Fianl Thesis As of Nov 13

THE LEVEL OF INSTAGRAM ENVY AMONG THE STUDENTS OF POLYTECHNIC
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
A Thesis Presented to
The College of Communication
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication
by
Bongabong, Mae Elizebeth C.
Bug-os, Crissa Chirene P.
Patriarca, Ariane Justine A.
November 2016
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES
COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION
APPROVAL SHEET
In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor in Broadcast

Communication, this thesis entitled “The Level of instagram Envy Among the Students of
Polytechnic University of he Philippines” has been prepared and submitted by Mae
Elizebeth c. Bongabong, Crissa Chirene P. Bug-os and Arianne Justine A. Patriarca who
are recommended for Oral Eamination.
_____________________
DR. EDNA T. BERNABE
Adviser
PANEL OF EXAMINEES
Approved by the panel of the oral examination with the grade of _______.
____________________
KRISTIN R. VIRAY
Chair
____________________ ______________________
DIVINA T. PASUMBAL RACIDON BERNARTE
Member Member
Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Bachelor in Arts of Broadcast Communication.
______________________ ______________________
MA. LOURDES GARCIA DR. EDNA T. BERNABE
Chairperson Dean
Department of Broadcast Communication College of Communication
____________________
Date
Abstract
Thesis Title: The Level of Instagram Envy Among the Students of

Research Approach: Quantitative research
Researchers: Bongabong, Mae Elizebeth C.
Bug-os, Crissa Chirene P.
Patriarca, Arianne Justine A.
Curriculum Program: Bachelor in Broadcast Communication
Adviser: Dr. Edna T. Bernabe

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
Communication plays a vital role in human life. Every day, we interact with other people
to express our ideas and emotions. It helps in facilitating the process of sharing one’s
ideas and understanding the thought of others. That is why there is no doubt that
communication is the foundation of all relationship. And even people at a distance
communicate to each other through mails, telegrams and telephone calls which now
evolved to more accessible way and inventions like smart phones, tablets, laptops and
many more. In line with this is the invention of International Network or Internet which
helps us in our everyday lives. That is why Internet is now widely used in our work and
school. One of the greatest contributions of this is faster communication through Social
Networking Sites (SNS) that let you socialize and connect with other people all around
the world.
Social Networking Sites such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and many more give its
users the capability to create an online community, have access on instant messaging
and share their personal life and pictures in just a click. With these features, SNS
became dominant and popular.
According to the US magazine Slate, Instagram is the most depressing social network
and even worse than Facebook for people bragging, posting smug photos and creating
feelings of jealousy. Jessica Winter, a Slate journalist, stated that “Instagram takes the
parts of Facebook that make people feel depressed and unsatisfied with their lot, such
as looking at their photos and friend’s broadcasting how great their lives are, and
accentuates them. This then creates feelings of intense jealousy and crosses the ‘grey
line of stalkerism’.”
Moreover, Instagram is designed to satisfy the social need of people. It can serve as
your space where you can recreate yourself the way you want the public to see you as
an individual. Instagrammers can post their pictures that often highlight their
achievements, beautiful places they visit, special foods they eat, and trendy clothes that
they wear. These photos can affect other people who can see their posts whether it is
their intention or not. Mindless scrolling through Instagram, according to researchers at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Utah Valley University and Humboldt University
Berlin, can be more damaging to your psyche than you think. Instagram users are more
likely to create feelings of depression, lonesomeness, resentment, and lowered self-
esteem. Definitely, the major reasons are those linked to photo sharing that may cause
other users to feel the so called “Instagram envy”- in which the study is focused.
Instagram envy is the feeling that the user gets after seeing someone’s post about the
better things in their life, relationship goals, cute cafés they had been to and many more.
A study done by Garcia et.al (2014) defined Facebook envy as an unpleasant and often
painful blend of feelings caused by a comparison with a person or group of persons who
possess something we desire in Facebook. They focused on the view of those who post
the envy-inducing incidents and its relation to their online personality in Facebook. While
in this study, the researchers wish to give emphasis on those who feel envy on
Instagram. This study aims to discover the level of Envy in Instagram among various
students in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, promote social awareness
regarding the pros and cons of every picture posted on Instagram and how too much
scanning of Instagram photos will affect people. The study hopes to contribute in the
making of a more responsible Instagram account holder.
Background of the Study
Filipinos grew fond of using social media as the modern method of communication. In
fact, the population of Internet users rose up to 44.2 million, according to Asia Digital
Marketing Association (ADMA). The Philippines is in the second highest ranking in
Southeast Asia and 6th in the whole of Asia. According to Julian Persaud, former Google
Managing Director, the population is said to double by 2016.
One of the most frequently used Social Networking Site by the Filipinos is Instagram
which started in 2010. This online mobile photo-sharing application allows the users to
take photos and videos in square shape and apply digital filters before posting it online.
In August 2015, version 7.5 was released that allows the users to post photos in any
aspect ratio. Scanning Instagram news feeds for a long time, pseudo-stalking photos of
other’s seemingly better lives and sharing your own pictures are ways to show an
equally envy-inspiring social media personality.
Krasnova coined the term “envy spiral” that means posting better photos after seeing a
beautiful photo of your friend on Instagram, and once your friend sees these photos, he
will post even better pictures and so on that triggers self-promotion.
Given that many Filipinos patronize Instagram, we are more likely to experience this.
Since the youth are most engaged in social media, the researchers chose the most
accessible group of young people to focus on: the students of Polytechnic University of
the Philippines-1st to 4th year level. Knowing that these participants are one of the groups
exposed on socializing, the researchers believe that these individuals are the most likely
to use SNS and can contribute well in the study.
This study will provide a guide to help netizens who are unconsciously experiencing the
Instagram envy. Thus, with the help of related studies, the researchers would like to
investigate and explore more on Instagrammer who are likely to experience Instagram
envy.
Statement of the Problem
The study will focus mainly on the selected PUP students who are avid users of
Instagram. Specifically, it aims to answer the question,
“What is the level of Envy in Instagram among students of the Polytechnic University of
the Philippines?”
Objectives
To answer the question formulated by the researchers, the following points must be
done.
1. To get the socio-demographic profile of the communication students from PUP.

1.1 Gender
1.2 Age
1.3 Year Level
1.4 Status
2. To know the Instagram habits of the respondents in terms of:

2.1 Frequency
2.2 Preferences
2.3 Reasons
3. To measure the level of envy of the respondents on standardized Instagram
posts.
Hypothesis
The researchers proposed a hypothesis that states: Instagram Envy has a direct
relationship with an Instagram user’s posting habits.
The Study Framework
Theoretical Paradigm
Communication-related theories are usually dealt with theories that concerns with the
analysis of relationship and effect. According to the Encarta Encyclopedia, 2005, the
Stimulus Response Theory was first developed in the early 20 th century by John B.
Watson, an American psychologist. During that time, psychology was viewed as the
study of inner experiences or feelings by subjective, introspective methods. He then
insisted that inner experience could not be studied for it wasn’t observable. With this, he
proposed to create the study of psychology scientifically by using objective procedures
including the practice of laboratory experiments which are designed to establish
statistically significant results. With this behavioristic view, he formulated the Stimulus
Response Theory wherein all complex behavior such as emotions, habits, etc., that are
composed of simple muscular and glandular elements that can be observed and
measured. He claimed that emotional reactions are learned in much the same way as
other skills.
The so-called stimulus-response principle has been a great importance in this context.
According to this simple model of learning, effects are specific reactions to specific
stimuli, so that one can expect and predict a close correspondence between media
message and audience reaction. The main elements in this model are: (a) a message
(stimulus, S); (b) a receiver (Organism, O); and (c) the effect (response, R). Usually, the
relations between these elements are demonstrated as below: (McQuail and Windahl,
1993)
Fig. 1 Theoretical Paradigm (Stimulus Organism Response Model)
S O R
(Stimulus) (Organism) (Response)
Conceptual Framework
In studying the relationship of Instagram envy to the posting habits of the
students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the researchers used the
Stimulus-Response Model which shows that specific reactions results to an effect of a
specific stimuli. The three main elements in this theory are the following: message or the
stimulus, receiver or organism, and the effect or response. In our study, the stimulus
would be the Instagram envy, the organism or receiver would be the respondents of the
study who are communication students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines
and the response would be the effect of the stimuli on the posting habits of the organism.
Through this theory, the relationship of Instagram envy which is the stimulus when
experienced by the organism or the students of PUP can trigger reaction or change on
their posting habits.
Fig. 2 Conceptual Paradigm (Based on Stimulus-Response model)
Instagram Posting Habits

PUP
Envy
(Response)
Students
(Stimulus)
(Organism)
Significance of the Study
Social networking sites became so popular all throughout the world and a large number
in population patronized them. One of the SNS is the Instagram that became a sensation
especially to the teen-agers, since they are the most exposed to technology. Along with
this refinement that Instagram let the users share their life to the public by means of
posting photos instantly, is the birth of new problems. One of these is the Instagram
envy. Therefore, the main purpose of this research is to develop a deeper understanding
on Instagram envy.
Instagram Users
This research would be beneficial to the Instagram users. This will serve as an eye-
opener for the negative effects that they can get in spending too much time on
Instagram. They will be aware that they are little by little creating a feeling of agony that
can cause depression. In addition, this will influence the Instagrammers in the way they
think about the photos they see in Instagram that can turn them into a more responsible
Instagram account holder.
University
The university can use this research as a basis on conducting forums and educating the
students regarding with the Instagram envy and proper use of social networking sites
especially Instagram and how to be a responsible netizen.
Researchers
Furthermore, future researchers can use this study as their foundation and reference for
their inquiries. This will serve as their basis if they will conduct a study that will focus on
other social networking sites.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study will be conducted within the vicinity of Sta. Mesa, Manila, since the PUP
students are the one involved in the study. The respondents would come from 1 st to 4th
year students of different courses who are currently enrolled at the Polytechnic
University of the Philippines in the school year 2016-2017 and are actively involved in
Instagram.
Explication of Terms
For better understanding, the following terms that are used in this study are operationally
defined:
Envy Spiral- a phenomenon in which an Instagram user posts better photos after seeing
a beautiful photo of his friend on Instagram and when his friend sees his photos, he will
post even better pictures and so on that triggers self-promotion and so on that triggers
self-promotion
Instagram- an application for smart phones that enables its users to take photos and
videos with filter effects that they can post either publicly or privately
Instagrammer- a person who uses and has an Instagram account
Instagram Envy- a feeling that one can have after seeing a beautiful photo of an
Instagrammer that makes him envious
Filters- a layer that is placed on an image that alters its overall theme or tone
Netizen- a person who is actively involved in online communities or the Internet
Response- any behavior of a living organism that causes by stimulus
Social Networking Sites (SNS)- a Web site that enables users to create and share their
profile among other users
Stimulus Response Theory- states that behavior manifest as a result of the interplay
between stimulus and response
Stimulus- something that triggers a reaction or change

