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Chapter 1

Introduction

Background of the Study

Social media have become a part of almost every man’s life particularly

today’s age group. Popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter,

Myspace, etc., have been aptly described as the public display of connection

and provide people opportunities to satisfy the need to socially identify with

others, who share similar interests and are often comprised of their closest

friends and peers (Paul & Brier, 2001; Pembek et al., 2009; Rademacher &

Nelson, 2008; Zhao et al., 2008).

One of its newest confounding iteration is selfie. The term “selfie” is used

to denote a photo taken of oneself then often uploaded to social media

channels. It is the newest form of communication that has reigned widespread

in the last five years. Social media websites like Instagram, Snapchat, and

Facebook have pushed selfies to the front of the line.

According to an article written by Steven Petrow, he stated that selfies

have changed the way people look at the world, and it may be for the better.

With the generation that is growing up in a world surrounded by technology

that is practically made for selfie-taking, front-facing photos have become the

new way for younger people to communicate with family and friends to share

experiences and memories.

People tend to think that people who post selfies are narcissistic or vain,

but according to an article written by Courtney Seiter, one of the great effects
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of selfies is that they can bolster self-esteem. In a Today body image survey,

41% of adult women said selfies and other flattering online photos make them

feel more confident, 46% said that social media makes them feel more self-

conscious about their appearance.

But what drives people to take selfies? Is it really to boost their self

esteem and self-confidence or just to express their selves? Selfies are so

popular not only with the youth of today, but they are also picking up with

generations before its time; this is because we as a people have been taking

photos of ourselves for now over one hundred years, it is so easy to take photos

of ourselves, we have many different platforms of sharing selfies with friends,

followers, and loved ones, and it brings us together as a people.

This research paper seeks to explore how users identify the act of taking

selfies as an expression of external affirmation or an act of empowerment in

terms of redefining beauty standards that are reinforced in society.

Additionally, this study will also explore how the students think about the act

of taking and posting self-portraits to social networking sites.

Furthermore, the paper aims to know the reason why people take selfies

and how it affects their level of self-confidence and self esteem by conducting a

questionnaire study. The researchers decided to conduct a study about how

does taking selfies affect the self esteem and self-confidence of students

because the topic is timely and relevant in today’s time. As Communication

Arts students, the researchers believe that it is their responsibility to inform

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people how social media, specifically the act of taking selfies has changed the

developmental and behavioral personalities in recent generations.

Statement of the Problem

The study aimed to determine the effects of taking selfies in the self-esteem

and self-confidence of the college students of NDKC. Specifically, it sought to

answer the following questions.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1. Age

1.2. Gender

1.3. Course; and

1.4. Year Level?

2. How often do respondents take selfie?

3. What drives the students to take selfies?

4. How does taking selfie affects the students in regards to their:

4.1. Self-esteem;

4.2. Self-confidence?

5. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the students and

taking selfies?

6. Is there a significant relationship between the profile of the students on

their:

6.1 self esteem;

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6.2 self-confidence?

Hypotheses of the Study

Ha: Taking selfie affects the self confidence and self esteem of the students.

Ho: There is no significant difference between the profile of the students on

the effects of taking selfies in their self esteem and self-confidence.

Theoretical Framework

The appeal of selfies comes from how easy they are to create and share,

and the control they give self-photographers over how they present themselves.

However, a 2013 study of Facebook users found that posting photos of oneself

correlates with lower levels of social support from and intimacy with Facebook

friends. The lead author of the study suggests that "those who frequently post

photographs on Facebook risk damaging real-life relationships." The photo

messaging application Snapchat is also largely used to send selfies. Some users

of Snapchat choose to send intentionally-unattractive selfies to their friends for

comedic purposes.

