DSCTA Dialogues: Brown Bag Sessions

Everyone is invited to watch and learn in the first installment of DSCTA Dialogues: Brown Bag Sessions with the topic of Youth and Politics featuring the talks of DSCTA faculty members, Assoc. Prof. Jose Carlo de Pano and Asst. Prof. Charles Erize Ladia, and moderated by Ms. Marielle Justine Sumilong.

📅 Date: 30 September 2024
⏰ Time: 1:00 PM [Manila Time]
📍 Platform: via Zoom
🔗 To register: https://forms.gle/gzQ81jvhcE7arKab8

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Social Media, Family, and the Filipino Young Adults’ Political Views
By Assoc. Prof. Jose Carlo de Pano

Recognizing the power of social media in politics and the crucial role of the family in shaping youths’ opinions about political events, the current study explored the impacts of family conversations about political information from social media on Filipino young adults’ political views. It also examined their reasons for using social media in general and for political information, the types of political information they got from various social media platforms, and the ways they processed said information. There were 21 young adults aged 18 to 23 who participated in the study. The data gathered from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis, guided by political socialization as a framework. Results showed that the participants used social media mainly for communication and interpersonal interactions, entertainment, information and updates, and schoolwork. And although they were not actively looking for political information, they were still exposed to related items on social media, which often centered on government, sociopolitical and socioeconomic issues, politicians, local and national politics, and international relations and global politics. The participants processed political information in many ways, including knowing more about it, talking about it with other people, discussing it with the family, and avoiding online discussions on it. Although they seldom engaged in political discussions online, they acknowledged social media as a great source of political information. The participants believed that family conversations about political information on social media were important and could impact not only their political views but even those of their family.

Which Relationships (Politically) Matter? Communicative and Relational Dimensions of Filipino Youth Political Participation
By Asst. Prof. Charles Erize Ladia

Communicative and relational variables remain to be salient factors and contexts in political participation research given the advent of online communication platforms and evolving sociopolitical contexts like highly polarized elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. Socializing agents like family, peers, school, and the media, and attitude towards the political system and its institutions shape political attitudes and behaviors of the younger demographic. This presentation reflects on the roles of pandemic fatigue, political discontent, and interpersonal (e.g., family socialization and social capital), and online (e.g., perceived incivility in online discourse) political socialization of Filipino university students in determining their participation in politics during the highly contested 2022 presidential elections. Pandemic fatigue and political discontent are strong predictors of online mode of engagement. Social capital strongly predicts all the three types of political participation – traditional, interpersonal, and online. Family socialization primarily affects interpersonal political talk while, interestingly, perceived incivility of social media did not influence the modes of participation. Understanding the pivotal roles of political attitudes, relational dynamics, and levels of political socialization on participation is essential for encouraging youth political engagement, which has exhibited a downward trend in recent years. As the 2025 elections nears, which political attitudes and relationships matter to/for the Filipino youth?

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DSCTA Dialogues: Brown Bag Sessions is a lecture series of the UP Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts designed to provide an opportunity for its faculty members to present their ongoing research projects and creative works to the general public. Each program will highlight presenters that will talk about a specific topic within Speech Communication and Theatre Arts, promoting interdisciplinary dialogues and fostering a deeper understanding of disciplines. These sessions aim to foster potential collaborations, a culture of meaningful academic discourse, and a platform for knowledge exchange.

Source: UP Department of Speech Communication and Theatre Arts Facebook