LEVEL OF SELF-ESTEEM AS CORRELATES TO

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPOSURE AMONG BS

PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS OF LYCEUM OF
SUBIC BAY A.Y 2022-2023

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 11
Pages: 890-900
Document ID: 2023PEMJ1021
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8220948
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-1-8
Psych Educ, 2023, 11: 890-900, Document ID:2023 PEMJ1021, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8220948, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

Level of Self-Esteem as Correlates to Social Media Exposure Among

BS Psychology Students of Lyceum of Subic Bay A.Y 2022-2023
Jeff Kristoffer M. Barcelon*, Alexis Daniel D. Damaso,
Roel B. Dimalanta, Precious Lour S. Mabini
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
The study was conducted to the BS Psychology students of the Lyceum of Subic Bay during the
academic year 2022-2023. This study investigated the relationship between social media use and the
self, focusing on the five key areas of the self: self- confidence, identity, competence, self-control,
and belongingness. The purpose of this study was to explore whether social media use has a
significant relationship with these said key areas.The study employed a quantitative research method.
A survey intended to measure the five key areas of self and social media usage was administered to
the sample of participants, consisting of the entirety of the BS Psychology students of Lyceum of
Subic Bay during the academic year of 2022-2023. The findings of the study revealed that social
media use has no significant relationship with self-confidence, identity, and self-control, except for
belongingness. Belongingness was found to have a significant relationship with social media use.
This suggests that students who use social media more frequently may feel a greater sense of
belongingness than those who use it less often.

Keywords: self-esteem, social media, social media exposure

Introduction to the self-esteem of students.

Research Questions
In psychology, the concept of self-esteem is commonly
defined as having pride in, confidence in, and This topic was chosen by the researchers because of a
admiration for one's own abilities. Social media concern regarding social media exposure and its
exposure refers to the degree to which crowd members possible influence on the self-esteem of BS
have encountered particular messages, or classes of Psychology students at the Lyceum of Subic Bay. To
messages, or media material (Slater, 2004). Numerous obtain all the essential information, knowledge, and
studies have shown a connection between social media data; the researchers sought to answer the questions
exposure, or more commonly, social media presence, below:
and selfesteem. It was also well accepted that young
adults frequently experience low self-esteem, which 1. How may the respondents describe their social media
has become more prevalent as a result of their exposure in terms of time spent on social media
increased exposure to social media. 2. How may the respondents describe their self-esteem
levels in terms of:
Students who are more engaged on social media are 2.1 Self-confidence;
more exposed because they feel pressure to follow 2.2 Identity;
trends for their happiness and life satisfaction as they 2.3 Competence,
use social media more. On the other hand, several 2.4 Self-control, and
students found that using social media made them self- 2.5 Belongingness?
conscious and worried, which led them to feel 3. Is there a relationship between the social media
dissatisfied with their work. Whether they are satisfied exposure cited in number 1 and their level of self-
or not, it should determine how they perceive esteem cited in number 2?
themselves on social media and allow them to build
their self-esteem.This study aims to investigate how
social media exposure and self-esteem are developing, Methodology
especially among current Lyceum of Subic Bay BS
Psychology students.The researchers have chosen this
Research Methodology
subject entitled “Level of Self-Esteem as Correlates to
Social Media Exposure among BS Psychology This study is a quantitative research, descriptive
Students of Lyceum of Subic Bay” in an effort to
advance information regarding how social media
exposure is linked to possible connections or changes

