The Rise of Technology: The Portrayal of Violence on Social Media

Abstract

Social media’s saturation of culture and daily lives has been one of the most remarkable transformations in the social environment in the twenty-first century. This study investigates the portrayal of violence on social media by the college students of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos. Specifically, the effects of exposure to violence in social media on the viewer’s perception. Also, how representations of violence in social media influence one’s actions and how rampant violence-related content is on social media platforms. The study utilized a phenomenological approach that focused on the commonality of the participants’ experiences. It includes several steps to fully understand the phenomenon, such as conducting a face-to-face interview, recording, transcribing the interview process, and documenting all the data collected. The participants were six (6) college students from different departments of the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos in Bacolod City. As an instrument of the study, the researchers utilized semi-structured interview questions. The researchers used thematic analysis to explore the participants’ experiences in the portrayal of violence in social media. After a series of thorough analyses, seven themes emerged, namely: a) Commonly Used Social Media Platforms; b) Hours of Exposure; c) Media Types and Frequency; d) Presence of Violence; e) Short-Term Effects of Media Violence; f ) Information Source; g) Fear of Victimization. The results provided the themes, and the significant statements of the participants gave a new understanding of the effects of the portrayal of violence in social media on its audience.