Chapter Two
Review of Relevant Literature
This chapter presents the foundation and basis of the study about Instagram Envy and
other topics associated with this topic through the review of related literature and
studies, which will provide a better sense of reliability and credibility of this research.
The Internet
People nowadays access the internet more often and the ‘world wide web’ has been
added to their everyday lives. It is used for various purposes such as academic
tenacities, private uses, military and government drives and commercial interest, mostly
through networked computer system. (Hewson et al., 2003)
According to the Yahoo News, email was all the rage in the Philippines and World Wide
Web wasn’t available in the past 22 years. But on March 29, 1994, Filipinos had their
first access on free and open Web. Aloha Guerrero (2014), writer of the Yahoo News,
came up with a timeline of the internet in the country:
August 1986: the first Philippine-based, public-access BBS (bulletin board
system), First-Fil RBBS went online with an annual subscription fee of P1,000. A
precursor to the local online forum, it ran open-source BBS software on an IBM
XT Clone PC with a 1200bps modem and was operated by Dan Angeles and Ed
Castañeda.
1987: the Philippine FidoNet Exchange, a local network for communication
between several BBSes in Metro Manila, was formed
1990: A committee helmed by Arnie del Rosario of the Ateneo Computer
Technology Center was tasked with exploring the possibility of creating an
academic network comprised of universities and government institutions by the
National Computer Center under Dr. William Torres. Recommendations were
made but not implemented.
1991-1993: emergence of email getaways and services in the Philippines,
including some from multi-national companies like Intel, Motorola, and Texas
Instruments, which used a direct Internet connection, X.25, or UCCP protocol.
Local firms ETPI, Philcom, and PLDT also operated commercial X.25 networks.
Another milestone: Local and international email to FidoNet users was
introduced.
June 1993: with the support of the Department of Science and Technology and
the Industrial Research Foundation, the Philnet project (now PHNET) was born.
The Philnet techinal committee, composed of computer buffs working at the
DOST and representatives from the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle

University, University of the Philippines Diliman , and University of the Philippines
Los Baños, would eventually play a significant role in connecting the Philippines
to the World Wide Web.
July 1993: Phase one of the Philnet project shifted into full gear after receiving
funding from the DOST. It proved to be successful, as students from partner
universities were able to send emails to the Internet by routing them through
Philnet’s gateway at the Ateneo which was connected to another gateway at the
Victoria University of Technology in Australia.
November 1993: an additional P12.5 million grant for the first year’s running cost
was awarded by the DOST to buy equipment and lease communication lines
needed to kick start the second phase of Philnet, now led by Dr. Rudy Villarica.
March 29, 1994, 1:15 a.m.: Benjie Tan, who was working for ComNet, a
company that supplied Cisco routers to the Philnet project, established the
Philippine’s first connection to the Internet at a PLDT network center in Makati
City. Shortly thereafter, he posted a short message to the Usenet newsgroup
soc.culture.filipino to alert Filipinos overseas that a link had been made. His
message read:
“As of March 29, 1994 at 1:15 am Philippine time, unfortunately 2 days late due
to slight technical difficulties, the Philippines was finally connected to the Internet
via SprintLink. The Philippine router, a Cisco 7000 router was attached via the
services of PLDT and Sprint communications to SprintLink’s router at Stockton
Ca. the gateway to the world for the Philippines will be via NASA Ames Research
Center. For now, a 64k serial link is the information highway to the rest of the
Internet world.”
March 29, 1994, 10:18 a.m.: “We’re in,” Dr. John Brule, a Professor Emeritus in
Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Syracuse University, announced at
The First International E-Mail Conference at the University of San Carlos in
Talamban, Cebu, signifying the Philnet’s 64 kbit/s connection was live.
Guerero (2014), #20PHnet: A timeline of Philippine Internet. Retrieved from:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/timeline-philippine-internet-20th-anniversary-
225454753.html)
Understanding Social Media
Fuchs (2014) said that collective action, communication, communities, connecting and
networking, operation and collaboration, the creative making of user-generated content,
playing and sharing are the several forms of online sociality.
The following definitions of social media from different authors were cited in the
book of Fuchs:
According to Shirky (2008), social media and social software are tools that
“increase our ability to share, to co-operate, with one another, and to take collective
action, all outside the framework of traditional institutional institutions and organizations”.
The innovation of social media can be mounted to the fact that people who did
not had access to broadcast media before are now using it almost every day. Before,
people can’t view home videos unless it’s aired on the television but today, as long as a
person has a smartphone with an internet connection, he or she can post own videos to
websites like YouTube that can go viral and garner millions of hits. (Baym and Boyd
2012, 321)
“Social media is the latest buzzword in a long line of buzzwords.” It’s a place for
individuals and communities to gather, communicate, share, collaborate and sometimes
play. Practices that emerge from these tools are categorized as ‘group work’ tools by the
old school academics while the modern academics would rather use ‘computer-
mediated communication’ or ‘computer-supported co-operative work’. But today, social
media is determined by another buzzword: ‘user-generated content’ or content that is
provided by participants rather than editors. (Boyd, 2009)
While Van Djick (2013) said that social media is user centered and that they
enable collective undertakings where people are pushed to participate or have a human
collaboration which is suggested with the word ‘social’ when associated with media.
People are involved with human-networks or webs of people that encourages communal
worth boosted by social media as it serves as an online facilitator. He added that as a
result of the interconnection of platforms, a new infrastructure emerged: an ecosystem of
connective media made up of few large and many small players. “The transformation
from networked communication to ‘platformed’ sociality and from a participatory culture
to a culture of connectivity took place in a relatively short time span of ten years.”
Social media tools feature “the elements of profile, contacts and interaction with
those contacts”, “blur the distinction between personal communication and the broadcast
model of messages sent to nobody in particular”. Personal communication or the
process of sharing from one-to-one and public media or the process of sharing to
nobody in particular is also merged by the term ‘social media’. (Meikle and Young, 2012)
According to Fuchs, defining social media requires an understanding of sociality.
Entering the field of Social Theory which is a subfield of Sociology will provide a better
comprehension of what social media is all about and what does it mean to be and act in
social way.
Matthew Allen (2012) and Trebor Scholz (2008) argued that the roots of social
media can be traced back to years earlier than 2005 and these applications aren’t
entirely new.
The way people communicate news and information are changed by social
networking sites. They use these sites to expose mainstream media as explained by Hile
(2011) wherein the individuals try to expose a news story as soon as it happen. The
powerful earthquake happened in China can be used as an example in which people
began “Facebooking” about it as quickly as they could, in an attempt to break the story
first. Aside from using SNSs to bare news stories, it is also often used to serve as
simulated communities where people can share and discuss their experiences and
thoughts after an event occurred. Hile also added that broadcasting a profile or video to
billion viewers worldwide is now easy with the internet and today’s social media
capability.
A great deal of mediated activities can be accounted for today’s various accounts of
social media. Different forms of presence across social and media context are created
as social media depletes through platforms including desktop computers, mobile
phones, tablets, modern network-capable televisions. Today, smartphones continue to
progress as urban people globally take it in as a need for everyday life. Along with this,
the demographics of social media users continue to change. Back then, SNSs were
intended only for the youth and adults but nowadays even the elders are using SNSs for
different purposes. (Hinton & Hjorth, 2013)

According to Hinton (2013), to comprehend the increasing sphere of modern online
media practice, the term social media continues to develop as social networking sites
lingers.
For Boyd (2011), SNSs are a genre of what he calls ‘networked publics’. For Mark
Andrejevic, “the ‘networked sociabilities’ of SNSs are ordered by a ‘separation of the
user from the means of socializing, thus permitting “storable and sortable” collections of
social data”. Therefore, social media companies can easily familiarize user’s social
activities and turn it to user profiles and can be sold to advertisers. With this, theorist
Geert Lovink, a media activist, led a phenomenon that argues for substitute models of
social media afar the stronghold of mainstream companies including Facebook and
Google (2012).
The way we think, experience and practice ‘online media’ is affected and
influenced by social media. Before it was perceived only as a way for teens to socialize
but now social media became an essential to urban people’s everyday life. In return, the
way we reflect and engage with family, friends, colleagues and politics are immensely
influenced. The changes in media landscape are beyond intensified by social media. In
line with this, new opportunities and possibilities for propagation and commitment with
media are provided. For some critics, “social media is part of the rise of participatory
culture which empowers users (Jenkins, 2006) to produce their own content, to become
‘producers’ (Bruns 2005)”. For others, namely Anderejevic (2011), Kucklich (2005) and
Lovink (2012), social media is part of a broader ‘structural affordances of a capitalist
economy’, wherein corporations continue to benefit as they exploit users’ free labor.
Production and consumption’s relationship with each other has now transformed and
should not be comprehended in the way sociologists perceived production in an
industrial context (Banks and Humphreys 2008). The broadly changing ideas, criticisms
and appeals regarding social media manifests the complex social procedures involved
with it.
Likewise, people must recognize and consider that social media encompasses
offline mode of engagement and is never a solely online phenomenon. Given that social
understanding has always been arbitrated (Hjorth 2005), new predicaments for collective
interactions, concepts of presence and the way it affects both public and private spaces
are suggested by online and offline tension. The connections may be evident as the we
credit our friends in the online world are also the people we personally know from home
or work. In some cases, it can also be professed that the actuality of an individual’s own
offline life merely sways our grasp on how they tend to behave, decide and act online,
how they select and make friends online, and how they spend time communicating and
branding their own self online.
Micro or individuals, meso or social and macro or cultural levels are also driven
by intimacy or affection as an adhesive for social relationships. Dilemmas between
public and private spaces and also between work and leisure in modern-day society can
be healed by affection as we draw attention to the concept and perception of ‘intimacy
turn’ (Berlant 1998). To put it another way, social media affords certain kinds of social
performance that involve making intimacy more public. For example, when a Facebook
user takes and uploads self-portaits, they may well only intend these to be viewed by an
audience of close friends even though they have their privacy settings to public.
However, with Facebook owning the copyright of these pictures, which are available to
be seen by anyone with a Facebook account, how the pictures would be
decontextualized and further consumed is complex and little understood. Alternatively, a
user might have their personal photo albums set to be viewable only by family and
friends, and so the viewing activity becomes a semi-public performance.