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Research Article

correlational study, it is quantitative in nature and it to know if the student’s demographic profile and time
focuses on the relationship of social media exposure of use of social media to be able to correlate the social
and self-esteem. Adedoyin (2020), quantitative media exposure in self-esteem.
research was defined as the systematic investigation of 2. Self-esteem Levels - consist of confidence, identity,
phenomena by the collection of numerical data and the competence, self-control, and belongingness to know
use of mathematical, statistical, or computational if the student’s level of self-esteem is affected by the
approaches. Social media exposure is the independent use of social media.
variable while the levels of self-esteem are the
dependent variable. The researchers used Validation of the Instruments
population/universe sampling wherein the participants
are close as they are under the same school. The The instrument used in time of use in social media is
participants of this research are supposed to be in the the social networking usage questionnaire:
number of eighty-one (81) BS Psychology students of Development and validation in an Indian higher
Lyceum of Subic Bay.The estimated duration of this education context Gupta and Bashir (2018). In order
study was to be at least one (1) month of data for the researchers to understand the reasons behind
gathering to have comprehensive results. The study the BS Psychology students’ use of social media, this
was to be conducted with the use of structured surveys research aimed to construct and evaluate a
and questionnaires. questionnaire about the time of use in social media.
The questionnaire is based on an indepth assessment of
Data-Gathering Procedure research measuring social media use in various
educational environments. The process was used to
In the gathering of the necessary data and information, design and directly validate a measure assessing social
the researcher decided to use a population / universal media use among BS Psychology students. The scale
sampling technique and that each respondent’s was has a significant theoretical basis in addition to
able to answer the two (2) parts of the survey appropriate statistical support. Similar references in
questionnaire that includes: The first part which is empirical research can be found for the factors
demographic profile where personal related question obtained by exploratory factor analysis and validated
was asked about their student number, age, gender, through confirmatory factor analysis.
economic status, and time of usage of social media.
And the second part of the questionnaire is specifically The Morris Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) was
designed to determine the respondents' levels of self- utilized in research as the tool, which is based on a
esteem. It took the researchers three weeks to complete survey of self-esteem surveys. Structured survey
giving all participants the survey. And the researchers questionnaires were used to collect data for the study
apply for the professor's permission to conduct the on self-esteem and social media exposure. To
survey after or before they start the class. Also, we guarantee the instrument's validity, the researchers sent
informed the participants about our study and asked the survey questionnaire to their research adviser for
their consent to take them as a participant. They review and additional approval. All questionnaires
responded actively. During the data gathering, out of were also standardized and utilized in a number of past
eighty-one (81), three (3) of the participants were research projects before being employed in this study.
unable to respond. The scoring of this instrument is that ranging from
1.00 to 1.49 strongly disagree, 1.50to 2.49 is disagree,
Research Instrument 2.50 to 3.49 is neutral, 3.50 to 4.49 is agreed and 4.50
to 5.00 is stronglyagreed.
The research instrument is a survey method with the
respondents. The items on the questionnaires were The participants that were given the test were asked to
taken and adapted by a standardized questionnaire prepare a pen or a pencil. They were given enough
used in previous studies before using it in this current time to familiarize themselves with the test format.
study in line with the information that was required The tests were submitted to the researcher when they
to be filled in and provided to the participants once the had finished answering the questions.
researchers decided to conduct survey questionnaires.
There are two (2) sections in the questionnaire for the Description of the Respondents
survey.
The respondents of the study were the BS Psychology
1. Demographic Profile - consist of gender, age, year students studying in the Lyceum of Subic Bay with a
level, daily salary and the time of use of social media total population of 81 students in the BS Psychology

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department. The overall number of respondents, as

shown in Table 1, was 81. Of them, 78 responses were there is some variability across sub-fields. In cognitive
successfully retrieved, while 3 respondents were psychology programs, women represent 54 % of
unable to do so. Researchers were able to obtain 78 enrolled students and men 46 percent. Meanwhile, in
completed questionnaires out of 81 respondents, school and developmental psychology programs,
indicating a retrieval rate of (0.96%) and 96.3% of women account for 85 percent of enrolled students,
data were recovered.
respectively (Fowler et al., 2018).
Table 1. List of Respondents per Year Level
Table 2. Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the
Profile of the Respondents

Results & Discussion

The survey questionnaire was administered to the

entirety of Psychology students in Lyceum of Subic
Bay, which is a total of 81 students, and only 78
participated in this study. For a clear and better
understanding, this chapter was divided into two parts.

