Peer Competition and Social Media Interactions Among Filipino College Students: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study

This study explores the lived experiences of Filipino college students in navigating peer competition within social media-based academic communities. Anchored in Social Comparison Theory and Sikolohiyang Pilipino, the study examines how cultural values such as kapwa, hiya, and utang na loob shape students’ responses to online comparison, competition, and self-presentation, while also drawing on the Online Disinhibition Effect and Impression Management to explain how digital environments intensify competitive and shaming behaviors. Using a qualitative approach, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five purposively selected Filipino college students from the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA–Molino, and the analysis followed an idiographic and interpretative process to capture participants’ meaning-making and culturally embedded experiences. Findings revealed five major themes: (a) emotional duality, where students experience simultaneous support and envy, (b) strategic impression management and privacy as protection against hiya, (c) erosion of pakikipagkapwa due to digital toxicity and competitive behaviors, (d) development of digital resilience through coping strategies such as withdrawal and boundary-setting, and (e) reclaiming self-worth beyond social media metrics. These themes highlight how online peer competition produces both motivation and psychological strain, including pressure, anxiety, and decreased self-esteem. The study concludes that social media functions as both a platform for achievement and a source of emotional conflict, requiring students to manage identity, relationships, and well-being continuously, and it emphasizes the importance of culturally grounded interventions that promote responsible digital behavior, emotional resilience, and supportive peer environments among Filipino college students.