Privaseek

Mondoñedo, B.D. & Vitug, J.S. (2017). Privaseek: A Study on the Use of Communication in the Privacy Management of Housemates in Peer-shared Households in Metro Manila. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

This study aims to describe the role of communication in the privacy management of housemates in peer-shared households in Metro Manila. Altman’s Privacy Regulation Theory was the study’s main theoretical anchor. Interviewer-administered surveys and focus interviews were employed. A total of 200 survey respondents and ten interview informants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling.

Results of the study show that Filipinos have neutral desire for privacy especially in the context of house-sharing. Notably, however, Filipino housemates want to have less social interaction in their household. There is also a higher desire to protect their physical space more than their personal information, thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Filipino housemates seek to share different aspects of their lives with the other members of their shared-household.

Housemates attempt to maintain their privacy through various methods of communication. However, most housemates still experience privacy violations (isolation and intrusion) than the achievement of their ideal privacy (optimum). As a result, housemates tend to communicate more in order to re-establish their privacy. Findings reveal that Filipinos have some regard for privacy, and they actively try to maintain their privacy in the household using communication.

Keywords: privacy management, communication, housemates, house-sharing, peer-shared households

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