Part I presents the frequency and percentage of profiles

of the respondents in terms of their gender, age, year
level, and daily salary.
Part II presents the mean rating of social media
exposure.
Part III presents the mean rating of the levels of self of
the respondents.
Part IV presents the correlation of the time of use and
the self-esteem in terms of self- confidence, identity,
competence, self-control, and belongingness.
This may be due to several reasons, such as gender
Part I. Presentation of Profile of the Respondents
stereotypes, it suggests that women are better suited to
careers that involve helping others or working with
Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the
people, and psychology is seen as one of these fields.
Gender of the Respondents
A study shows participants in online surveys were
asked what percentage of students studying
Table 2 shows that among the 78 respondents, 16
psychology at university level were women, and what
(21%) were males, 61 (78%) were females, and others
percentage of psychologists were women. The results
(LGBTQIA+) 1 (1%). According to the data we
showed that people see psychology as a more women-
gathered, most of the respondents are female. This
heavy profession and discipline, with participants
implies that the population of the students enrolled in
estimating that 62% of psychology students and 59%
BS Psychology in Lyceum of Subic Bay is mostly
are women (Boysen et al., 2020).
female.
Reynolds (2021) states that psychology was
Some researchers state that female graduate students in
considered by both groups to be slightly more
psychology outnumbered males by approximately
feminine than masculine and was rated as significantly
three to one and have done so for more than a decade.
more feminine than typically masculine subjects like
Averaging across all doctoral programs, women
engineering, business, and math.
account for more than 74 %of enrolled students, but

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Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Age Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the
of the Respondents College Year Level of the Respondents
Table 2. shows that among 78 respondents, 75 (96%)
were ages from 18 to 24 years old, 0 (0%) were ages
Table 2. shows that among 78 respondents, the first-
from 25 to 35 years old, and lastly 3 (4%) were ages year students here were 37 (47%), the second-year
from 36 to 45 years old. According to the presented students were 21 (27%), the third-year students were 9
data, students of BS Psychology are mostly from ages (12%), and the fourth-
18 to 24 years old. This implies that the population of
the students enrolled in BS Psychology in Lyceum of year students were 11 (14%). According to the
Subic Bay is mostly ages from 18 up to 25 years old. presented data, the population of students in BS
Psychology is mostly in their first year. This implies
Consequently, the results of these types of studies
reflect biased data. Moreover, studies assessing self- that the population of the students enrolled in BS
esteem in the context of mental health and social Psychology in Lyceum of Subic Bay is mostly in first
media at one point in time are of a cross-sectional year.
nature, thus only providing insights on between-person
levels. However, some researchers state that the true Some researchers speculate that first-year college
association between social media and self- esteem is students with high neuroticism are more likely to be
“p erso n- specific and based on individual addicted to social media in the face of adaptive
susceptibilities'' by referring to recent studies assessing
pressure, which can further aggravate their risk of
person-specific within-person connection. Overall, it
becomes apparent that previous research, on the one depression. In other words, the addictive use of social
hand, neglected the fact that fluctuations of self-esteem media plays a mediating role between neuroticism and
can falsify data when utilizing measurement tools that depressive symptoms (Mu et al., 2020).
were not designed to capture fluctuations (Cingel et
al., 2022). Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Daily
Salary of the Respondents
On the other hand, previous research also failed to
capture within-person associations of self-esteem in
the context of social media by ignoring person-specific Table 2 shows that among 78 respondents, 7 (9%)
factors. According to some researchers, the term were low income, 10 (13%) were lower-middle
“social media'' was first used in 1994, and soon after, income, 28 (37%) were upper-middle income, and 31
the first social media platforms were developed and (41%) were high income. According to the presented
launched. Ever since, these platforms have been used data, the daily salary of the students in BS Psychology
to interact and connect with others, however, social
of Lyceum of Subic Bay is mostly high income. This
media shifted from solely interacting with other users
to sharing content with them (Aichner et al., 2021)
implies that the students enrolled in BS Psychology of
Lyceum of Subic Bay are mostly high income.
Celebrities and companies embrace the advantages of
social media platforms to reach and influence as many Though it is indirect, there was evidence in the study
people as possible. This influence especially reaches by Cuisia-Villanueva & Núñez (2020), they were able
adolescents and young adults since they are the main to mention that e-learning is part of social media
target group using social media platforms in daily life
platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom, and
(Berryman et al., 2022).
Google Hangouts. This also presents that depending on
Another research here shows that the meta-analysis on the income it serves as the financial support.
social media and its impact on young people's mental
health call for a person-specific approach in order to Part II. Presentation of the Mean Rating
understand “when, why, and for whom social media Distribution of Social Media Exposure
use can lead to positive or negative effect on mental
health”. In this context, constructs like self-esteem
might be influenced by social media use (Valkenburg
et al., 2022).