This is what makes social networking sites unique for they let individuals to meet
strangers, and it also enables their users to eloquent and make a life that can be visible
online (Boyd and Ellison 2007).
Everyday media practices are progressively penetrated by social media. The way people
define social media continues to revolve as they spectate the upswing of smartphones
which let its users to move instinctively from Facebook to Twitter at any time of the day.
As time goes by, social networking sites have become an essential part of identity, social
and political management along with the series of intellectual practices and objects both
commercial and cultural. Smoothing the definitions of ‘social’ is affected by the
extensiveness of SNSs as some critics might suggest (Lovink 2012).
Boyd (2011) on the other hand asked if what the universal nature of social media
is, especially now that it became assimilated with mobile and locative media and if SNSs
transforms concepts of publicity, privacy and intimacy. While Lovink (2012) perceives
Boyd’s question in a way that the changes are far dynamic and complex than theorized.
He then questioned if monopolies like Facebook can form alternative social media
practice.
Both people and social media are the crossing point of social networking sites.
This includes some of the most highly valued and most well-known brands on today’s
internet. For many, the internet is synonymous with SNSs. Names such as Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Habbo, Renren and Badoo brags millions of online users
who use these services to build connections with other people, to stay in touch, to find
support and answers to questions, to reinforce common ideas and values, to share news
and information, and to be entertained. These sites have become exemplars of the Web
2.0 ethos and the shift in focus from users as audiences to users as networked publics
that were identified in the second chapter of the book. In many ways SNSs represent the
intersection of networked publics and business interests, although, as we will see below,
this is by no means a perfect fit.
Marwick (2014) said that social media allow average people to reach the broad
audiences once available only to those with access to broadcast media. In a single post,
one can now reach people around the world including the famous personalities.
Braudy (1986) said that media and celebrity are inextricably intertwined.
Celebrities historically proliferated with broadcast media, which enabled the celebrity
image to spread far beyond its origins.
Hinton & Hjorth (2014) said that people quickly adapt social media because they
see it as a way to get their work out to larger audience. Additionally, social networking
sites are now developing into forms of familial interaction, socializing, relationship
management and identity construction.
Teens Inclined in Social Networking Sites
In many ways, teens represent the leading edge of mobile connectivity, and the
patterns of their technology use often signal future changes in the adult population.
(Madden, 2013) A large number of the smartphone user’s population are comprised of
teenagers and young adults. As they were born and raised in the age of computers and
online communication, Lenhart et al., (2010) said that these teenagers share self-
created content, post their opinions, and link to other content online compared to any
other demographic group. In connection with this, Kraut et al., (1998) said that young
people between the ages of 13 to 19 have been identified as the generation with the
highest internet use since the late 1990s. Meanwhile, Lenhart (2015) said that facilitated
by the widespread availability of smartphones, teens go online almost constantly.
According to Ciriaco et al. (2011), as long as an individual with an internet
connection is willing to sign up or register and agree to its policies and regulations, they
can be a part of an online community. These people who are willing to comply with social
networking sites are the primary users of mobile innovations and their amount of usage
are the pointers of the nearby future for smartphone technology and social media. Youth,
having their young age are the most prone, liable and vulnerable to social media and
smartphone’s positive effects including the help of visual-focused education and
development or its negative side such as internet addiction and cybercrime-related
cases.
Krasnova (2013) added that teenagers who use Twitter and Instagram said that
they could better express themselves on these platforms, unlike with Facebook where
they felt freed from its social expectations and constraints.
Barker (2009), said that adolescent girls use Social Networking Sites more often
to keep in touch and communicate with their peers to build stronger relationships with
them, while boys use the platforms from time to time only for them to meet new people
and make new friends. Furthermore, Al-Saggaf & Nielsen (2011) said that social media
accounts are the center of social activity that includes comments from friends and
strangers that’s why women are more likely to disclose their selves and photos online.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that that the whole world’s gone social,
and women are more social than men. She added that women on Facebook have 8%
more friends than men do and they do 62% of the sharing. (Funk, 2011)
Social networking sites like Facebook makes women more addicted and
engaged to social media according to Andraessen et al., (2012).
Issues in Social Media
Almost everyone included Social Networking Sites as an essential part of their everyday
life which is now very popular. Having an access with these sites paves the way to the
latest updates and trends all over the world. That is why everyone is jumping on the
bandwagon.
Villanueva (2012) said that social media is used by people not only to connect with
friends, but also as a source for news, information and entertainment. On the other
hand, social media is used by broadcasting corporations to link with their audience, push
out content and substance, and then endorse and stimulate their brands across the
world. Today, major products and both the small and large companies have their own
Twitter account, manages a Facebook page and uses Instagram to promote their identity
and reach out huge number of audiences. Even the television stations and their own
programs, including celebrities, journalists and brand ambassadors are active on social
media to connect with their spectators and increase their viewership.
Social media is truly a big contribution for the most part. Social networks have been
revolutionized by the technology and internet, spanning gaps like never before
(Villanueva, 2012). People from the opposite sides of the world can communicate and
reach each other in few clicks. Acquiring information is now easier and news travels
quicker as long as an individual is connected to the internet.

But with these positive outcomes, social media brings about a set of risks. According to
Villanueva (2012), new ranges of issues and challenges emerged with the evolution of
social media. With the danger of improper use and lack of online knowledge and
understanding, many average day-to-day users fail while professional organizations
meanwhile fail due to lack of profound empathy of social media and the expertise to
maximize its use.
Lori Hile (2011) cited a quote from US President Barack Obama saying that he
wants internet users to be more cautious about what they post in Facebook. He also
added that because people are now in the YouTube age, whatever an individual do can
be pulled up again later somewhere in your life. And when people are still young, they
continue to commit mistakes and can’t avoid doing some unwise and thoughtless matter.
He even reminded that with the power of internet, nowadays, employers checks an
individual networking site account before hiring and this can affect you character, and
worse your future is at stake.
There’s really a danger in one click, one share. Posting of status, pictures or
videos is crucial because it can result to negative effect like bullying, if one did not think
carefully before posting. Also, choosing the right words are important because once that
it is posted, millions of people around the world can read your post and you can do
nothing if you are mistaken.
Hile (2011) also said that the tools available on today’s internet allow almost
everyone to broadcast their own profile or video to as many as two billion viewers
worldwide. Many people share their private thoughts on blogs or micro-blogs and post
their pictures for the world to see. She included that artist Andy Warhol famously
declared in 1968, that in the future; everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes.
And that future is now. Numerous netizens are now being popular by uploading their
photos and videos. With some pages like “Filipino Dubs” and other pages that feature
short videos, these users can have instant fame by gaining thousands of likes and
views. For instance, Maine Mendoza of the love team AlDub which is considered as a
phenomenon by their millions of fan has just started in being viral in the internet. But
according to Hile, there is a dark side to all this instant fame. Some fear that people will
do almost anything, even dangerous or bad things just to get their fifteen minutes and
may regret their actions after they have had time to think. For her, this type of fame is
really just another way of ending the privacy.
One of the more significant and complex concerns associated with social network
sites is the issue of privacy and, not surprisingly, this is a burgeoning area in the field of
SNS research. This issue has received a great deal of attention not just in popular
media, but in critical literature as well. Privacy is a highly popular topic precisely because
it is so complex, and because it provides a handhold for anchoring fears and anxieties
about a new technology. (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013) This tells us that privacy, although
easy to understand, is difficult to deal with. While social media is understandably for a
user to have a public profile, some still choose to keep their own profiles private to
themselves or a select few people- defeating the purpose of sharing their individual
profiles to the worldwide web. SNS have tried to compromise this issue by letting the
users customize their own security and privacy settings, enabling them to choose which
audiences can view or comment on their shared content.
According to the study of Ramirez et al (2012), the respondents often practice
unethical internet activities which mean that Polytechnic University of the Philippines
Students during school year 2012-2013 do not observe unethical conduct and
responsibility in the World Wide Web Environment.

Misuse of SNS can result in many problems such as invasion of privacy, stalking,
cyber bullying, cybercrimes and one of the newest problems is the so called Instagram
Envy. In the study of Del Rosario et.al (2014) regarding Facebook envy which is similar
to this, they define it as the feeling of comparing yourself with others and feel that they
have more than what you have. Seeing your friends post envy-inducing incidents such
as their success in life, travels and many more can trigger this envy. However, people
can have a two different view or how they will perceive that. They can feel envious that
will trigger them to post a better picture than that wherein the reason of their posting is
no longer to express but to brag or to compete. On the other hand, they can use it as a
goal to strive more in their life to achieve what other people have.
What is Instagram?
With Instagram, users can take and share photos and videos. The mobile application
was once only available to Apple users through the Apple Apps Store back in October
2010. By Decemeber of the same year, it attained a million users and then Instagram
had its ‘hashtag’ feature wherein its users can add tags to photos they post by simply
putting in the symbol ‘#’ before the word or phrase related to the snap like #selfie,
#foodporn and #travel. By June 2011, Instagram had five million users that doubled by
September of the same year resulting for the availability of the said photo-sharing
application by April 2012 not only for Apple Devices but also to the Android ones. On its
first day of release to the Google Play Store, it recorded a total of one million downloads
and within the same month, Instagram reached a hundred million users that attracted the
social media giant, Facebook purchasing it for $1 billion.

As of now, Instagram is one of the most popular photo and video sharing application in
the internet. It allows images of any size to be uploaded and videos of up to fifteen
seconds posted in one’s Instagram profile. The applications also allow different kinds of
photo filters that users can add to their existing photos to enhance them. Basic tools in
photo editing are also provided to let the users edit the photo’s size, brightness, hue,
contrast, colours, etc. Instagrammers can also ‘follow’ other users to which they can be
updated with the other’s posts, ‘like’ and ‘comment’ on photo, and repost them via photo-
reposting applications.
Lindahl (2013) said that Instagram provide a platform to its users to stay
connected and to communicate with each other through photos. Additionally, the act of
taking photographs is essential and Instagram is significant as a tool for circulation within
social media.
A total of 150 million users now enjoy Instagram, 40 million photos are posted each day,
1,000 comments are left per second and 8,500 likes occur each second that may even
grow up to 10,000 likes during peak times. (Monthly user data, Instagram 2013)
Content and User Types in Instagram
According to a study by Ho et al. (2015), they categorized Instagram content into 8 types
which are: Friends, Food, Gadget, Captioned Photo, Pets, Activity (Indoor and Outdoor),
Selfies, and Fashion. Users were studied according to the content of their posts, coming
up with Selfie as the most number of photos uploaded taking up 24.2% while Friends
closely follow with 22.4%. They concluded that there are five types of Instagram users
and the photos they post dominantly, namely: a) Selfie-lovers, photos of themselves or
selfies; b) Quote/Poetry lovers, photos of inspirational and/or meaningful texts c) Food-

