FICS Theses and Dissertations
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Theses and dissertations by graduate students from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies.
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ItemA Himalayan Trekkers's Journey of Self-Discovery, Self Knowledge and Consciousness Through Dialogue Towards Embodied Communication within the Phenomenological Framework( 2023)Self-discovery, self-knowledge and awareness, alertness and consciousness (in a state of Mindfulness) are keys to experiencing the fullness and exuberance of daily living, the very essence of human life and existence. It is through the quality (or non-quality) of human experiences of everyday living are derived or defined, or refined, our respective meanings and purposes in life. The Question of – what brings quality to daily life or our entire lives depends on the answers one provides which concerns fundamentally – how one experiences life on a day-to-day basis, which becomes weeks to months, then into years. The writer is curious as to how this may be explored, that is, to attaining that “quality of life” and “integrating that quality to everyday”, hence the importance of the topic of interest. Fortunately, the discovery of trekking the Himalayas presented itself, as though an answered prayer to pressing questions of the human heart and mind. To problematize such a dilemma, the study sought answers to the following research questions. I. What are the trekking experiences that evolved my perspectives and interpretations of my lived worlds? II. How do such interpretations communicate its expressions that influence my narratives of self-knowledge and consciousness? III. Why is it important to me to recognize the dialogues of such expressions of the self to the self in relation to the interpretations of my lived experiences of trekking? To cast order into such an ambitious inquiry, the research framework consisted of grounding theories such as Phenomenology as a tradition of communication etc. and thematic dimensions which specifically addresses the integration of the five human senses to the lived experiences of the researcher during trekking – which awakened the “intelligence for communication” within the being, thereby improving attention, focus and consciousness (in a state of mindfulness) resulting to meaningful experiences of the self-being and the realities of the outside perceived worlds. The tradition of Qualitative Research was used in the study, particularly the Phenomenological research approach. It provided the techniques to derive or construct a shared meaning of the experiences in trekking, a richer and fuller understanding of the phenomenon of “communication” where it manifested “the whole” (i.e. understanding the meanings of the experiences as it happens through communication within and with others, including the commune with Nature etc). while consisting of consistent assumptions of human nature and society (Evelyn Jacob). The results of the study provided answers to the research questions, as summarized below: 1. The trekking experiences was the game changer - it challenged the body, mind and psychological tenacity – the rough terrain, extreme weather conditions and temperature, high altitudes and eminent dangers of landslides, avalanches and unstable edges of the trail hanging over a cliff etc. It awakened the five human senses and the being within (ie. that which who speaks and truly communicates). It makes the mind to re-examine life and death scenarios, what is truly important in life and the changes that are needed to make life meaningful, and even worthwhile, given that it is indeed short, and for that, it can be taken in any point in time (ie. anywhere, not necessarily in the mountains etc.) 2. The seeking for answers to the dilemma of “what is the quality of life?” impresses the need to understand, which existed in the possibility of communication. In other words, essences of the meaning of life and as to how to improve everyday experiencing in general, were communicated through thoughts, feelings and emotions of the being within – thus the perceptions. Little or no recognition is given to such a happening, a happening of communication, rather to misconstrued illusions by the unconscious mind that over romanticizes the influx of external misgivings of unnecessary information and entertainment of a dulled mind and muted being. 3. It cannot be overemphasized here in the study, the importance of self-knowledge, self-awareness and consciousness (a state of mindfulness) – as it is the key to self-resiliency in many aspects of human everyday life. As a collective, the study is also relevant to Organizational Management level, where it improves the quality of leadership, comradery and communities of practice etc., hence raising the quality of organizational performance, profitability and human resources development. Applicable to the Public & Private Sector organizations, the Development Sector, the Academe etc. The contribution of the above answers to the Communication field is that - attaining self-knowledge, enlightenment (ie. in the context of logical reasoning) and resiliency of human beings - where life could possibly be fully expressed and experienced into existence. Into existence of the experience, manifest the materiality of the lived worlds which can only be experienced in the constituted world of communication. Hence, the study argues that existence can only be experienced through existing in communication – in one’s experience. Thus, the study supports and dares to contribute to the affirmation of other existing literature that - Communication theory as a field, is that of coherence as it exists in all multidisciplinary fields, for without the dialogical-dialectical constitutive nature of communication, no one can know the existence of anything that exists.
