FICS Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collection
Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.
Browse
Recent Submissions
1 - 5 of 227
-
ItemCommunicating Identity through eBook Reading Habit: A Study Among Digital Natives( 2023-07-28)Reading is currently in the most significant decline among young adult readers in human history. The general problem is that reading is viewed through a narrow lens that does not consider how young adult readers interact with eBooks and digital text. The problem is that for reading advocates to bolster readership among young adult readers, research must consider the relationship between eBook reading and reader identity in this age group. The study aims to explore how digital natives reading identity and investigate the phenomenon of their eBook reading behavior. By examining the eBook reading habits and behaviors of the digital natives, the study provided insights on developing more effective communication strategies for promoting eBooks and digital reading. The quantitative research design selected for this study was a survey research approach. Several key findings have emerged in this comprehensive study of eBook reading behavior among digital natives. The acquisition of eBooks was examined and showed that eBook readers primarily purchased their eBooks while borrowing and renting was not a familiar process for the participants. There was a positive correlation between Readers' identity and eBook Reading Behavior. Adolescent Development, a readers’ identity factor, predicts eBook reading behavior significantly. Increased reading hours and a positive eBook reading experience positively influenced eBook purchases. Research recommendations include longitudinal studies to track changes in eBook reading behavior, cross-cultural research to explore differences among digital natives, experimental designs to test eBook design elements, in-depth interviews for deeper insights, and interventions to enhance reader identities.
-
ItemOnline Communication and Social Construction of Reality on Disaster( 2023-05-20)Human interaction produces a shared reality that is “subjectively meaningful and objectively factual.” This dissertation investigated the online communication and construction of social reality on disaster through the lens of Socio-Cultural Tradition which claims that communication is viewed as the creation and enactment of social reality. That is, as people talk, they collectively “co-construct their own social worlds.” Specifically, the study looked into the local government unit’s (LGU) online communication practices, the online discourse that arise from the LGU’s disaster communication, what the online communication reveals about disaster, and the social construction of reality on disaster. Through the LGU’s official social media platform, which is publicly accessible and the primary online resource in information dissemination during the first six months of COVID-19 in the Philippines, the posts and comments used in the discourse were carefully examined. A qualitative approach particularly content analysis and thematic analysis was utilized to explore the meanings embedded in the online posts and texts. Top-down online communication expressed the planning, monitoring, implementation and collaborative efforts of the local government while the online discourse related to disaster communication revealed expression of gratitude, acknowledged the efforts of stakeholders and examined the strategic plan of the local government among others. Online communication revealed that disaster is a construct that converges stakeholders, connects people together and strengthens community resilience. The permanence of language and its detachability from the “here and now” permeates the reconstruction of subjectivity that influences conversations and narratives in online communication.
-
ItemRisk Communication: A Symbolic Interactionism Study of Yolanda Victims' Narratives( 2023-05-31)Risk and risk communication are preventive mechanisms to protect the lives of individuals and their health and minimize the harm they are facing. These are important in disaster risk. However, the current disaster research landscape focuses on quantitative measures, and there is a sparse understanding between risk and disaster victims. In this light, this study was conducted to explore risk from those who experienced the 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban. This research is a narrative inquiry lensed by Symbolic Interactionism, which states that it is the meaning that defines the action. Thus, the view of risk is what shapes communicative acts. The study collected five narratives and used narrative analysis to derive the meaning. The analysis revealed that a situation becomes a risk when there is an advisory. Thus, a risk situation cannot be considered a risk if it is not communicated. When risk comes in a form of an advisory, people think about what should be done to prepare for the disaster. The next meaning that surfaced is that there is a risk when there is an absence or loss of contact. People need to be connected, otherwise, they lose their refuge from the difficult situation. When the risk is in this form of social disconnection, people talk about safety with their loved ones to prepare them for what might come or assure them of safety. Finally, there is a risk when there is no access to basic needs. This includes the essentials such as food, medicine, a safe shelter, and a safe environment. When the risk is experienced as such, safety is treated as a communal responsibility. This entails that people help each other to ensure the safety of the neighborhood or provide information on where they can get their needs. Overcoming risk is a collective effort by the individual, the family, and the community. The narratives have shown that social connections play a vital role in the meaning of risk and risk-communicative acts. Thus, it is recommended to include and account for social relationships in communication plans, such as encouraging relatives and loved ones to reach out to their families facing the risk situation. In conclusion, the use of Symbolic Interactionism helps us understand the meaning of risk and the communicative acts shaped by such meaning. Overall, this narrative inquiry highlights distinct nuances of risk and provides a deeper understanding of the social context in risk preparedness and risk action. Thus, future qualitative studies are recommended to deepen the understanding of the meaning and acts in risk through the lens of those who experienced it and utilize this knowledge to shape disaster policies, management, and praxis.
-
ItemAuthority of Non-Human Agents: Speech Act Analysis of Peace Process Documents( 2024-03-08)The study answered the questions “what is the authority of peace agreements” and “how do the peace agreements perform/invoke its power.” Exploring Francois Cooren’s seminal concepts on nonhuman agency and Searle’s Speech Act Theory, the study analyzed the two milestone peace agreements in the Philippines’ Mindanao peace process, namely (1) 1996 Final Peace Agreement and Implementation of 1976 Tripoli Agreement, and (2) 2014 Comprehensive Agreement of Bangsamoro (CAB). The authority of the peace agreement lies, first, on its assertives – its power to affirm and assure the implementation of those written provisions. Second is in directives, third is in commissives and last are expressives and declarations. The peace agreement has the authority to force two settling parties to enter into an agreement. Moreover, the agreements performed the following roles; under the assertives, the peace agreements in Mindanao assert to: (1) recognize the Bangsamoro identity for the realization of the lasting peace, (2) affirm the autonomy of the Bangsamoro, (3) highlight the need of transition, and (4) upholds the significance of socio-economic, cultural and educational development; and under the directives, the agreements command or order to (a) implement significant monitoring and transition mechanisms, (b) draft and pass the basic law, (c) devise a normalization program, and, (d) mandate equal representation.
-
ItemCommunicating Public Policy: the Case of Ordinance in the City of Metro Manila( 2018-03-27)This study aims to alleviate the widespread case of Internet addiction caused by the proliferation of Internet cafés or computer gaming shops, which is a common dilemma of parents residing in one of the cities in Metro Manila (hereinafter referred to as the “City” for this study). It is noteworthy that the officials of the City have passed a resolution (hereinafter referred to as the “City Ordinance” in this study) to regulate Internet café operations in the City. However, there is a need to address whether the City Ordinance has indeed served its purpose as deemed by this study. Responses obtained from Internet café users in this study confirmed that excessive visits to computer shops are common among young children in the City. These responses were corroborated with the results of the survey conducted among parents. Both results confirmed that there is an Internet café–related problem among the youth in the City that threatens their good education and bright future. Furthermore, these results suggested that the implementation of and information dissemination done for the City Ordinance, if any, were ineffective. Given the importance of communication in the success of any public policy, and the changing information environment, the above premise suggests that the very essence of this study—that is, the method used in the dissemination and campaign of the City Ordinance—was examined.