Influence of Social Media on the Cultural Awareness of the Selected Junior High School Students in Gumaca, Quezon

This study aimed to determine the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon. It determined the profile of the respondents in terms of age, sex, grade level, and social media used. It also revealed the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, in terms of exposure to diverse cultures, preservation of local cultures, connectivity to foreign cultures, and cultural misinformation. The researcher used a mixed method of research. This study used simple random sampling as a sampling design. Under this procedure, the researcher considered using eighty (80) selected students in Eastern Quezon College Inc. to get the 100% of the respondents. This study determined that the majority of the respondents are age 14-15 years old, which accounts for 51% of the total respondents. Most of the respondents are female, with a total of 55% of the respondents. Grades 7, 8, 9, and 10 all have an equal number of respondents, which is 25% of the total respondents. In terms of social media used, it shows that almost all the respondents use Facebook, which accounts for 94% of the total respondents. This study found that the average mean of 4.17, interpreted as Agree, indicated that most of the respondents agreed on the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, in terms of exposure to diverse cultures. Likewise, the average mean of 4.04 interpreted as Agree, indicated that most of the respondents agreed on the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, in terms of preservation of local cultures. The average mean of 4.07, interpreted as Agree, indicated that most of the respondents agreed on the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, in terms of connectivity to foreign cultures. The average mean of 4.00, interpreted as Agree, indicated that most of the respondents agreed on the influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, in terms of cultural misinformation. The qualitative results revealed that the most frequently expressed experiences of the respondents on the use of social media in relation to cultural awareness were cultural learning and exchange, and Filipino cultural awareness. Based on the results of Kruskal Wallis H-test, the null hypothesis of age and grade level is accepted, which means that there is no significant difference in the perceived influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, when respondents are grouped according to age and grade level. On the other hand, the null hypothesis of sex is rejected, which means that there is a significant difference in the perceived influence of social media on the cultural awareness of the selected junior high school students in Gumaca, Quezon, when respondents are grouped according to sex. Based on the findings and conclusions in this study, the following are recommended: The local government and residents of Gumaca may plan and conduct different activities that will sustain and help in the preservation of local culture with the use of social media. The future researcher may conduct a study for further research using a bigger population and other variables not included in the study.