Theory of mind may be foremost among the factors that set people apart

from other species. Yet, to know that others have a mind (full of beliefs,

expectations, emotions, perceptions — some the same and some different from

one’s own) is not enough to be really successful as the social animal. It was his
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humorous way to point out that avoiding vanity, hubris, embarrassment, etc.,

depends on imagining oneself from another’s point of view, and to note that our

sensory apparatus is pointed away from “the self,” poorly positioned to help

much with that. The selfie (an arm’s length close-up self-portrait) photograph is

a way to control others’ images of us, to get out in front of their judgments, to

put an image in their heads with purpose and spunk. Others’ judgments are no

longer just their own creation, the selfie objectifies the self, influences others’

thoughts. And, since the selfie is one’s own creation, it also affords plausible

deniability; it is like saying “It isn’t me, it’s just one ‘me’ that I created for you.”

From a social psychological standpoint, the selfie phenomenon seems to

stem from two basic human motives. The first is to attract attention from other

people. Because people’s positive social outcomes in life require that others

know them, people are motivated to get and maintain social attention. By

posting selfies, people can keep themselves in other people’s minds. In

addition, like all photographs that are posted on line, selfies are used to convey

a particular impression of oneself. Through the clothes one wears, one’s

expression, staging of the physical setting and the style of the photo, people

can convey a particular public image of themselves, presumably one that they

think will garner social rewards.

Furthermore, selfie is linked to phatic communion, “a type of speech in

which ties of union are created by a mere exchange of words” (Malinowski,

1923, p. 315), whose primary purpose is the production, expression, and

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maintenance of sociability. Miller (2008) argues that contemporary networked

culture accentuates a phatic culture of non- substantive communication

mediated across distances. His examples are primarily drawn from the banal

verbal messages on Twitter and other social network services. The selfie

represents a parallel process to this mainly verbal phenomenon: the production

of the mediated phatic body as a visible vehicle for sociable communication

with distant others who are expected to respond.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to find out the effects of the act of taking selfies to the

self esteem and self-confidence of the Notre Dame of Kidapawan College

students. The result of the study will serve as a basis in providing knowledge

about taking selfies. Indeed, this study will benefit the students, parents,

teachers, and even communicators.

To the students: The result of this study will provide them relevant

information about taking selfies and how it can affect their self-esteem and

self-confidence. Furthermore, it gives information about what others think

about the act of taking and posting these self-portraits to social networking

sites.

To the parents and educators: The study will be beneficial to the parents

and educators for this will be their basis on how they educate children about

the act of taking selfies.

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Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study aims to determine the relationship between taking selfie to

self esteem and self confidence. This research will be conducted in Notre Dame

of Kidapawan College (NDKC). The respondents of this research will be the

students from NDKC who often take selfies and post it on social media.

Definition of Key Terms

Selfie- refers to as a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one

taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.

Self esteem- refers to confidence in one's own worth or abilities.

Self-confidence- refers to a feeling of trust in one's abilities, qualities, and

judgment.
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Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

SELFIE

Year 2013, according to Klassen (2014), was officially the year of the

selfie. "Selfie" is a term used to denote a photo taken of oneself then often

uploaded to social media channels. A form of the "selfie" has always been in

existence painted self portraits, self-snapped polaroids, etc. though the idea of

sharing a snapshot of yourself with the world has never been so commonplace.

An earlier study by Peterson (2015), a selfie isn’t usually a carefully

composed image of the photographer in his studio, taken with a tripod

mounted camera on the timer setting. “Selfie” usually refers to an image that is

much more informal than that, generally taken with a digital camera or smart

phone held at arm’s length, snapped on the fly and usually destined for

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other form of social media.

The term “selfie” has become ubiquitous in the vocabulary of nearly every

teen and young adult in the technological world (Wickel, 2015). With a selfie,

you get to decide how you want to look before the photo is released. You don't

think it makes them look pretty, but they're obviously content with the

product, so either looking "pretty" isn't the goal, or your opinion doesn't matter,

or some combination (Crowshaw 2014).