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socialization, entertainment, and informativeness, and

Table 3. Mean Rating Distribution of the Social Media
in today’s generation it is mostly used for academics,
Time of Usage of the Respondents this implies that the usage of social media is high
among students (Bashir & Gupta, 2018).

In accordance with the study by Mese and Aydin

(2019), they noticed that participants utilize social
media to communicate most frequently and at least to
start conversations.

Part III. Mean Rating of Level of Self-Esteem

Table 4. Levels of Self-Esteem Overall Scoring

The table above illustrates the mean rating of the

overall five key areas of self-esteem. Self-confidence
has an average score of 3.5, which is Agree. Self-
identity has an average score of 3.72, which is Agree.
Competence has an average score of 3.98, which is
Agree. And Belongingness has an average score of
3.7, which is Agree. Lastly, Self-control has an
average score of 3.37, which is the only Neutral score.
The Weighted Arithmetic Mean has an average score
of 3.65 and is considered a high score rating which is
Agree, and this demonstrates that the respondents
agree that overall, they have a good sense of self-
esteem.

According to Thoma et al. (2019), the usage of social

media has risen rapidly over the past few years. Social
media statistics have indicated that there has been a
dramatic decline in Facebook usage among 18 to 25-
years-old, while older people have started to use
Facebook more actively. On the other hand, the use of
some other social network platforms, such as
Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter have increased
dramatically among young adults.

The study conducted among Wolaita Sodo University

students revealed that the primary purpose of social
Table 3 indicates the mean rating of the respondent’s
media usage was to maintain social relationships with
time spent on social media. The average score in Table
others, including friends and family. The extent of
3 is 3.63, considered a high score rating; the
social media usage among students was found to be
interpretation of Agree demonstrates that the
high, while the majority of the participants reported
respondents agree that they have used social media having low self-esteem. The study also found a
significantly. significant sex difference in social media usage, with
male students using social media more frequently than
As social media can be of use for academic,

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female students. Moreover, there was a notable importance to the finding that indicates that the social
difference in self-esteem between male and female media and self- esteem revealed that the student
students. However, the analysis of age group and year supported that social media had boosted their self-
level differences in social media usage did not reveal esteem. They also showed that students who spend
any significant differences (Tassew, 2020). more time on social media, where they are exposed to
more positive images of people and more social media
Another study found that individuals with high content, have high self- esteem.
positive collective self-esteem were more likely to use
social media to communicate with their peer group. On Table 4.2. Mean Rating of Self-Identity
the other hand, those with negative collective self-
esteem were more likely to seek social compensation
and social identity gratification through their social
media use. The results also indicated a significant
association between stressful life events and the
consumption of the internet for mood management and
social compensation motives (Johnson & Mukkadan,
2018).

Table 4.1. Mean Rating of Self-Confidence

Table 4.2 above indicates the mean rating of level of

the respondent’s self-identity. The average score in
Table 4.2 is 3.72 and is considered a high score rating,
and the interpretation of Agree demonstrates that the
respondents agree that they have a good sense of self-
identity.