posters, food and restaurants or cafes d) Friendship/Self posters, images of bonding
with peers; e) Activity posters, Indoor/Outdoor activities, Travel and Recreational
Activities. A number of Instagram users also post randomly, of things, people, places or
animals that catch their attention on a regular day.
According to Lindahl (2013) photography gives shape to travel and helps
determining which destinations we visit. People post photos of different places they visit
to prove and show their identity to others that they have been there.
Bakhshi (2015) found on their study that filtered photos of food are more likely to
be viewed and commented on.
More than 130 million user images and videos have been hashtagged with the word
‘selfie’ on Instagram. #I, #me, #myself, #self, #selfie, #selfies, and #selfportrait account
for over 439 million user images and videos as of June 2014 (Monthly User Data,
Instagram 2014). Instagram creates infinite possibilities to customize selfies. Although
we can alter images of ourselves with instantaneous and automated effects, the ability to
express our individuality is restricted to the set of commands within the program.
Instagram, it seems, has defined the look of an entire generation. The selfie-craze of this
generation seems to be similar to media Theorist Marshall McLuhan’s reframing of the
Narcissus myth in which he explains that, ‘men at once become fascinated by any
extension of themselves in any material other than themselves.’ McLuhan stated, in
contrast to the popular version of the Narcissus myth, Narcissus did not fall in love with
himself- but rather, numb to his image, that he could not recognize his reflection as his
own. The feeling is similar to the misrecognition with selfie-posters, as though they are
unaware that they are looking at themselves- numb to their own self-portraits and
produce many different versions of ourselves. Moreover, users appear to be lured into
Instagram’s tools for creating ever-greater stylized identities. The ‘selfie game’ as users
like to call it, is one’s style of taking selfies and has elevated the virtual contest of coming
up with the best self-portrait.
Faces are shown to be powerful visual tool used in human non-verbal
communication. Bakshi (2014) found on their study that photos with faces are 38% more
likely to be liked and 32% more likely to be commented on.
Marwick (2014) added that however, while Facebook and Twitter encourage
constant streams of updates, Instagram requires more selective posting. Most users
post only a few times a day, and posting several times in a row is disfavored.
With social networking sites, students used different ways to communicate and
connect with their friends and family including posting wall posts and status updates.
Students also send private messages and post photos as well. Probably, the former
were easier and faster to communicate than the latter. (Gitimu, 2006)
Artists and Social Media
Making art from social media itself is one of the way artists have responded to the said
media. They use social media for their own benefit in many ways including obtaining
input as work influence from SNSs especially Twitter, having social networks and online
interaction as a basis for generating visual works, and working through social media as a
way to share and convey art while pondering on the medium in which it is communicated
(Hinton and Hjorth, 2014). Many artists nowadays use social media as their own ‘online
galleries’ to which they keep their talent and inspire their audience, mainly
photographers, calligraphers, make-up artists and even performers like singers and
dancers posting videos of their act.
A lot of Instagrammers follow a certain account that features an art or aesthetic
they are interested in, for example, a lot of makeup savvy users follow the likes of
Promise Tamang, Michelle Phan, and Pony on Instagram because these users are
professional makeup artists, not to mention insanely popular, that showcase their
makeup looks and tutorials all over social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and
even posting tutorials on YouTube.
Photography
Photographs offer up content that’s both easy to digest and easy to admire. They don’t
have to war with attention spans and wage battle against our skim-inclined society quite
like text does. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are
processed in the brain 60,000 times faster than text. Also, 40% of people will respond
better to visual information than plain text. These pieces of information are
understandable since imagery is easier to absorb and understand versus text, who may
have language and/or jargon barrier plus the attention span of people to text are far
more difficult to catch.
In the early days of photography, picture-taking was an ‘important means of
memorializing and recording personal history. Instagram users have similar intentions for
their photographs, but their practices of-and, therefore, ideas about- recording personal
history are substantially different from that of film camera photographers who were
limited to 24 to 36 frames per roll of film. We rarely practice selective picture-taking, and
this elimination of physical constraints via smartphones has drastically changed the
purpose of photography, shifting attention from preservation to accumulation. An

Instagrammer for example, will not stop taking the same photo in various angles, filters
and lighting until he gets the “right” shot that fits his standards in Social Networking
because his smartphone enables him to take and delete photos instantly and hassle-
free.
People nowadays consider the quality of the smartphone’s camera as factors to
muse when buying one. According to Chester (2012), as associated software
applications like Instagram, Google Goggles and Hipsmatic are having fast upturn with
regular updates to satisfy people’s social necessities up to date on smartphones like
Samsung Galaxy and iPhone, have crafted modern ways for people to deliberate
camera-phones and how they engage with both images and information.
Hinton and Hjorth (2014) also added that Instagram as one of the most used
smartphone application worldwide continues to make sharing photos easier and quicker
inspiring people of different ages that taking pictures are really interesting.
One of the unique characteristics of Instagram that made its users to adopt it
quickly is that it serves as a medium to share pictures worldwide like an online gallery
without any hassle. For Chesher (2012), “the iPhone universe of reference disrupts the
genealogy of mass amateur photography”. He shared that before this era of camera
phones that continues to lead its way to advancement, there was the time where Kodak
dominated public’s attention. After some time, its popularity vanished and was replaced
by Nokia until the people was colonized by iPhone’s delight through the overabundance
of camera-phone applications available for users to download for free while others can
be bought for a cheap price.
The second generation of camera phone and photo sharing social media is
where the application Instagram can be considered to partake as it allows it users to

take, edit and share photos. It successfully proclaimed a new generation and initiation of
visuality as it further commercialized the works and efforts of the amateur ones. Today,
anybody around the globe can be an ‘amateur’ photographer as long as he has a
smartphone with camera and have the eye for photos and mind that is eager to inspire
and be inspired. The said people can have their own portfolio shared online where huge
number of people to see awaits. Photography is no longer a luxury but a creative hobby
to anyone who is ready to snap away. The swift comprehension of smartphones has
empowered up-to-date forms of giving out and modern ways of disseminating. Its
capacity to provide accumulation of modern-aged applications to suit the taste of the
unpredictable society, together with the addicting filters and variation of lenses made the
users produce artistic images through camera-phones.
Despite its popularity (or perhaps more accurately, because of it), Instagram
connotes certain stereotypes. On first blush, it seems like an app that allows people to
parade as faux photographers and share superfluous pictures of food and self-portraits.
However, in reality, food photos abound on Instagram, but the app is much more than a
culinary capturing tool or self-camera device.
Envy
In 2013 up to date many studies have been conducted abroad proving envy as
one of the negative effects of social media. Envy, according to the Merriam – Webster
dictionary is the feeling of wanting to have what someone else has. It is a painful or
resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess
the same advantage. Envy emphasizes the feeling of hostility, spite and ill-will at the
superiority of another person in happiness, success, reputation, or the possession of
anything desirable. (Schloeck, 1987)
Matthew Lieberman argues in his book, Social: Way our Brains Wired to
Reconnect, 2013, that the social media has a prevalence that results in fundamentally
changing the way of our thinking on how someone we’ll share something, and whom
we’ll share it as we consume it. To him, the mere thought of successful sharing activates
reward-possessing centers even before one actually decides to share a single thing.
This sharing of posts and photos in social media intends to connect with people
and socialize more. However, these shared posts can affect your mood. Worse, it can
make someone feel bad about himself resulting to social media envy as he thinks of a
resentful contemplation that the one who posted the said photo is a more fortunate
person.
By and large, online social networks allow users unprecedented access to
information on relevant others- insights that would be much more difficult to obtain online
(Krasnova, 2013). This can be supported by Krauts’s statement in early 1998 that the
more people used the internet, the lonelier and more depressed they felt.
Meanwhile, camera-phone genres such as self-portraiture have blossomed on a global
scale, vernacular visualities that reflect a localized notion of place, sociality and identity-
making practices (Hjorth, 2007; Lee 2009) are also flourishing. Smartphone apps like
Hipstamatic and Instagram have made taking and sharing photographs easier and more
interesting. Location-bearing sites like Facebook Places, FourSquare and Jiepang, we
see a further overlaying of place with the social and personal, whereby the electronic is
superimposed into the geographic in new ways. Specifically, by sharing an image and
comment about a place through LBSs, users can create different ways to experience
and record journeys and, in turn, create an impact upon how place is recorded,
experienced and thus, remembered. When a user uploads a photo and tags a location
within that image, not only does he create a memory based on the photo itself, but also
the location in which the photo is taken. These geographical ventures help accumulate a
number memories users can look back to whenever they come across that area. These
photos and posts may also encourage other users to explore places and do the same
activities, or, it can trigger a sense of envy when some users aren’t able to explore the
same area or do the same activity.
A spiral of envy develops when you see your Facebook friends excelling or
enjoying life in ways that you aren’t. This gives the envy person a feeling of frustration.
In return, he will reinforce himself to rush and share something better than the one he
saw from his friend’s post. This is the phenomenon called “self-promotion – envy spiral”
in which users feel envious of their social media friend beef up their own profiles in
response, creating a vicious cycle, in which the envy-ridden character of the platform
climate can become even more pronounced.
Instagram Envy
Aside from measuring one’s life through the number of its likes on his/her post in social
media, another problem one experiences is the social media envy.
Instagram was launched in 2010 and is an online mobile photo sharing and social
networking site that enable its users to take picture and videos and share them either
publicly or privately (WhatIs.com). It has now a hundred million users worldwide and
almost all Filipino users access Instagram on a daily basis. Photos they post include
food, café and restaurants, travel and scenery, fashion and accessories, pets and
animals, inanimate objects, selfies and OOTD’s.
According to a survey in 2013, among 100 Filipino Instagrammers, 63% of it
follows more than five bloggers and influencers. Aside from the celebrities, these
bloggers and brand influencers have an Instagram account tailored to the point of
perfection.
They share their life in every photo they post which gets large amount of
attention from their tens of thousands of followers. These bloggers and influencers
includes Laureen Uy, Camille Co, Kryz Uy, David Guison and Kim Jones to name a few.
Their feed is very ideal, a work of art worth to stalk for everyday inspiration.
According to the study of Gitimu (2006), lurking, stalking or spending time looking
at people’s profile on social media without having communication with them is a
significant reason for students to be active on SNSs. But this stalking can be harmful for
one’s online esteem. This can lead to Instagram envy not only to the official bloggers
and brand influencers but unfortunately also to your friends and acquaintances you
follow on IG as the user see their posts once and awhile.
According to Krasnova (2013) SNSs offer users easy and transparent means to
compare and judge the quality or level themselves against their peers, inducing them to
engage in social comparison. On Instagram, users can show his or her appreciation
towards a certain post by liking it. Krasnova added that when a user receives a high
number of likes in a post, he or she is more likely to produce posts of the same or even
better quality to satisfy oneself and for his followers to continue liking his posts.
Over-exposure to social information on social networking sites can trigger avid
users of Instagram to feel envious that can affect their own life satisfaction and worse, it
can compromise their well-being and identity. (Krasnova, 2013)
Hubilla, et al. (2008) said in their study that fans encounter different problems,
but some are usually untold. Most fans don’t consider problems as problems. According
to the study of Garcia et al., (2014), the five chief reason of posting envy-inducing post
namely, to brag, to gain reactions, to gain likes, to socialize and to share.
When jealousy is applied to a famous actress or model, it is distant and
ambivalent, their level of beauty is seemingly untouchable standard for the average
person and thus non-threatening. But envy is different- biting and self-analytical- when
applied to a “normal” person, whether to a friend in a gorgeous OOTD, an acquaintance
who travels often or a foodie who’s at the newest restaurant.
(Life Measure in Likes, August 2015, Retrieved from: https://femsplain.com/life-
measured-in-likes-a-take-on-instagram-envy)
Golder and Lotan (2010) said that liking may imply many opportunities that can
be understood in different contexts and can be interpreted as indications of one’s
shared interest in the content or the user who posted that content.
Han & Jang (2015) showed in their study that an Instagrammer gets more likes
as they post many interesting photos. The numbers of their followers and the hashtags
they use in photos also have a big effect on the number of likes a post gets.
Many teens tend to manipulate their photo content to receive as many Likes as
possible or sometimes remove some photos with too few likes. This may be because
attention generated by likes has become one way of establishing self-validation and self-
worth, and teens want to show off their coolness to the public. (Han et al., 2015)
Teens are cognizant of their online reputations, and take steps to curate the
content and appearance of their social media presence. Likes specifically seem to be a
strong proxy for social status, such that teen Facebook users will manipulate their profile
and timeline content in order to garner the maximum number of likes, and remove
photos with too few likes. (Madden, 2013)
In Instagram, we only see the partial truth. We have the choice to decide what
people can see through our feed and what they cannot. Society nowadays is rich,
transforming, valuable and difficult; it doesn’t happen in this partial truth and well edited
photos. But the other half of the truth can push one’s envy button as we share our own
peak experiences. Everyone’s life looks better on social media and that causes envy. All
one can say for certain is that the feeling of envy isn’t likely to increase one’s capacity for
happiness, quite reverse. (Epstein, 2006)
Synthesis:
With the researcher’s gathered data, it can be said that the internet is a powerful tool of
communication that caters worldwide. It has transcended boundaries by linking different
people and races by these social media platforms. Throughout time, the use of social
media has expanded more than just a means of communicating and expressing oneself.
Although social media has some issues to be dealt with, like the misuse of the sites and
cybercrimes, one-click, one-share, privacy and Instagram envy. Social Media is
consistently updating their platforms to accommodate these growing issues with the
users and sites. Now, the users are able to personalize the level of security in their
devices and SNS accounts with back-up and recovery features, as well as privacy
settings that can be customized so that users can choose who they share their content
with.
With the rise of Instagram and other Social Networking sites, these communities have
provided a space in which groups of people can gather and appreciate a certain
aesthetic, such as Food, Travel, Fashion and Beauty, Dance, etc. There are five types of
Instagram users and the photos they post dominantly, namely: a) Selfie-lovers, photos of
themselves or selfies; b) Quote/Poetry lovers, photos of inspirational and/or meaningful
texts c) Food-posters, food and restaurants or cafes d) Friendship/Self posters, images
of bonding with peers; e) Activity posters, indoor/outdoor activities, travel and
recreational activities. Netizens show their appreciation and critiques through ‘likes’ and
comments that may or may not empower the user’s outlook towards his own profile.
People use social media as a way of expressing themselves and sharing their talent to
other people through producing visual works based on social networks with online
interaction. Instagram users post different kind of pictures as a creative hobby that offers
up content that’s both easy to digest and easy to admire on the part of the audience.
Furthermore, the excessive use, stalking and mindless scrolling through these
sites can trigger a sense of social competition or envy. Users can feel inferior if their
shared photos aren’t as aesthetically beautiful by comparing the number of likes,
comments and reactions. These happenings, in turn, push other users into giving more
effort in their posts, even going to extreme measures just to get the perfect Instagram
shot.
CHAPTER THREE
DESIGN AND PROCEDURE
This chapter contains the research design, the sample and sampling technique,
the instrumentation used in the study, the data gathering sample and statistical formula.
Research Design
In the research entitled “The Level of Instagram Envy among the Students in the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines”, the researchers used the Quantitative
Research Approach. This type of research quantifies the variation in a phenomenon,
situation, problem or issue; gathering information by using predominantly quantitative
variables and if the analysis is geared to ascertain the magnitude of the variation.
(Kumar, 1996) In other words, Quantitative type of research explains phenomena by
collecting numerical data that are analyzed using mathematically based methods in
particular statistic. (Aliaga and Gunderson, 2000) It is found to be appropriate for the
study because the researchers wanted to explore the scale and scope of how Instagram
Envy affects a student Instagram user’s posting habits.