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Lafrance (2014) reported that taking selfies is a fun way to show the

world your confidence, personality and fashion sense. From presidents to

Academy Award winners, almost everybody's doing it. But don't just point your

camera at your face and take a shot without planning, there's an art to taking

attention-grabbing selfies that your friends will love seeing in their feeds. It

seems, is no longer just "a photograph that one has taken of oneself," but a

photo that features the picture-taker.

It seems a self-esteem issue. A desire to illustrate to others that you are

an interesting person, doing interesting, worthy of the attention of those

around you. It also a way of seeking validation from others especially in the

hope people will comment and like it on Facebook etc. For some it could also be

a means of documenting their own existence (Ibis 2014).

O’Shea (2014) observed that selfie is reprehensible because it's two levels

of narcissism. First of all, you're on a social media site. This, by itself, is a

narcissistic thing to do. But for the selfie sender, this isn't enough. No, they

have to take their egos and lack of self esteem to another level and post

pictures of themselves on these sites. The worst selfie site is definitely

Instagram. Take a look at the most popular pictures sometime. Count how

many are selfies. Then go ahead and worry about our society.

Sifferlin (2013) stated that some social scientists lump the selfie trend

which is most popular among younger social media users into the larger

narcissism that they say is more prevalent among today’s preteens and
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adolescents, arguing that the self-portraits are an extension of their self-

absorption, while others view it as nothing more than an outlet for self-

expression, which just happen to be shared more publicly via the

communication mode of our times, social media.

Selfies are now a frequent activity amongst group of friends. The selfie

trend is not specific to the self-obsessed, social media-crazed people who have

no actual friends. It is a mainstream marketing tool that can be utilized in

multiple marketing applications (Palmer 2014).

Sturt & Nordstrom (2014) states that the cultural phenomenon of the

‘Selfie’ exposes a very basic human desire to feel noticed, appreciated and

recognized. And, although the ‘Selfie’ may not always elicit the most

appropriate type of recognition, receiving just a few likes from our Facebook or

Instagram friends uncovers a foundational aspect of human psychology that

can actually help drive results in the workplace when people are recognized

and feel appreciated, they repeat the behavior that was recognized.

Many are hesitant to take and share photos of themselves, for fear of

looking vain, vulnerable or being scrutinized. Self-image is important, and not

always in a narcissistic way. It's how we define ourselves, and present for

others to see. We rely on others' perceptions, judgments and appraisals to

develop our social self (Erickson 2013).

According to Jurgenson (2015) a selfie is a photographic object that

initiates the transmission of human feeling in the form of a relationship. A

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selfie is also a practice a gesture that can send different messages to different

individuals, communities, and audiences. This gesture may be dampened,

amplified, or modified by social media censorship, social censure, misreading of

the sender’s original intent, or adding additional gestures to the mix, such as

likes, comments, and remixes.

SELF ESTEEM

Halvorson (2012) stated that possessing little self-regard can lead people

to become depressed, to fall short of their potential, or to tolerate abusive

situations and relationships. Too much self-love, on the other hand, results in

an off-putting sense of entitlement and an inability to learn from failures.

Perhaps no other self-help topic has spawned so much advice and so many

theories. Here are our best insights on how to strike a balance between

accurate self-knowledge and respect for who you are.

Self-esteem is made up of the thoughts, feelings, and opinions we have

about ourselves. That means self-esteem isn't fixed. It can change, depending

on the way we think. Over time, habits of negative thinking about ourselves

can lower self-esteem. Sometimes, people don't even realize that they're

thinking so negatively about themselves. But once you're aware of it, and know

that the way you think is up to you, you can begin to change the way you

think. And changing the way you think about yourself changes the way you feel

about yourself (Marano 2007).

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McKay (2000) stated that self-esteem is essential for our survival.

Without some measure of self-worth, life can be enormously painful, with many

basic needs going unmet. One of the main factors differentiating humans from

other animals is the awareness of self: the ability to form an identity and then

attach a value to it. In other words, you have the capacity to define who you are

and then decide if you like that identity or not. The problem of self-esteem is

this human capacity for judgment.