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ItemA Narrative Inquiry Into the Sensemaking on Maharlika Funds Among Eucators of a Manila-Based University( 2024)Anchored on narrative inquiry into the sensemaking of nine educators from a Manila-based university, the study analyzed and restoryed their stories about the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) approved under the Marcos administration and how these shaped their thoughts. As a developing country, there is doubt the SWF will flourish since it is suffering from inflation, debt, and trade deficit. While the intents are good, there is little understanding about it. Using restorying, thematic analysis, sequence analysis, and word cloud, teachers’ narratives were gathered that led to the following themes and sequencing: distrust and skepticism; lack of understanding and knowledge; concerns over transparency and accountability; perceived risks and benefits; and a need for public involvement and consultation. Distrust and skepticism point to an apprehension about the MIF that resonates a deeper sentiment about government initiatives. Such skepticism could be attributed to historical contexts where the Philippines faced issues of fund mismanagement in the past. The lack of understanding and knowledge about the MIF shows a gap in communicating and educating the public about it. This implies that there is a need for an effective information dissemination system to increase people’s awareness. Transparency and accountability show that a more strategic framework must be developed for MIF operations. As well, the perceived risks outweigh the benefits for fear of flawed financial management and corruption.
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ItemUsing Facebook Analytics to Measure and Model the Spiral of Silence in A Development Discourse( 2017)Previous studies have applied Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's Spiral of Silence Theory to social media, yet no study has used social media metrics to quantify the minority-majority opinion gap and to construct a 3D model of an actual Spiral of Silence using field data from a development discussion. This research offers five contributions: (i) an equation that measures the gap in minority-majority opinion or positive-negative social media engagement rates, (ii) a ratio which is the output of the equation, (iii) an index which is the output of the ratio and which measures the size of the spiral, (iv) a theorem that demonstrates logical transitivity of numbers to denote the presence or absence of communication, and (v) a methodology to visualize and model the shape of the spiral in 3D. This study finds that an equation modified from Facebook's engagement rate formula-one that disaggregates positive from negative engagement (minority-majority opinion gaps) and allows data to be gathered even from respondents who do not have access to Facebook-can be used to quantify and then model in 3D an actual Spiral of Silence.
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ItemParticipation and Non-Participation in Cyberbullying: A Semiotic Study on a Twitter Encounter Among Senior High School Students( 2018)This study explored the senior high school students' participation or non-participation in cyberbullying through the Semiotic Tradition of Communication Theory which views communication as an intersubjective mediation of signs and specifically using the Semiotic frame by Charles Sanders Pierce, which emphasizes the inter-relations between the sign or the signifier, an object (the signified) and an interpretant or interpretation. Eleven senior high school students who are digital natives participated in the study by engaging themselves in a conversation with the researcher. The participants of the study viewed the cyberspace as platforms for community building where friendships, alliances and sympathy are demonstrated in the course of interactions or communications. Also, the cyberspace is viewed as a platform for freedom of expression that allows them to express grievances about an issue and criticisms towards a person. These significations of the cyberspace intersubjectively mediated the students' participation or non-participation in cyberbullying. For those who did not participate in the cyberbullying incident, viewing the cyberspace as a platform where disrespect, aggression, immaturity, and thoughtlessness could manifest in the exercise of the freedom of expression mediated their action of non participation. Also, interpretations that in the practice of freedom of expressions in the cyberspace, messages delivered could be seen by a vast audience where spread can be expansive hence ensuing a serious impact on the one bullied has interceded an act of non-participation in cyberbullying. However, interpreting the cyberspace as a platform where alliances are formed in their communications, and free expressions are expediently permitted has mediated participation in cyberbullying.
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ItemCommunication in the Virtual World: Online Risks Perceptions of Children and Educators of a Technical College in the Philippines( 2018)This dissertation focuses on the perceptions of risk kids face online among the school children and educators of a technical college in the Philippines as basis in the development of a school communications strategy on e-safety. Various literature pertaining to risks kids face online, adolescent development, screen based media use (SBMU) as well as the theories of sense-making, gratification, and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) formed the development of this research. Both the school children's and the educators' definition and identification of online risks on the areas of contact, content, conduct (Livingstone and Haddon, 2009a) and consumption (researcher's contribution) were assessed and compared using the triangulation method, combining both the advantages of the qualitative (FGD) and quantitative (survey questionnaires) approach of this paper. The findings put in detail the research samples' similarities and differences in knowledge-perceptions and feelings perceptions on risky online experiences of kids. The results revealed that there is a general concurrence about what school children and educators know about the variety of online risks kids face in SBMU. Both define online risk as something generally "dangerous and harmful." In fact, the study shows that school children have higher perceptions of risky online experiences of kids than the educators. However, they differ in the ordering of online risky activities. The final analysis suggests that school children know their information communication technologies and the pluses and minuses that go with them but may not have the necessary experience to control consumption. On the other hand, the educators, largely millennials in this study, know that kids have the capacity to navigate most of the risks. But they also remain concerned about the evolving nature of online risks that present new encounters the educators themselves have never experienced before. The study provides initial insights for educators in coming up with an e-safety communications strategy to address the growing number and variety of risks kids face in their navigation of the online world.