Furthermore, the study applied the descriptive method of research. Descriptive
Research, according to Henson and Soriano (1999), seeks to describe or explain
phenomenon by collecting information/knowledge through structured questions. It is also
considered the most frequently used mode of research in social sciences.
Sample and Sampling Technique
The researchers used the random sampling technique to remain objective in getting the
samples. Random sampling technique permits each member of the population to have
equal chance of being included in the samples (Garcia, 2005). This is also the most
common method of sampling used in research. The number of respondents or samples
was gathered by this method. To do so, sample size is determined by using the Sloven
formula.
N
n= 2
1+ N e
Where: n = Sample
N = Population
e = margin of error
Applying the formula above with the given: N = 39437, e = 0.05
N
n= 2
1+ Ne
39437
n=
1+39437(0.05)2
39437
n=
98.595
n=399.989857498
399 respondents
400 sample size
Data Collection Procedure
In the field of research, the survey is the most common method used to gather opinions,
current conditions, preferences, health care needs, attitudes or any information that
might be useful in any purposive undertaking. The survey is the most common way of
gathering data from the field. (Portillo, et al. 2003) This is why the researchers utilized
this method in gathering data needed for their research by means of making a
questionnaire that contains queries that were formulated by the researchers based on
their objectives. The survey will be conducted with 400 respondents from different
colleges in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Instrumentation
A Questionnaire is a printed form containing questions to be asked and instructions and
provisions for answers. (Garcia, 2005) This is used as the instrument in the study and it
is comprised of three parts: demographics, Instagram habits and the level of envy
among respondents.
The demographic part of the questionnaire asked about the respondent’s demographic
profile, including their age, gender, year level and economic status. Next part is about
the respondents’ Instagram habits, including the frequency or how often they post photos
and how many hours and days they spend using Instagram. It also consists of questions
regarding their preferences on posting photos whether if they are more on food, places
or selfies as well as the personalities they follow on Instagram. Another question is
about the reason/s of the respondents’ on using and posting on Instagram. And the last
part of the questionnaire contains inquiries about the respondent’s level of envy.
Pilot testing of this survey questionnaire was conducted among random
respondents in the College of Communication and College of Engineering in the
Polytechnic University of the Philippines to verify the effectiveness and clarity of the
instrument.
Statistical Formula
The statistical formulas used in the study are the following: Frequency Distribution,
Weighted Mean and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient.
Frequency Distribution is defined as the arrangement of the gathered data by categories
plus their corresponding frequencies and class marks or midpoints. (Punzalan and
Uriarte, 2000) This is done by arranging the gathered data into a frequency distribution
table labeled with their class marks and frequency marks.

Percentage is a useful indicator in determining which items in a group were favored most
and which items in a group were favored least by the respondents of a research study.
(Garcia, 2005)
F
P= x 100
N
Where: P = Percentage
F = Frequency
N = Total Number of Population
Weighted Mean is a method of computing a kind of arithmetic mean of a set of numbers
in which some elements of the set carry more importance (weight) than others (Garcia,
2005). Weighted Mean was used to measure the general response of the survey
samples, whether they agree to a given statement or not.
W X́=
∑ Wx
N
Where: W X́ = Weighted Mean
∑ Wx = Total weighted value
N = Total number of cases
Correlation Coefficient, more commonly known as Pearson’s R, is the degree of
association or closeness of relationship between two variables. It is named after its
originator and is a measure of linear association. It is designed for use with interval or
ratio data. (Basilio, et al. 2003) the two variables used were the Instagram envy and the
posting habits. In order to know the strength and significant relationship between these
two, the Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was used.
N ∑ xy −( ∑ x )( ∑ y )
r=
√ [ N ∑ x −(∑ x) ][ N ∑ y −(∑ y ) ]
2 2 2 2
Where:
N = number of pairs of scores
∑ xy = sum of products of paired scores
∑x = sum of x scores
∑ y =¿ sum of y scores
∑ x2 = sum of squared x scores
∑ y2 = sum of squared y scores
The range and interpretation used for Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient are shown
below:
Table 1: Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient Ranges
RANGES Verbal Interpretation

± 0.76 - ± 0.99 Very Strong
± 0.51 - ± 0.75 Strong
± 0.26 - ± 0.50 Moderate
± 0.11 - ± 0.25 Weak
± 0.01 - ± 0.10 Very Weak
CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
This chapter provides the collected data, its interpretation and analysis through a series
of organized tables to show the information gathered from their instrumentation. Included
are the demographic profile, usage, preference and the level of envy.
Table 1: Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents in terms of
Age
Age Frequency Percentage (%)

17 and Below 133 33.25
18 – 19 213 53.25
20 and Above 54 13.50
Total 400 100.00
Table 1 presents the age of the respondents. The age bracket 18 to 19 years old
garnered the highest percentage of 53.25, followed by the bracket 17 and below that
garnered 33.25% while the age bracket 20 and above garnered the lowest percentage of
13.50.
Based on the survey, a large portion of Instagram users in the university are either 18 or
19 year-olds, at the stage where they have their own lifestyle and already established
their social cliques or ‘squads’ which expose them to a wider variety of Instagram users.
According to Kraut et al., (1998) young people between the ages of 13 to 19 have been
identified as the generation with the highest internet use since the late 1990s. In
addition, Lenhart (2015) said that facilitated by the widespread availability of
smartphones, teens go online almost constantly.
As the respondents were born and raised in the age of computers and online
communication, Lenhart et al., (2010) said that these teenagers share self-created
content, post their opinions, and link to other content online compared to any other
demographic group.
their Sex
Sex Frequency Percentage (%)

Male 87 21.75
Female 313 78.25
Total 400 100.00
Table 2 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of the respondents in
terms of their sex. The table presents that majority of the respondents, 78.25% are
female while 21.75% are male out of the 400 respondents.
It can be seen here that there are more female Instagram users than male
Instagram users among the respondents of the university. According to Barker (2009),
adolescent girls use Social Networking Sites more often to keep in touch and
communicate with their peers to build stronger relationships with them, while boys use
the platforms from time to time only for them to meet new people and make new friends.
Al-Saggaf & Nielsen (2011) said that social media accounts are the center of
social activity that includes comments from friends and strangers that’s why women are
more likely to disclose their selves and photos online.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said that that the whole world’s gone social,
and women are more social than men. She added that women on Facebook have 8%
more friends than men do and they do 62% of the sharing. (Funk, 2011)
Social networking sites like Facebook makes women more addicted and
engaged to social media according to Andraessen et al., (2012). With these result and
supporting literature and studies, the researchers interpreted that female are more
engaged on Social Networking Sites because they are more open to share their
personality and identity.
Year Level
Year Level Frequency Percentage (%)