Unfortunately, efforts to convey the significance and critical nature of

self-esteem have been hampered by misconceptions and confusion over what is

meant by the term “self-esteem.” Some have referred to self-esteem as merely

“feeling good” or having positive feelings about oneself. Others have gone so far

as to equate self-esteem with egotism, arrogance, conceit, narcissism, a sense

of superiority, a trait leading to violence. Such characteristics cannot be

attributed to authentic, healthy self-esteem, because they are actually

defensive reactions to the lack of authentic self-esteem, which is sometimes

referred to as “pseudo self-esteem.” Individuals with defensive or low self-

esteem typically focus on trying to prove themselves or impress others. They

tend to use others for their own gain. Some act with arrogance and contempt

towards others. They generally lack confidence in themselves, often have

doubts about their worth and acceptability, and hence are reluctant to take

risks or expose themselves to failure. They frequently blame others for their

shortcomings rather than take responsibility for their actions (Reasoner 2010).
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Self-esteem is an experience. It is a particular way of experiencing the

self. It is a good deal more than a mere feeling – this must be stressed. It

involves emotional, evaluative, and cognitive components. It also entails certain

action dispositions: to move toward life rather than away from it; to move

toward consciousness rather than away from it; to treat facts with respect

rather than denial; to operate self-responsibly rather than the opposite. Self-

esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with

the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in

the efficacy of our mind, in our ability to think. By extension, it is confidence in

our ability to learn, make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond

effectively to change. It is also the experience that success, achievement,

fulfillment happiness are right and natural for us. The survival-value of such

confidence is obvious; so is the danger when it is missing (Branden 2013).

SELF CONFIDENCE

Self confidence is a feeling that makes you think that you are capable of

doing something with ease and calmness. It makes you optimistic and pleased

with yourself. It can also be a plus for you to enjoy doing things and enjoying

life (Al-falleh 2009). It is when you feel certain about yourself, your actions,

decisions and opinions, and self-reliance (Hawkins, Swannell & Weston 1998).

Self-confidence is an attitude that you hold about yourself that allows you

to move forward and achieve your goals (Gruber 2015). It is a very important
 14

key factor in every aspects of our life. It is an opinion in your mind about

yourself (Krishnan 2010).

Ravenscraft (2013) stated that confidence is knowing what you're good at,

the value you provide, and acting in a way that conveys that to others.

(Ravenscraft 2013 It is how you feel about your abilities and can vary from

situation to situation (Roberts 2012).

Confidence in one's abilities generally enhances motivation, making it a

valuable asset for individuals with imperfect willpower (Benabou, Tirole 2002).

It is also the belief that you can handle a certain situation correctly. Self-

confidence is knowing that you don't lack any of the necessary skills in order to

successfully complete a task. This task could vary from a social activity like

being able to approach someone you don't know, to a professional activity like

the ability to complete a certain task that your work or your business needs

(Radwan 2005).

According to Fosco (2014) seeing a close up picture of your own

face and willingly showing it to thousands of people with one click is a form of

self-confidence that I don't think should be quickly dismissed. It's taking a risk

and opening the door to criticism but hoping for positive reinforcement and

love.

More control equals more confidence and higher self-esteem. This sense

of control can be seen in pictures where the person smiles more, and then

posts the best version of themselves to the social platform (Afridi 2015).
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Chapter 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology of the study. It includes the

research design, the research locale, the respondents of the study, the research

instruments used, the data gathering procedure, and the statistical treatment

of data.

