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#E-Politics: The Evolution of Political Participation through Social Networking Sites used

by Political Science, Non-Political Science Students and Public Officials of Baguio City

I. Background of the Study

Social networks have existed since humans began walking this Earth. However, recentlythey have become more global by moving to the internet and into the mobile world. Since therise of the Internet in the early 1990s, the worlds networked population has grown from the lowmillions to the low billions. Over the same period, social media have become a fact of life forcivil society worldwide, involving many actors regular citizens, activists, nongovernmentalorganizations, telecommunications firms, software providers, governments. (The political Powerof Social Media Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change, n.p.)

People always want to communicate with other people. People used to just visit thepeople they wanted to see. The longer the distance, the harder it is to communicate. Throughouthistory, people came up with various ways of communicating: through post, pigeons, telegraph,

light signals and telephone. Humans never stopped looking for a faster method to communicationuntil the 21st century brought us the internet.

Social networking was born one day in 1971, when the first email was sent. In 1994, thefirst social networking site was created, Geocities. Geocities allowed users to create andcustomize their own web sites, grouping them into different cities based on the sites content.A few years later, AOL Instant Messenger and SixDegrees.com was launched in 1997. Instantmessaging was born, giving users the freedom to chat with friends, and create a profile. AOLwas probably the true precursor to todays social networking sites. The member profiles allowedits users to write a biography and share details about themselves. The profiles were searchable sopeople could look your profile up. It was the most innovative feature at that time.

Social Networking sites are online sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, onwhich like-minded people gather virtually to share their cultural and educational interests, theirresumes, their political views, and their opinions of products and services, along withinformation about their lives. Todays technology provides a lot of ways how we cancommunicate and share our ideas to other persons. Technology has undoubtedly made our liveseasier. The internet provides us a constant flow of information, laptops allow us to take thatinformation on the go, and smartphones enable us to share it with all the people we know, andeven some we dont. Social networking has grown exponentially over recent years and may notsee its ceiling anytime in the near future. As the communications landscape gets denser, morecomplex, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to

information, more opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertakecollective action. (Susskind, J. 2013)

As technology advances, and on the basis that its accessibility grows in line with currenttrends, online and other technology-enabled forms of politics could increasingly dominate theconduct of politics. It is a natural extension of consumer Web 2.0 into the political arena. Media,research agencies, NGOs, pressure/lobby groups and the political establishment itself all have arole to play here. With almost no restriction on the potential for the public to involve themselves


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in political processes (i.e, the public could vote in immediate parallel with every parliamentaryvote), politics has no choice but to engage in this way. It may revive the democratic process, butalso prompt debate about the nature of democracy itself, increasing pressure for constitutionalreform and the creation of new outlets for participation in public life. E-politics is a form ofdirect democracy that uses information and communication technologies and strategies for

political and governance processes, and also cause-related fundraising, community building,lobbying and organizing. It can be used for governance of local communities, nations and evenfunction internationally (E-Politics, n.p.) Social networking sites played a critical role in thepolitical sphere, with politicians increasingly signing on to Twitter and Facebook to connect withtheir constituents. And interestingly, when it comes to talking politics on social networks, itdoesnt seem to matter nearly as much whether you are young or old, rich or poor. Thedifference in engagement between those groups, usually very pronounced, was far less so amongusers of social media. For instance, those on social networks who earned under $10,000 had thesame level of political involvement as those earning over $150,00 (http://www.nbcnews.com).

The popularity and use of social networking sites continue to increase and so its powers.

Social networking sites on regular basis are used to communicate, share, create, and collaboratewith others but now became a venue for business and mass protest. The reason behind the powerof social networking sites is due to the amount of people that are using it. Social networking sitesare effective mass communication tool than other forms of social media because it representsgreater sense of freedom. Users of social networking sites are allowed with the freedom toexplore familiar and even new concepts in an inviting environment. Social networking sitesplaced politics into a sphere that connected the users on a level they understood and had anaffinity with. The immediacy of these social networks also allowed students to feel that theywere part of the system.

The power of social networking sites are not a secret fact. It changes how the way thingsshould be. As the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory,the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engagein public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action. Political participationacquires new form from different mediums. Social networking sites serves as an arena for newgrounds of expression. It widens the scope and capability of an individual to join and beinformed about anything under the sun. It brings political participation into a level in whichindividuals can exhibit the characteristic of expressing public opinions and engaging in politicalactivities such as political discussions, protest, and participating in decision making in any realmof human social activity by simply creating or joining a social networking site in which he/shecommunicates and share with others.