1 17 4.25
2 148 37.00
3 120 30.00
4 115 28.75
Total 400 100.00
Out of the 400 respondents, 37% of them are 2 nd year college students, 30% of
them 3rd year college students, 28.75% of them are 4th year college students while only
4.25% of them are 1st year college students.
Based on the current population list of the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines, among the 39,937 students, only 2, 976 of them were first year level
students. This supports the result above saying that only 4.25% of the sample size was
freshmen students.
Table 4: Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Respondents in
terms of Number of Days the Respondents use Instagram in a Week
Days per Week Frequency Percentage (%)

1 - 3 days 189 47.25
4 - 5 days 112 28.00
6 - 7 days 99 24.75
Total 400 100.00
The table above shows the number of days in a week the respondents spend in
using Instagram. This presents that 189 or 47.25% of the 400 student respondents use
Instagram 1-3 days a week, and 112 or 28% of them use the said application 4-5 days a
week while 99 or 24.75% uses it 6-7 days a week.
According to Sullivan (2015), college students are usually busy and distracted.
They are required to fill out a flurry of paperwork as school begins. Having said that,
there is a considerable amount of Instagram users in the University but majority of them
do not use the application daily, as the survey shows that 47% use Instagram only 1-3
days a week. Presumably, this is due to their presence in school which limits the things
and the pictures they can share and capture as they remain in the campus for majority of
the time.
Number of Hours the Respondents use Instagram in a Day
Hours Spent Frequency Percentage (%)

Less than 1 hour 175 43.75
1 - 2 hours 140 35.00
3 - 5 hours 68 17.00
More than 6 hours 17 4.25
Total 400 100.00
Table 5 shows the frequency and percentage distribution of how many hours a
day the respondents spent using Instagram. Out of the 400 student respondents, 175 or
43.75% of them uses Instagram less than one hour a day. 140 or 35% of them uses the
said application 1-2 hours a day and 68 or 17% of them uses it 3-5 hours a day. Only 17
or 4.25% of the respondents uses Instagram for more than 6 hours a day.
Most of the respondents spend less than an hour or 1-2 hours on the said
application because in Instagram, users tend to upload one to five photos a day.
Marwick (2014) added that however, while Facebook and Twitter encourage
constant streams of updates, Instagram requires more selective posting. Most users
post only a few times a day, and posting several times in a row is disfavored.
Krasnova (2013) added that teenagers who use Twitter and Instagram said that
they could better express themselves on these platforms, unlike with Facebook where
they felt freed from its social expectations and constraints. These teens switch to other
social networking sites to avoid negative posts and stay on a platform where they can
satisfy their social needs and desires; and Instagram is one of those sites with images
that are usually manipulated to present an artsy, classy, and luxurious lifestyle that they
may want for themselves.
With its simple user interface, Instagram lets its users browse their feeds, comment on
photos and post pictures of their own. Krasnova (2013) added that based on the number
of the accounts a person follows, there may not be as much posts to see on their feed
daily compared to those who follow a lot of accounts who may see updates far more
often and is able to interact more and spend longer times in the application. With this,
Krasnova implies that the number of people a person follows affects the number of hours
the person use the said SNS.

the Number of People they follow on Instagram
People you Follow Frequency Percentage (%)
Less than 50 49 12.25

51 - 100 91 22.75
101 - 200 122 30.50
More than 200 138 34.50
Total 400 100.00
Table 6 displays the frequency and percentage distribution of the respondents in
terms of the number of people they follow on Instagram. The largest part of the
respondents which is 34.50% or 138 of 400 students said that they follow more than 200
people on Instagram. However 30.50% or 122 of the respondents follow 101-200 people
while 22.75% or 91 students follow 51-100 and lastly, 12.25% or 49 of the respondents
follow less than 50 people.
Instagrammers follow their friends, celebrities, bloggers and other personalities to
keep updated on their whereabouts and latest happenings about them resulting to a
large number of following in Instagram. Lindahl (2013) said that Instagram provide a
platform to its users to stay connected and to communicate with each other through
photos. Additionally, the act of taking photographs is essential and Instagram is
significant as a tool for circulation within social media.
The number of accounts a user follows plays a role in his level of Instagram envy.
As one is exposed to a high number of users who share a variety of posts on Instagram,
one is more susceptible to feel envious in relation to the findings of Jordan et al., (2011),
which suggests that upward social comparison and envy can be rampant in a peer-
dominated SNS environment, which can provide to negative outcomes passive following
was shown to produce.
However, Hu et al., (2014) showed in their study that there is no direct
relationship between the number of followers an Instagrammer have and the type of
users characterized in terms of her shared photos, through statistical significance tests.
the Average Likes they get in an Instagram Post
Average Likes Frequency Percentage (%)

0 - 50 282 70.50
51 - 100 76 19.00
101 - 500 34 8.50
501 and Above 3 0.75
No Response 5 1.25
Total 400 100.00
The table shows the frequency and percentage of the number of likes that
respondents usually get in their Instagram posts. With the highest percentage of
70.50%, most of the respondents said that they frequently get 0-50 likes in they
Instagram posts. While 19% or 76 of 400 students normally get 51-100 likes. Followed
by 8.50% or 34 respondets who usually get 101-500 likes. And the most number of likes
which is 501 and above got the least number of respondents with the percentage of
0.75% or 3 students. However, 1.25% or 5 respondents have no response to the
question.
According to Krasnova (2013) SNSs offer users easy and transparent means to
compare and judge the quality or level themselves against their peers, inducing them to
engage in social comparison. On Instagram, users can show his or her appreciation
towards a certain post by liking it. Krasnova added that when a user receives a high
number of likes in a post, he or she is more likely to produce posts of the same or even
better quality to satisfy oneself and for his followers to continue liking his posts.
The 3 respondents above that gets 501 and above likes in a post can be
interpreted with the supporting literature of Krasnova that they post much better quality
of photos compared to those who gets 500 and below likes. These people may have
continued posting the same attractive photos that can give them more number of
followers who can like their post.
Many teens tend to manipulate their photo content to receive as many Likes as
possible or sometimes remove some photos with too few likes. This may be because
attention generated by likes has become one way of establishing self-validation and self-
worth, and teens want to show off their coolness to the public. (Han et al., 2015)
Golder and Lotan (2010) said that liking may imply many opportunities that can
be understood in different contexts and can be interpreted as indications of one’s
shared interest in the content or the user who posted that content.
Teens are cognizant of their online reputations, and take steps to curate the
content and appearance of their social media presence. Likes specifically seem to be a
strong proxy for social status, such that teen Facebook users will manipulate their profile
and timeline content in order to garner the maximum number of likes, and remove
photos with too few likes. (Madden, 2013)

To receive as many likes as possible, teens tend to manipulate their photo
content and sometimes remove some photo with too few likes. This may be because
attention generated by Likes has become one way of establishing self-validation and
self-worth, and teens want to show off their coolness to the public. (Han et al., 2015)
Han & Jang (2015) showed in their study that an Instagrammer gets more likes
as they post many interesting photos. The numbers of their followers and the hashtags
they use in photos also have a big effect on the number of likes a post gets.
As the pressure of producing an Instagram-worthy photo and keeping up the
standard of his or her profile, many users utilize photo-manipulating applications to
enhance the appearance of the photos they have taken before showing it to his or her
followers, they make sure that their succeeding posts keep up with their “theme” or live
up to the standard of the online personality they built for themselves. These ‘likes’
usually determine if their post meets these requirements, and with some posts receiving
low number of likes, one is likely to remove it because it is not enough to satisfy his or
her requirements.
Table 8: Frequency Distribution and Ranking of the Respondents in terms of the
Kind of Personalities they follow on Instagram
Kind of Personalities Frequency Ranking
Ordinary people/Friends 324 1

Celebrities/Famous
294 2
Personalities
Bloggers/Brand Ambassadors 159 3
Random People 117 4
Table 8 represents the frequency and ranking of different kind of personalities
that repondents follow on Instagram. First on the rank is “ordinary people/friends” with
the frequency of 324. Next on the list is the “celebrities/famous personalities” with the
frequency of 294. While 159 of the respondents follow “bloggers/brand ambassadors”
which ranks on the third place. And the “random people” got the least followers with 117
frequency.
Hile (2011) said that the tools available on today’s internet allow almost everyone
to broadcast their own profile or video to as many as two billion viewers worldwide. The
kinds of people a user follows on Instagram usually show a person’s interest and their
own personality.
Supported by what Hinton & Hjorth (2014) said that online communication of
people depends on how strong their offline ties were. Top on the list of categories is the
“ordinary people/friends”. Definitely people will follow the users they personally know
because they know more information and details about them and they are more
interested to see the latest updates about their friends.
Ellison (2007) found in his study that the number of friends on Facebook was
positively associated with several commonalities referents, such as high school,
hometown, same major and same school. This can be connected with the result of
the survey saying that 324 of the 400 respondents follow ordinary people and friends.
Based on the survey, the celebrities and famous personalities are the second
most followed persons by the respondents. Braudy (1986) said that media and celebrity
are inextricably intertwined. Celebrities historically proliferated with broadcast media,
which enabled the celebrity image to spread far beyond its origins.
Marwick (2014) said that social media allow average people to reach the broad
audiences once available only to those with access to broadcast media. In a single post,
one can now reach people around the world. This supports the data above that 159 of
the 400 respondents follow bloggers and brand ambassadors as their single post about
a product for example can reach many netizens.
Table 9: Frequency Distribution and Ranking of the Respondents in terms of the
Kinds of Photos they Post on Instagram
Kind of Photos Frequency Ranking

Selfies 264 2
Travel and Leisure 244 3
Food 298 1
Fashion 136 4
The table above represents the frequency distribution and ranking of the kinds of
photos that the respondents normally post on Instagram. Keeping in mind that an
average Instagram user does not have only one kind of photo on Instagram, the
respondents shared the different types of photos they have on their Instagram account.
With 298 respondents, the category “food” ranks first on the list followed by “selfies” with
264 respondents. While 244 respondents said that they usually post photos of “travel
and leisure”. And 136 students frequently post pictures of “fashion”.
It can be seen here that majority of the population post photos of “food”, “selfies”
and “travel and leisure”. Like what Hinton and Hjorth (2014) said, smartphone application
Instagram have made taking and sharing photographs easier and more interesting. The
researchers interpreted that the respondents find Instagram as appealing and easy way
of posting photos because of its features wherein you can take photos, play with
different filters and post it immediately.
One of the unique characteristics of Instagram that made its users to adopt it
quickly is that it serves as a medium to share pictures worldwide like an online gallery
without any hassle. (Hinton and Hjorth, 2014.)
The category “travel and leisure” got 244 respondents which is also high.
According to Lindahl (2013) photography gives shape to travel and helps determining
which destinations we visit. People post photos of different places they visit to prove and
show their identity to others that they have been there.
Bakhshi (2015) also found on their study that filtered photos of food are more
likely to be viewed and commented on.
Faces are shown to be powerful visual tool used in human non-verbal
communication. Bakshi (2014) found on their study that photos with faces are 38% more
likely to be liked and 32% more likely to be commented on. This study can be related to
the result above saying that 264 of the 400 respondents post selfies on Instagram as it
gets more likes and comments especially from the followers an Instagrammer personally
knows.
Table 10: Frequency Distribution and Ranking of the Respondents in terms of their
Reasons for Posting on Instagram
Reason for Posting Frequency Ranking