Research Design

The research design involves the utilization of qualitative research

methods in addressing the research questions and the correlation research

design. The methodology involves examination of the perceptions of students

towards the effects of taking selfies to their self-esteem and self-confidence and

the reasons why they take selfies. By exploring the perceptions of individuals

towards taking selfies, it is possible to obtain “multiple perspectives” that

further our understandings of this selfie act. Merriam (1998) noted that

qualitative research offers “the greatest promise of making significant

contributions to the knowledge base and practice of education,” because it is

“focused on discovery, insight, and understanding from the perspective of those

being studied.” The test of correlation is on the relationship between the profile

of the students and the effects of taking selfies to self-esteem and self-

confidence.
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Research Locale

The study will be conducted at Notre Dame of Kidapawan College (NDKC)

at DatuIngkal St., Kidapawan City.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study will be the student of Notre Dame of

Kidapawan College. Specifically, these will be the students who take selfies.

Research Instruments

The research of the study used two sets of research instruments. The

survey questionnaire was used to gather data on the profile of the students and

how frequent they take selfies.

The second instrument is the interview to be able to determine the

reasons why they take selfies and the effects of it to their self-esteem and self-

confidence.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers construct a questionnaire to be used in the survey, and

then the questionnaire will be validated by the experts. Then, the researchers

will ask permission to the school administrators to be able to conduct the

survey. Then, the questionnaires will be distributed to the Notre Dame of

Kidapawan College students who take selfies. After the retrieval of the survey

questionnaire, data will be encoded in the MS Excel and will be subjected to

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data analysis. After, the researchers will conduct interviews to be able to gather

relevant information from the interviewees.

Survey Questionnaire

Part I.

Personal Data (Please Check)

Course

o Accountany

o Business AdministratioN

o Engineering

o Information Technology

o Liberal Arts

o Nursing

Gender

o Male

o Female

Part II

What social networking site do you mostly post your selfies?

o Facebook

o Multiply

o MySpace

o Twitter
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o Instagram

Part III

How frequent do you take selfies and post it on social media?

o Always

o Sometimes

o Occasional

Interview Guide Questions

1. Frequency of Taking Selfies

a. How often do you take selfies?

b. When did you start taking selfies?

c. What medium do you use to take selfies?

d. How much time do you consume in taking selfies?

e. Does it cause delay to your other activities planned?

f. What preparations do you do before taking selfies? (e.g. make up, etc.)

g. How many photos do you take for selfies?

h. What time do you post it on social media?

i. What particular social networking site do you post it?

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2. Reasons of Taking Selfies

a. What drives you to take selfies?

b. Who influences you to take selfies?

c. For what purpose do you take selfies?

3. Reactions of People on Social Media

a. Do you get reactions from people on social media when you post your

selfies?

b. Are these reactions positive or negative? Cite an example.

c. Do people like or comment on your selfies?

c. Does the reactions of people affect how frequent you take selfies? How?

d. Are there times when you feel like you're bullied because of your

selfies? Explain.

4. Effects of Taking Selfies to Self- esteem

a. Does taking selfies improve your self-worth? How?

b. Does taking selfies change how you view or see yourself? How?

c. Does taking selfies make you feel good about your physical

appearance?

d. Does the number of likes affect your self-worth?

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f. If you get a great number of likes from people, does this drives you to

take selfies more?

d. Does the reactions of people from the social media affect your self-

worth?

5. Effects of Taking Selfies to Self- confidence

a. Does taking selfies improve your trust to your own qualities?

b. Does taking selfies improve your confidence to talk and socialize with

other people?

c. Does taking selfies improve your confidence to join different school

activities? Explain.

6. Effects to other factors

a. Does taking selfies affect your relationship with your family? If yes,

how?

b. Does taking selfies affect your relationship with your friends? if yes,

how?

7. Selfies to other people

a. What do you think about people who take selfies and post it on social

media?

b. Do great selfies of other people affect the level of your self-worth? Why
 21

or why not?

c. Do you feel envy when other people post great selfies? Why or why

not?

d. Do you press the like button to other people's selfies? Why or why not?

e. Will you encourage other people to take selfies and post it on social

media? Why or why not?

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