In this study, the researchers aims to know how these different social networking sitessuch as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube, Google+, and Instagram affect the politicalparticipation of Political Science students, whom are students who exhibits the characteristic ofengaging to the discipline concerned with the study of the state, nation, government, and politicsand policies of government and deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and theanalysis of political systems and political behavior, culture; Non-Political Science Student,whom does not major in Political Science; and Public Officials whom exhibits the characteristicsof an individual holding an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actualworking space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise ofauthority (either his own or that of his superior and/or employer, public or legally private).


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Statement of the Problem

This study deals with factors that affect political participation of Political ScienceStudents, Non-Political Science Students, and Public Officials. The researchers aim to find out ifsocial networking sites have an affect the political participation of the respondents.

It seeks to answer the following specific questions:

1) What social networking sites are commonly used? e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,Google+ or Youtube

2) What is the perception of the users at first when they use or hear the names of the socialnetworking sites?

3) How do Political Science Students, Non-Political Students, and Public Officials react tothe posts/blogs they read in Social Networking Sites?

4)

Is there a significant relationship between the effects of the Social Networking Sites topolitical participation of Political Science Students, Non-Political Science Students andPublic Officials? e.g Do they react to a political issue or is their knowledge beingsupplemented?

5) What is the extent of the effect of Social Networking Sites to the level of politicalparticipation of Political Science Students, Non-Political Science Students and PublicOfficials?


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II. Theoretical Framework

In setting the parameters and boundaries of the study, the researchers will use RationalChoice Theory, Behavioralist Theory, Social Network Theory, Historical Institutionalism, andMedia Systems Dependency Theory to resist getting off track in digging into information that

has nothing to do with the topic and to stay tightly within the topic of finding how socialnetworking sites will affect the political participation of Political Science Student, Non-PoliticalScience Student, and Public Officials.

Rational Choice TheoryPolitical participation is an important part of our society in many ways because it directly affectsour lives and the ways in which we are able to live them. Political participation allows people tosupport and elect leaders that they feel will do the best job in running a country. Nonetheless,political participation is not only limited to voting, it may also include attending an assembly,etc. Conversely, people have different motivations in his engagement to such political activities.To further understand the peoples preferences, we need to use Rational Choice Theory. In

rational choice theories, individuals are seen as motivated by the wants or goals that express their'preferences'. They act within specific, given constraints and on the basis of the information thatthey have about the conditions under which they are acting. At its simplest, the relationshipbetween preferences and constraints can be seen in the purely technical terms of the relationshipof a means to an end. As it is not possible for individuals to achieve all of the various things thatthey want, they must also make choices in relation to both their goals and the means for attainingthese goals. Rational choice theories hold that individuals must anticipate the outcomes ofalternative courses of action and calculate that which will be best for them. Rational individualschoose the alternative that is likely to give them the greatest satisfaction (Heath 1976: 3; Carling1992: 27; Coleman 1973).The defining feature of rational choice theory is that people always tryto maximize their interests when it comes to things like whom to vote for or whether to volunteerpolitically. The approach has many variants. Decision theory, for example, centers on cost-benefit calculations that individuals make without reference to anyone else's plans, whereasgame theory analyzes how people make choices based on what they expect other individuals todo. (Political Scientists Debate Theory of `Rational Choice', n.p.)Social Network Theory

Social network theory views social relationships in terms of nodes and ties. Nodes are theindividual actors within the networks, and ties are the relationships between the actors. There canbe many kinds of ties between the nodes. In its most simple form, a social network is a map of allof the relevant ties between the nodes being studied. The network can also be used to determinethe social capital of individual actors. These concepts are often displayed in a social networkdiagram, where nodes are the points and ties are the lines.

The power of social network theory stems from its difference from traditionalsociological studies, which assume that it is the attributes of individual actors -- whether they arefriendly or unfriendly, smart or dumb, etc. -- that matter. Social network theory produces analternate view, where the attributes of individuals are less important than their relationships andties with other actors within the network. This approach has turned out to be useful forexplaining many real-world phenomena, but leaves less room for individual agency, the abilityfor individuals to influence their success, so much of it rests within the structure of their network.


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8) Media systems dependency theory

- Dependency theory was originally proposed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and MelvinDeFleur (1976). This theory merged out of the communication discipline.