To share and express 370 1
To gain likes 47 3
To brag 20 4
To socialize 212 2
The table above shows the frequency distribution and ranking of the reasons for
posting on Instagram by the respondents. They answered a combination of the
aforementioned reasons but 370 respondents said that they post on Instagram “to share
and express”. Next on the rank is “to socialize” with 212 respondents while 47 of the
students said that their reason is to “gain likes” and 20 of them said that their motive is
“to brag”.
Social Networking Sites main purpose is to provide a platform where people from
anywhere in the world can connect through the internet, but nowadays SNS are used in
a lot of ways. According to the study of Garcia et al., (2014) the five chief reason of
posting on social media is namely, to brag, to gain reactions, to gain likes, to socialize
and to share.
Most of the respondents said that their main reason is “to share and express”
and “to socialize”. Hile (2011) said that many people share their private thoughts on
blogs or micro-blogs and post their pictures for the world to see.
As cited in Hile, (2011) Andy Warhol declared in 1968, that in the future;
everyone will be world famous for fifteen minutes. Other respondents said that their
reason for posting is “to gain likes” and “to brag”. Instagram users enjoy their instant
fame through the likes they get on their posts and the followers that tune in to the kinds
of posts they have on their profiles. It gives them a feeling of being a celebrity, especially
when their Instagram status launches them into other platforms like modelling, brand
representation and the like.
Agreed to what Hinton & Hjorth (2014) said that people quickly adapt social
media because they see it as a way to get their work out to larger audience. Many
respondents post photos on Instagram to socialize and to share and express because
they come into thinking that many of their friends and other people can see their posts.
Table 11: Frequency, Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the Respondents
in terms of their Engagement to Instagram
N S O A
Engagement to Weighted Verbal
4 3 2 1
Instagram Mean Interpretation
Frequency
Upload photos/videos 21 187 118 73 2.39 Often
Like/comment on
16 130 168 86 2.19 Often
Instagram posts
Browse News feed 14 92 155 139 1.95 Often
Send photos through
direct message 163 151 70 16 3.15 Sometimes
to friends
Checking on friends’
43 150 148 59 2.44 Often
photos/feed
Overall Weighted Mean 2.43 Often
The table above represents the frequency, weighted mean and verbal
interpretation of the respondents’ engagement to Instagram. The third statement,
browsing news feed, got the highest weighted mean, 1.95, and has a verbal
interpretation often. The second, third and fifth statements, all got a verbal interpretation
often, with corresponding weighted means, 2.19, 2.39 and 2.44 respectively. While the
fourth statement, sending photos through direct message, got the lowest weighted
mean, 3.15, and has a verbal interpretation of sometimes. Overall, the weighted mean of
the respondents’ engagement to Instagram is 2.43, which means the student
respondents of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines often engage to Instagram
activities.
The result shows that the respondents often use the features of Instagram
because it’s their way to stay connected with each other and to remind other users that
they are still an active user of the application. Hinton & Hjorth (2014) said that
communication between people on the network remains dynamic through comments,
status updates and private messages.
Additionally, social networking sites are now developing into forms of familial
interaction, socializing, relationship management and identity construction. (Hinton &
Hjorth, 2014)
According to the study of Gitimu (2006), lurking, stalking or spending time looking
at people’s profile on social media without having communication with them is a
significant reason for students to be active on SNSs.
With social networking sites, students used different ways to communicate and
connect with their friends and family including posting wall posts and status updates.
Students also send private messages and post photos as well. Probably, the former
were easier and faster to communicate than the latter. (Gitimu, 2006) This can be related
to the result above that sending photots through direct messages to friend got a verbal
interpretation of sometimes compared to the other Instagram habits.
Table 12: Frequency, Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of the Respondents
in terms of the Level of Envy
N S O A
Weighted Verbal
Level of Envy 4 3 2 1
Mean Interpretation
Frequency
Whenever I use Instagram, I feel
227 123 40 10 3.42 Sometimes
negative afterwards.
236 131 30 3 3.50 Sometimes
lonely afterwards.
168 159 60 13 3.21 Sometimes
bored afterwards.
182 155 53 10 3.27 Sometimes
envious afterwards.
Whenever I use, I feel frustrated
241 110 45 4 3.47 Sometimes
afterwards.
I feel envy whenever I see posts
showing the achievements and
164 157 62 17 3.17 Sometimes
scholastic abilities other
Instagrammers have.
I feel conscious about how my
body looks after seeing other
163 145 71 21 3.13 Sometimes
Instagrammer’s photos showing
their sexy figure.
I feel frustrated about my own
talents and abilities after seeing
173 156 51 20 3.21 Sometimes
what other Instagrammers can
do.
I feel insecure whenever I see
the financial capacity of other
174 141 68 17 3.18 Sometimes
Instagrammers that reflects on
their posts.
As I see other Instagrammers’
travel and vacation posts, I feel 132 167 73 28 3.01 Sometimes
envious of them.
I am triggered to travel and take
pictures of my vacation in
164 139 70 27 3.10 Sometimes
beautiful places to compete with
other Instagrammers.
As I see other Instagrammers’
posts showing their good
248 95 51 6 3.46 Sometimes
relationship with their family, I
feel sad for myself.
As I see posts of other
Instagrammers being happy with
230 118 41 11 3.42 Sometimes
their friends/squad goals, I feel
insecure.
As I see posts of other
Instagrammers enjoying big
171 132 68 29 3.11 Sometimes
events, concerts, parties and
luxuries, I feel anxious.
I am unsatisfied with my material
possessions after seeing the
208 121 62 9 3.32 Sometimes
properties of other
Instagrammers.
I am envy with how other
Instagrammers look fashionably 188 138 61 13 3.25 Sometimes
in their OOTD’s.
I push myself to buy new clothes
and accessories to compete with 284 69 40 7 3.58 Never
other users.
I feel upset whenever I see other
Instagrammers’ post showing
219 113 53 15 3.34 Sometimes
creative shots of the food they
eat.
I push myself to eat at fine dining
restaurants and cute café even if
286 64 41 9 3.57 Never
its food costs too much just to
compensate my feed.
I imitate posts I see from other
Instagrammers including flat lays 213 108 42 37 3.24 Sometimes
and artsy shots.
Overall Weighted Mean 3.30 Sometimes
The table above shows the frequency, weighted mean and verbal interpretation
in regards to the level of envy on Instagram. The statement “I push myself to buy new
clothes and accessories to compete with other users.” got the highest weighted mean of
3.58, which was assessed by the respondents as “Never”, followed by “I push myself to
eat at fine dining restaurants and cute café even if its food costs too much just to
compensate my feed.” As the second highest weighted mean with 3.57 which was also
assessed by the respondents as “Never”.
The rest of the statements with their corresponding weighted means, namely:
“Whenever I use Instagram, I feel lonely afterwards.” (3.50), “Whenever I use Instagram,
I feel frustrated afterwards.” (3.47), “As I see the other Instagrammers’ post showing
their good relationship with their family, I feel sad for myself.” (3.46), “As I see posts of
other Instagrammers being happy with their friends/squad goals, I feel insecure.” (3.42),
“Whenever I use Instagram, I feel negative afterwards.” (3.42), “I feel upset whenever I
see other Instagrammers’ post showing creative shots of the food they eat.” (3.34), “I am
unsatisfied with my material possessions after seeing the properties of other
Instagrammers.” (3.32), “Whenever I use Instagram, I feel envious afterwards.” (3.27), “I
am envy with how other Instagrammers look fashionably in their OOTD’s” (3.25), “I
imitate post I see from other Instagrammers including flatlays and artsy shots.” (3.24),
“Whenever I use Instagram, I feel bored afterwards.” (3.21), “I feel frustrated about my
own talents and abilities after seeing what other Instagrammer can do.” (3.21), “I feel
insecure whenever I see the financial capacity of other Instagrammers reflecting on their
posts.” (3.18), “I feel envy whenever I see posts showing the achievements and
scholastic abilities other Instagrammers have.” (3.17), “I feel conscious about how my
body looks after seeing other Instagrammers’ photos showing their sexy figure.” (3.13),
“As I see posts of other instagrammers enjoying big events, concerts, parties and
luxuries, I feel anxious.” (3.11), “I am triggered to travel and take pictures of my vacation
in beautiful places to compete with other Instagrammers.” (3.10), “As I see other
Instagrammers’ travel vacation posts, I feel envious of them.” (3.01) all are assessed by
the respondents as “sometimes”.
Over-exposure to social information on social networking sites can trigger avid
users of Instagram to feel envious that can affect their own life satisfaction and worse, it
can compromise their well-being and identity. (Krasnova, 2013) This might cause
adjustments and changes in their lifestyle to satisfy themselves in a way that their self-
esteem can be redeemed.
However, the results show that there is a low level of Instagram envy among the
students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines. The respondents seldom feel
envious when seeing posts of other Instagrammers on the said application.

CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY
Listed below are the significant findings of the study based on the objectives
formulated by the researchers.
1. To get the socio-demographic profile of the communication students from the

1.1 Age
The study was participated by 400 students. The age bracket 18 to 19 years
old got the highest percentage of 53.25%, followed by the bracket 17 and
below that garnered 33.25% while the age bracket 20 and above garnered
the lowest percentage of 13.50.

1.2 Sex
Among the population, 78.25% of the respondents were female while 21.75%
of them were male.

1.3 Year Level
The respondents were from 1st year to 4th year level. Most of them were 2 nd
year students, garnering 37% of the sample size, followed by the 3 rd year
level students, 30%, then the 4th year level students, 28.75%. The first year
level got the lowest percentage of 4.25.