According to Al-Obaidi (2019), people who use social

media often employ pseudonyms and avatars and some
have many accounts. The breakdown of identity is not
The table 4.1 shows the mean rating of the level of the limited to national or resident identity but also to
respondent’s self-confidence. The average score in personal identity.
Table 4.1 is 3.5, and is considered a high score rating,
Social media platforms were usually viewed as a space
and the interpretation of Agree demonstrates that the
for strategic self-presentation when permanence was a
respondents agree that they have good self-
default affordance. People commonly participate in the
confidence.
management of impressions by selectively portraying
People with higher or stronger self-esteem are better their idealized selves on these platforms.
able to see social settings as less dangerous to Ephemerality, a new affordance, appears to offer a
themselves. They like social situations and are platform for self-constructive and nonstrategic self-
confident in themselves. (Ahmed et al., 2021). presentation, where people can express their actual
selves without worrying as much about the audience
Furthermore, self-confidence was referred to as self- (Choi et al., 2020).
esteem in the study of Ahmad, et al. (2018), they give

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Table 4.3. Mean Rating of Competence The table above indicates the mean rating of level of
the respondent’s self-control. The interpretation of
Neutral in Table 4.4, where the average score is 3.37,
shows that the respondents have no view or are unsure
of their ability to exercise self-control.

The chronological arrangement of a few studies shows

the steady changing the focus of study from theoretical
to a strategic behavior theory that supports the
inconsistency between conscious intentions and
reckless social media use in real life. This is because
numerous studies interpret self-control in similar ways.
Mistakes as an imbalance between urgent desires and
The table above indicates the mean rating of level of
worthwhile objectives or as a fight between multiple
the respondent’s competence. The average score in
personalities within one personality. Recently,
Table 4.3 is 3.98 and is considered a high score rating,
academics have focused on the influence of personal
and the interpretation of Agree demonstrates that the
traits and the usage of dual-system theories in the
respondents agree that they have good competence.
analysis of problematic social media use. This
tendency raises a crucial query regarding the validity
It is important to investigate the impact of the
of examining impulsive and habitual behavioral
information society from every perspective,
responses only with self-reported measuring
particularly with regard to communication on virtual
instruments. (Zahrai et al., 2021).
social networks. On the other hand, there are facts that
demonstrate how the online environment helps young
Table 4.5. Mean Rating of Belongingness
people develop their social skills, communication
skills, and engagement with the outside world. The
ability to converse is made possible by the online
environment. Freely communicate over distance,
exchange digital data, complete job and study tasks,
etc. On the other hand, one can see how excessive use
of virtual social networks has a negative impact on
humans. All of them lead to pain and suffering,
unpleasant feelings, a waste of time, etc. (Sharov et al.,
2021).

Table 4.4. Mean Rating of Self-Control

The table above indicates the mean rating of level of

the respondent’s belongingness.

College Of Psychology

The average score in Table 4.5 is 3.7 and is considered

a high score rating, and the interpretation of Agree
demonstrates that the respondents agree that they have
a good sense of belongingness.

According to Traz et al., (2019) study, they stated that

because people spend plenty of time via the internet, it
seems sense that they would invest a lot of time and
effort into connecting with others, building support

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patterns of correlation between social media use and

networks, and experiencing a sense of community. self-esteem. According to current studies measuring
person-specific within-person connection, social media
Part III. Correlation Between Time of Usage of use has no influence on self-esteem for the majority of
Social Media And Self-Esteem users, whereas tiny minorities either experience
positive or negative connection.
Table 5. Correlation between Time of Usage of Social
Media and Self-Esteem According to Cingel et al. (2022), this implies that the
real association between social media usage and self-
esteem is person-specific and depends on individual
susceptibilities and uses.

This absence of association has a number of possible

causes. Social media exposure may not always have a
connection to people's self-esteem, which is likely
influenced by a range of other factors as well.
Additionally, people could be more inclined to display
a polished image of themselves on social media, which
might, in certain situations, cause them to feel
inadequate or insecure. Overall, nevertheless, the data
point to a lack of a consistent connection between
social media use and confidence.

