Nationwired
NATIONWIRED: THE FILIPINO FACEBOOK USERS’ EXPRESSIONS OF NATIONALIST SENTIMENTS IN ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES
Lopez, M.R.T and Matillano, A.P.R (2015) This study examines the characteristics of the expressers and expressions of nationalist sentiments in Facebook in issues of political and cultural international disputes. It is guided by the SIDE Model, Cultural Identity Theory, and the Attribution Theory of Conflict. For expressions, content analysis of the tone, treatment, diction, and language was used for 642 comments. For expressers, relationships between Facebook expression and the following variables: Demographic and Media Characteristics, Level of Nationalism, and Non-favorability towards International Relations were analyzed through a survey administered to 101 respondents. Interviews were conducted to triangulate the data. Statistical tests showed that there were no significant associations among variables for the expressers and their expressions. However, it was revealed that Filipino Facebook users have a mixed national identity, adapting international culture to their own and localizing it. Expressions differ between political and cultural disputes. The former is more negative, serious, and less optimistic, whereas the latter is lighter and less competitive. These findings reiterate the need for effective communication as a means for conflict resolution, both between and within countries. This becomes more possible if people veer away from blind nationalism and competitiveness, and strike a balance between internationalism and nationalism.