Sense of Satire: A Reception Study on Satire as a Tool for Online News Literacy of Filipino College Students in Metro Manila

Title Sense of Satire: A Reception Study on Satire as a Tool for Online News Literacy of Filipino College Students in Metro Manila

Authors Alyana Cabral & Eliana Razon

Abstract Cabral, A.L.C. and Razon, E.J. (2015). ‘Sense of satire’: A reception study on satire as a tool for online news literacy in Filipino college students, Unpublished Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

This study examined the role of satire in the online news literacy of college students in Metro Manila. Satire has been a popular way for the youth to understand and gain a deeper perspective for news and current events overseas, yet there have been little to no studies of its effect on Filipinos thus far. When satire is disseminated, read, and seen by the youth online, they can be influenced by it, which allows them to properly analyze and process the context of not just the satirical text, but also the news and political matters that it criticizes. With this, the study utilized the Elaboration Likelihood Theory for audience reception. The researchers surveyed two hundred college students across four universities about Philippine satire news websites, and revealed the youth’s different perspectives and reactions. Likewise, writers of satire sites were interviewed to gain their perspective on satire and how they communicate satire to their audiences. The results of the study showed that at least with regards to the youth, critical thinking was applied more to satirical articles than they were to traditionally written news articles, proving satire to be a significant and effective tool for critical media literacy and social and political understanding in the Philippines.

Keywords Satire; Online News; Reception Study; Journalism; Satire News

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