The Influence of Social Media on Students’ Written Discourse: Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

This phenomenological study is about the lived experiences of senior high school students and teachers on the influence of social media on students' written discourse. The data were collected from fifteen (15) participants through personal interviews using open-ended questions. All responses were recorded for transcription using a cellular phone. Colaizzi's method was used for data analysis. After a thorough analysis of the transcripts, the following six (6) themes arose to capture the students and teachers' lived experiences: Facebook and Messenger as the Most Widely Used, Teachers' Permission of Social Media in the Classroom, Adapting Social Media Trends and Their Informality, Reduces the Formality of Written Communication, Social Media as a Distraction, Dual Impact of Social Media on Students' Performance. The study concluded that senior high school students and teachers have faced challenges with written communication due to the influences of social media on students. Despite all these challenges, the teachers remained hopeful that the students could learn and use their critical thinking skills without the reliance on social media, especially in terms of writing style and language use. Based on the findings, the researchers recommend that students use social media for academic reasons with greater awareness. In addition to encouraging reading and writing at home, parents must watch and assist their children. Teachers should also interact with parents to explain their children's performance and enforce highly regulated classroom social media use. Introduce targeted writing assignments, grammar lessons, and critical thinking challenges. Guidelines addressing the influence of social media on written discourse are to be implemented by the school administration. Future Researchers will conduct additional studies on the long-term impacts of social media use on students' academic writing, comparing studies across many geographic locations and educational levels to find more general trends and solutions.