress and the physical symptoms (Low et al., 2006).
(Lepore et al., 2000). In order to characterize the conditions that allow for emotionally
expressive coping, additional research on a variety of other aspects of emotionally expressive
coping, evaluated using a variety of methods, and the context in which it occurs is required. For
instance, experimental research has demonstrated that adopting an evaluative stance toward
emotional expression, as opposed to an accepting stance, affects physiological arousal and
distress in response to stressors (CampbellSills, Barlow, Brown, & Hofmann, 2006; Low,
Stanton, & Bower, 2008).

The purpose of this study is to determine the role that social media plays in the
expression of one's feelings.

The findings of this study are helpful to people who spend a lot of time on social media.
People will gain knowledge about what information to share on social media and what
information to keep to themselves.

Methodology

The target participant in this study will be intended only individuals who are qualified for
the following criteria: (a) a social media user (b) avid user of any social media platforms (c)
adolescent from UM Digos College. The target number of participants in this study is minimum
of 6 until the data is saturated. Participants in the study are students from UM Digos College
who are in their adolescence and are avid users of various forms of social media. The
researchers adopted the questionnaires from Social Media Survey Questions for Addiction,
Education Harassment, Depression and Bullying (Formplus).

The researchers will employ a phenomenological qualitative methodology.

Phenomenology is the study of people's lived experiences (Creswell, 2007; van Manen, 1997).
To study of Stress and coping mechanisms in relation to the current state of the community’s
goods, we utilized the descriptive phenomenological method. In accordance with Husserl's
philosophy, a descriptive phenomenological method describes the experiences being lived
through very carefully, and after the raw data has been obtained, a thorough phenomenological
psychological analysis of the data is conducted within the context of the phenomenological
psychological reduction(Giorgi & Giorgi, 2003). In comparing the phenomenological approaches
of Heidegger and Husserl, Giorgi (2007) favored Husserl's approach because it is "built to deal
with any sort of object and its style of presentation is the starting point for investigative
techniques."

In the method of data collecting that consisted of in-depth interviews with the people who
had volunteered to take part in the study, the researcher went with a phenomenological point of
view. In addition, the researchers will adhere to all of the health standards and procedures when
organizing the interviews. The investigators will often resort to taking handwritten notes in order
to facilitate the recovery of concepts that are discussed throughout the interview. The researchers
will not use video recording as a method of data collection because it is not very practical and
has the potential to just enhance the participants' level of anxiety throughout the study. Before
any data analysis takes place, the data obtained from the interviews will first be transcribed word
for word.

The researchers will be conducting their analysis of the data to be acquired using a
method known as theme analysis. The process of locating, investigating, and reporting on
recurring themes and patterns within a body of data is known as thematic analysis (Braun, V., et.
al, 2006). That entails organizing the data in a proportionate manner and describing them in
extensive detail. On the other hand, rather commonly it goes beyond this and interprets numerous
facets of the research issue (Boyatzis, 1998). As a result of the fact that this uncertainty will
contribute to the factors that are identified in the study, the researchers will respond to it with the
highest excitement and enthusiasm.
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