2. To know the Instagram habits of the respondents in terms of:
2.1 Frequency
Majority of the respondents, 47.25% only uses Instagram 1-3 days in a week.
Almost half of them use the said application less than an hour in a day. While
34.5% of the population follows more than 200 accounts on Instagram. 282
out of the 400 respondents only get 0-50 likes in an Instagram post. The kind
of personalities they follow were categorized into four and 324 of the 400
respondents follow ordinary people/friends, 294 follows celebrities/famous
people, 159 follows bloggers/brand ambassadors and 117 of them follows
random people. The kind of photos they post were also divided into four
kinds; 298 of the 400 respondents posts photos of food, 264 posts their own
selfies, 244 posts travel and leisure-related photos and 136 of them posts
fashion-related photos. The 400 respondents often engage to Instagram
habits. They often upload photos/videos, like/comment on Instagram posts,
browse news feed and checks on their friends’ photos/feed. However, they
only sometimes send photos through direct messages to their friends.

2.2 Preferences
The kind of personalities they follow were categorized into four and 324 of the
400 respondents follow ordinary people/friends, 294 follows
celebrities/famous people, 159 follows bloggers/brand ambassadors and 117
of them follows random people. The kind of photos they post were also
divided into four kinds; 298 of the 400 respondents posts photos of food, 264
posts their own selfies, 244 posts travel and leisure-related photos and 136 of
them posts fashion-related photos.

2.3 Reasons
The respondents’ reasons for posting in photos were also divided into four;
370 of the 400 respondents post photos to share and express, 212 post
photos to socialize, 47 post photos to gain likes and only 20 of them post
photos to brag.
3. Level of Envy
Among the 20 situational statements answered by the respondents to measure
their level of envy, only two got a verbal interpretation of ‘never’. These two
statements are, ‘I push myself to buy new clothes and accessories to compete
with other users’ and ‘I push myself to eat at fine dining restaurants and cute café
even if its food costs too much just to compensate my feed’; while the remaining
18 statements had a verbal interpretation of ‘sometimes’.
CONCLUSION
Based on the significant findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn:
1. The population of female respondents were far greater than the male ones with
78% to 22%, aged 18-19 years old and mostly are second year students, with the
minority of first year students with 4%.

2. The respondents preference turned out to favour only using Instagram for less
than one hour at 1-3 days a week. On average, the respondents follow more than
200 users in the application, mostly their own friends and random people
followed closely by celebrities and famous personalities. Furthermore, the
respondents receive less than 50 likes on their Instagram posts on average and
engage mostly in posting photos, liking and commenting on photos, browsing the
news feed and checking their friends’ feed. Pictures of food and selfies are at the
top of their most frequent post which are posted to share and express and to
socialize.
3. The researchers concluded that the students of the Polytechnic University of the
Philippines have a low level of Instagram envy which rejects the hypothesis of
the study. This is supported by the 20 situational statements on the third part of
the questionnaire.
RECOMMENDATION
The following recommendations were presented based on the significant findings and
conclusion of the study.
For the students/instagrammers
For the academe

 Although the result of the study shows that there is a low level of Instagram envy
among the students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the researchers
suggest that the academe would conduct forums and seminars about Instagram
envy and proper use of the said application including other social networking
sites for the students to become aware of it and lessen its harmful effects.
For the future researchers
 Since the researchers only focused on the students of the Polytechnic University
of the Philippines, it is recommended that the future researchers include other
students from different schools to obtain a comprehensive information regarding
Instagram Envy.
 Furthermore, the researchers suggest that the future researches would improve
and make an update of this study since Instagram keeps on adding new features
and constantly changing.

 In addition, future researchers may modify this study through adapting it into
another approach or qualitative method in order to provide information that will
support the statistical data provided in this study.
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Garcia, N. et al. (2014). BragBook: The Online Personality of Communication
Students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Hubila, A. et al. (2008). “Living La Idolo Ka” A Case Study on the Influences of
Local Celebrity Idols to Showbiz Fans

Ho, Y. et al. (2015). What We Instagram: An Analysis on Instagram Photo
Content and User Types

Ramirez, C. et al. (2013). The Ethical practices on the Uses of internet of
Selected Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of
Communication
C. Others
#20PHnet: A timeline of Philippine Internet. March 20, 2014. Retrieved from
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/timeline-philippine-internet-20th-anniversary-
225454753.html
A Snapshot of Instagram Usage in the Philippines. Jan. 29, 2014. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/jsncruz/instagram-usage-in-the-philippines-2014
Life Measure in Likes. Aug. 04, 2015. Retrieved from
https://femsplain.com/life-measured-in-likes-a-take-on-instagram-envy/
APPENDICES
A. Instrument
z
Polytechnic University of the Year Level:
Philippines
College of Communication
Department of Broadcast Communication ______________________________
Anonas St., Sta. Mesa, Manila
Course and Section:
To our dear respondents,
Good day!
We are students from BABRC 4-1D and currently conducting a

study entitled “THE LEVEL OF INSTAGRAM ENVY AMONG THE
STUDENTS OF POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES”.
With this, we would like to seek your support by answering our
survey. Rest assured that we will value all your information
and respect your privacy.
Thank you very much for your cooperation!
-The Researchers
_________________________________
PART I: RESPONDENT’S DEMOGRAPHIC
PROFILE
Name: (optional)
_________________________________
Instagram Username: (optional) PART II: INSTAGRAM HABITS
_________________________________ (FREQUENCY, REASONS, PREFERENCES)
Age: _______________
1. How many days per week do you use
Sex: Male Female Instagram?
1-3 days a week
4-5 days a week
6-7 days a week Instagram posts
2. How many hours do you spend on Browse News feed
Instagram? Send photos through
Less than 1 hour direct message to
1-2 hours a day friends
3-5 hours a day Checking on friends’
6 hours and more a day photos/feed
7. What kind of photos do you usually

3. How many people do you follow on
post on Instagram? You may check more
Instagram?
than one box.
Less than 50 Selfies Travel and
51-100 Leisure
101-200 Foods Fashion
200 and above 8. What is your reason for posting on
Instagram?
4. How many likes do you get in one You may check more than one box.
photo on average? To share and express
0-50 101-500 To gain likes
51-100 501 and To brag
above To socialize
PART III: LEVEL OF ENVY
5. What kind of personalities do you
follow on Instagram? You may check Kindly put a checkon the answer that
more than one box. best suits how you feel as to:
Ordinary people/Friends 1- Always 2- Often 3 - Sometimes 4-

Celebrities/Famous personalities Rarely
Bloggers/ Brand ambassadors
1 2 3 4
Random people 1. Whenever I use
Instagram, I feel
6. How often do you engage to these negative afterwards.
Instagram activities? 2. Whenever I use
Instagram, I feel
1- Always 2- Often 3 - Sometimes 4– lonely afterwards.
Rarely 3. Whenever I use
Instagram, I feel
bored afterwards.
1 2 3 4 4. Whenever I use
Upload photos/videos Instagram, I feel
Like/comment on envious afterwards.
5. Whenever I use, I feel
frustrated afterwards.
6. I feel envy whenever I
see posts showing the
achievements and
scholastic abilities
other Instagrammers
have.
7. I feel conscious about
how my body looks
after seeing other
Instagrammer’s
photos showing their
sexy figure.
8. I feel frustrated about
my own talents and
abilities after seeing
what other
Instagrammers can
do.
9. I feel insecure
whenever I see the
financial capacity of
other Instagrammers
that reflects on their
posts.
10. As I see other
Instagrammers’ travel
and vacation posts, I
feel envious of them.
11. I am triggered to
travel and take
pictures of my
vacation in beautiful
places to compete
with other
Instagrammers.
12. As I see other
Instagrammers’ posts
showing their good
relationship with their
family, I feel sad for
myself.
13. As I see posts of other compete with other
Instagrammers being users.
happy with their 18. I feel upset whenever
friends/squad goals, I I see other
feel insecure. Instagrammers’ post
14. As I see posts of other showing creative
Instagrammers shots of the food they
enjoying big events, eat.
concerts, parties and 19. I push myself to eat at
luxuries, I feel fine dining
anxious. restaurants and cute
15. I am unsatisfied with café even if its food
my material costs too much just to
possessions after compensate my feed.
seeing the properties 20. I imitate posts I see
of other from other
Instagrammers. Instagrammers
16. I am envy with how including flat lays and
other Instagrammers artsy shots.
look fashionably in
their OOTD’s.
17. I push myself to buy
new clothes and
YEHEY! THANK YOU AND GODBLESS! 
accessories to
-The Researchers
B. Timetable
C. Budget Report
D. Communication

Fianl Thesis As of Nov 13

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THE LEVEL OF INSTAGRAM ENVY AMONG THE STUDENTS OF POLYTECHNIC

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

The College of Communication

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication

Bongabong, Mae Elizebeth C.

Bug-os, Crissa Chirene P.

Patriarca, Ariane Justine A.

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor in Broadcast

Thesis Title: The Level of Instagram Envy Among the Students of

Research Approach: Quantitative research

Researchers: Bongabong, Mae Elizebeth C.

Bug-os, Crissa Chirene P.

Patriarca, Arianne Justine A.

Curriculum Program: Bachelor in Broadcast Communication

Adviser: Dr. Edna T. Bernabe

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

communication is the foundation of all relationship. And even people at a distance

became dominant and popular.

their intention or not. Mindless scrolling through Instagram, according to researchers at

the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Utah Valley University and Humboldt University

likely to create feelings of depression, lonesomeness, resentment, and lowered self-

students in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, promote social awareness

making of a more responsible Instagram account holder.

Background of the Study

Marketing Association (ADMA). The Philippines is in the second highest ranking in

Managing Director, the population is said to double by 2016.

equally envy-inspiring social media personality.

will post even better pictures and so on that triggers self-promotion.

to use SNS and can contribute well in the study.

Statement of the Problem

Instagram. Specifically, it aims to answer the question,

1. To get the socio-demographic profile of the communication students from PUP.

2. To know the Instagram habits of the respondents in terms of:

relationship with an Instagram user’s posting habits.

The Study Framework

study of inner experiences or feelings by subjective, introspective methods. He then

proposed to create the study of psychology scientifically by using objective procedures

including the practice of laboratory experiments which are designed to establish

Fig. 1 Theoretical Paradigm (Stimulus Organism Response Model)

In studying the relationship of Instagram envy to the posting habits of the

Stimulus-Response Model which shows that specific reactions results to an effect of a

their posting habits.

Fig. 2 Conceptual Paradigm (Based on Stimulus-Response model)

Instagram Posting Habits

Significance of the Study

Instagram account holder.

especially Instagram and how to be a responsible netizen.

other social networking sites.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

Instagrammer- a person who uses and has an Instagram account

Instagrammer that makes him envious

Netizen- a person who is actively involved in online communities or the Internet

Response- any behavior of a living organism that causes by stimulus

profile among other users

between stimulus and response

Stimulus- something that triggers a reaction or change

Review of Relevant Literature

through networked computer system. (Hewson et al., 2003)

came up with a timeline of the internet in the country:

August 1986: the first Philippine-based, public-access BBS (bulletin board

1987: the Philippine FidoNet Exchange, a local network for communication