Correlation between Time of Usage of Social Media

Correlation between Time of Usage of Social Media and Identity
and Self-Confidence
Based on the result of the Pearson Correlation, Identity
This indicates the result of Pearson correlation, self- which is .054 is lower than usage, which is 1, which
confidence which is -.035 is lower than usage, which indicates that there is no relationship between usage
is 1, therefore it indicates that there is no relationship and self- identity.
between usage and self-confidence.
The findings from studies investigating the connection
Recent studies have examined the relationship between between social media exposure and self-identity have
social media usage and various psychological been inconsistent. Some studies have found a positive
outcomes, including self-confidence. However, the correlation between social media use and self-identity,
findings of these studies suggest that there is no while others have found no significant relationship.
significant correlation between the amount of time
individuals spend on social media and their level of A study found that only 40% of the respondents
self-confidence. For instance, a metaanalysis of reported a high level of change in their cultural
multiple studies on social media use and mental health identity in relation to their social media use.
found that while social media use was linked to some Additionally, the study revealed a significant
negative outcomes, such as increased anxiety and relationship between some independent variables
depression, there was no significant relationship among the respondents and the degree of change in
between social media use and self-esteem or self- their cultural identity (Rodwan, 2022). While the study
confidence. found that 40% of the respondents reported a high
level of change in their cultural identity due to their
The use of social media and lower self-esteem have social media use, it is important to note that this may
been linked in some studies, but some researchers not be large enough to draw strong conclusions about
argue in their paper that the relationship is weak the overall impact of social media on cultural identity.
overall and may depend on a number of factors, such
as how social media is used, individual personality It is always important to note that a person’s self-
differences, and social support (Kross et al., 2021). identity is a complex and multifaceted construct
shaped by a variety of factors beyond social media
According to some experts, there are many different
exposure. There, while social media may play a role in
self-identity, it is likely not the sole or even primary

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factor. Further research is needed to fully understand between usage and self-control.
the complex relationship between social media
exposure and self-identity. There have been several studies conducted on the
relationship between social media exposure and self-
Correlation between Time of Usage of Social Media control. While some studies have suggested a negative
and Competence relationship between social media exposure and self-
control, other studies have found no significant
Based on the result of the Pearson correlation, relationship between the two factors. Some researchers
competence which is .071 is lower than usage which is mention that the negative link between a restraint
1; therefore, it indicates that there is no relationship indicator and internet addiction was greater among
between usage and competence. students in East Asia than those in Western Europe or
North America. Hence, these results indicate a
Some studies have found a positive correlation negative link between self-control and internet
between competence and social media use, suggesting addiction, and this link is moderated by age, culture,
that individuals who are more socially competent tend gender, and internet addiction measure (Li et al.,
to use social media more frequently and effectively. 2021).
Other studies have found no significant relationship or
even a negative correlation between competence and Another study states that excessive users are driven
social media use. While other studies have suggested more by their implicit attitudes than their explicit
that the relationship between competence and social beliefs about consuming social media. Although a high
media use may be influenced by factors such as age, level of self-control indicates healthy social media use,
personality, and the type of social media platform the findings suggest that self-control has no significant
used. influence on excessive users with a positive implicit
attitude and high-impulsive social media use (Zahrai et
Sheldon and Ware (2022) said that many have pointed al., 2022).
out that social media might be hurting our face-to-face
communication. The study consisted of 198 adults, The relationship between social media exposure and
ages 18 to 73, completed a survey rating their social self-control is likely to be influenced by many factors,
media use and self-perceived communication including individual differences, social and cultural
competence, where they measured communication norms, and the specific ways in which social media is
competence using the McCroskey scale, which used. Therefore, it can be challenging to definitively
measures communication competence in a variety of conclude that there is no relationship between social
settings. The results showed that Instagram and media exposure and self-control, as there may be
Facebook were used for social compensation purposes, factors that have not been adequately considered in the
especially among participants who perceived research.
themselves to have low communication competence
skills. Generation-wise, older individuals were more Additionally, different studies may use different
competent when communicating in a variety of methods for measuring social media exposure and self-
settings. control, which can also impact the results. For
example, some studies may measure self-control using
It is important to note that the direction of causality behavioral taste, while others may rely on self-report
between competence and social media use is not clear. measures. Similarly, some studies may measure social
Some research suggests that social media use may media exposure based on the amount of time spent on
enhance competence by providing opportunities for social media, while others may consider the specific
social interaction and skill development. However, activities or content consumed on social media. Future
other research suggests that excessive social media use research most likely can continue to explore this
may actually impair competence by reducing face-to- relationship and may help to clarify the factors that
face social interactions and undermining social skills. influence it.