Dependency theory integrates several perspectives: first, it combines perspectives from

psychology with ingredients from social categories theory. Second, it integrates systemsperspectives with elements from more causal approaches. Third, it combines elements of usesand gratifications research with those of media effects traditions, although its primary focus isless on effects per se than on rationales for why media effects typically are limited. Finally, acontextualist philosophy is incorporated into the theory, which also features traditional concernswith the content of media messages and their effects on audiences. Research generated by thismodel had tends to be more descriptive than explanatory or predictive.

Dependency theory proposes an integral relationship among audiences, media and thelarger social system. This theory predicts that you depend on media information to meet certainneeds and achieve certain goals, like uses-and-gratifications theory. But you do not depend on allmedia equally. Two factors influence the degree of media dependence. First, you will become

more dependent on media that meet a number of your needs than on media that provide just afew. The second source of dependency is social stability. When social change and conflict arehigh, established institutions, beliefs, and practices are challenged, forcing you to reevaluate andmake new choices. At such times your reliance on the media for information will increase. Atother, more stable times your dependency on media may go way down.


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III. Methodology

This part of the study involves the scheme or the plan of action of the researcher in orderto meet objectives of the study. It also includes other factors like researchers capability and

resources. This chapter covers the research design, population and locale of the study, and

gathering tool.

The researchers are going to use a quantitative type and descriptive type of research forthe study. Quantitative research is all about quantifying relationships between variables. It wasapplied in determining the total number of respondents. Descriptive research describes andinterprets what is. The process of descriptive research goes beyond mere gathering and tabulationof data. It involves an element of interpretation of meaning or significance of what is described.Thus, description is often combined with comparison and contrast involving measurements,classifications, interpretation, and evaluation.

The researcher adopted the descriptive survey method to provide the needed data. The

advantage of this technique, using relatively small samples rather than complete enumeration ofthe population, includes saving in time and expenses, and the possible use of the available fundsfor a more complete and analytical study as compared with the complex list of respondentsrequired for canvass of the total population. The possible disadvantage of this technique is that ifthe sampling plan was not correctly designed and followed, the results may be misleading orincorrect.

For the sampling, the researchers will use a non-probability type of sampling calledpurposive sampling. Purposive sampling is a sampling method that is used when the researcherswant to access a particular subset of people. The subsets of people they wanted to access arethose people who had a background in social networking sites. The researchers just askedwhether or not they have an account in various social networking sites and then asked them, ifthey did have accounts; if they could answer then survey them for our research. The researchersused purposive sampling because of three reasons: First, the insufficient time in gathering all therespondents and having a purposive sampling hastened our gathering of our data; second, havinglimited resources to be able to finance the study and used a sampling method that would onlyentail a little amount of the resources; lastly, because it is difficult to cover the whole BaguioCitys land area.

Locale and population of the study

The chosen place to conduct the study is Baguio City, Philippines. It is a highly-urbanized small city within the heart of tall mountains where the weather is temperate and is alsosurrounded by Pine trees that brings fresh air for the people living here. It was considered as thesummer capital of the Philippines with its number of tourist spots that make it famous forvisitors. The researchers chose this city because it possesses a diverse group of culture andpeople. It is good to conduct the study because it is also accessible having that the researchersstudy in this city. It is good to conduct the study here because the researchers could find largeconcentrations of different people that are needed for the study. The researchers could have easyaccess to different kinds of persons only from the Baguio City.


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The population will be 150 respondents to be distributed into the three groups, which

means we have 50 respondents for Political Science students, 50 for non-political sciencestudents, and 50 for Public officials. The respondents are to be found on Baguio City only.

Gathering Tool

A questionnaire will be use in this study is a series of questions asked to individuals toobtain statistically useful information about a given topic. When properly constructed andresponsibly administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument by which statements can bemade about specific groups or people or entire populations. The researchers will utilize close-ended format questionnaire, open-ended questionnaire and a Likert type of questionnaire. Theclose-ended questionnaire is a questionnaire in which the questions are in the format that limitsrespondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choose to answer the question.Commonly these types of questions are in the form of multiple choices, either with one answeror with check-all-that-apply. The researchers will also use a Likert type questionnaire. Likert

scale questions present a continuum between two possible choices of evenly spaced options.And, open-ended questionnaire will be use as the tool in which the respondents can input theiranswers that can provide vital information about the study.

The researchers will prepare two kinds of questionnaire, the first kind of questionnairewill be for the Political and Non-Political Science Students and the second kind of questionnairewill be for the public officials. Two kinds of questionnaire will be utilize

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