Student Leaders’ Social Media Engagement Shaping Online-to-Offline Activism in a Teacher’s College
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Social media engagement, student leadership, online-to-offline activism, civic engagement, social influence theory.
Abstract
Social media is an emerging arena where students are practicing leadership in both virtual and physical realities. While previous studies have established the association between social media engagement and activism, there is a need to document how such online activity is connected to extra-online manifestations, particularly in selected teacher education institutions in the Philippines. Hence, this study explored how social media helped these students perform their empowerment-based activism in the real world. Informed by Kelman’s Social Influence Theory, the descriptions provided by nine (9) organization chairpersons and vice chairpersons selected through purposive sampling became the basis of this study’s findings. After transcribing the responses to the semi-structured interview guide presented through Google Forms, the researchers applied Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. This study found that students’ activism was actualized through the online medium via increased mobilization, leadership skill development, ethically guided conduct, and response to online challenges. Contrary to activism’s performative nature, the respondents prioritized information gathering, decision-making, cooperation, and leadership in promoting civic responsibility. As such, this study’s results added to the existing scholarship on social media’s role in activism while highlighting the importance of empowerment-based leadership in teacher education.
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