Correlation Between Time of Usage of Social Media Correlation between Time of Usage of Social Media
and Self-Control and Belongingness

Based on the result of the Pearson correlation, Based on the result of the Pearson correlation,
competence which is -.071 is lower than usage which belongingness which is .104* is higher than usage
is 1; therefore, it indicates that there is no relationship which is 1, which indicates that there is a weak

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relationship between usage and belongingness. There suggested that social media use may be related to
have been several studies that suggest that there is a lower self-esteem, this study suggests that overall
positive correlation between social media exposure social media use does not have a significant
and belongingness, meaning that individuals who use relationship with self-esteem. Instead, it appears that
social media more frequently tend to report higher social media use may be more closely related to
levels of social connectedness and a greater sense of feelings of belonging. This means, individuals may be
being part of a group or community. This correlation able to use social media in a way that enhances their
has been observed in various studies, including those sense of belonging and improves their overall self-
conducted with college students, adults, and esteem. Social media companies may want to consider
adolescents. Another research states that social media the role of belonging in their design and marketing
is a primary means of communication for adolescents strategies. (4) Mental health professionals may be
and young adults in developed countries around the better equipped to help clients navigate the complex
world and that social media communication is a relationship between social media use and the self. (5)
legitimate means of developing social connections and Lastly, this study highlights the need for further
can foster a sense of belonging among youth (Smith et research on the relationship between social media use
al., 2021). and the self, emphasizing the need for more
understanding of the complex interaction between
Based on the results of the study by Wang et al, (2021) these factors. By considering these implications, we
belongingness plays a mediating function in the may be able to better understand the relationship
attachment connection between users and social between social media use and our sense of self and
media, and the larger the perceived value, the more improve our overall well-being.
strongly the users are attached to one another.
(1) Encourage college students to set limits on the
Roberts (2019) states that the fear of missing out on amount of time spent on social media or take regular
social media can indirectly be a good thing if it leads breaks to engage in other activities and experiences.
to the use of social media that fosters social (2) College students should attempt to improve their
connection. However, it’s important to note that the self-confidence, identity, competence, and control
relationship between social media use and within, where they do not have to rely on their looks,
belongingness can be complex and may depend on what they post on social media, trying to become
various factors, such as the quality of interactions on something they aren’t, and turning social media into
social media and the individual’s motivations for using temptation. (3) Researchers may want to explore
social media. Additionally, excessive use of social further the relationship between social media use and
media can have negative effects on mental health and belongingness. This may also involve examining the
social relationships, so it’s important to use social role of a specific social media platform.It may be
media in moderation and to still prioritize social beneficial for college students to approach social
interactions. media use in a way that prioritizes building
connections with others and fostering a sense of
belonging.(4)Future researchers may want to explore
Conclusion how this relationship changes over time, and whether
there are cumulative effects of social media use on the
The purpose of this study is to investigate the self and wellbeing. The findings of this study might
relationship between five key areas of self- esteem motivate other researchers to also conduct their own
(self-confidence, identity, competence, self-control, study about the connection of social media and self-
and belongingness) and social media use: (1) Overall, esteem among people. The researchers here may
the study sheds light on the complex relationship modify the study and use the information produced
between social media use and the self. (2) The findings from it as their reference.
of this study suggest that self-confidence, identity,
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Jeff Kristoffer M. Barcelon
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https://https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dawn-Anderson Butche Lyceum of Subic Bay, Inc. - Philippines
r/publication/240699610_Initial_Reliability_and_Validity_of_the_P Alexis Daniel D. Damaso
erceived_Social_Competence_Scale/links/5626bd2808aeedae57dc7
b62/Initial-Reliability-and-Validity-of-the-
Lyceum of Subic Bay, Inc. - Philippines

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