1
, CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Technology has made information easier to access because it is the key to
future, yet students treat it like the past–forgotten. The digital era has significantly
transformed how adolescents access information, communicate, and engage with
recent dilemmas. With the widespread availability of smartphones, social media
platform, and constant exposure to the internet, today’s students are often described
as chronically online. In theory, by soaking their attention to the digital world, it
should raise their awareness and make their insights about contemporary issues
such as politics, national problems, timely controversies more formidable, yet
majority of students from Panagangan National High School (PNHS) have little to
none knowledge about current problems. Emerging observations in the campus
suggest a paradox: despite being always online, many students, especially in junior
High School (SHS), remain disconnected.
This contradiction is prominent among PNHS students, who demonstrate high
screen time, but show limited interest, awareness, or engagement with urgent
societal concerns. Such detachment erects alarming debates whether online activity
translates to meaningful information digestion. Stemming from the watchful gaze of
based on the initial interview of the researchers multiple subject teachers that often
tackle national scandal in SHS, majority of pupils lack knowledge about what’s
occurring around them and heavily resorts to Artificial Intelligence to fill them in the
details they’re unaware of.
Several communication and media theories help explain this phenomenon.
According to the Uses and Gratification Theory by Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler on
1970, individuals actively prioritize their needs, motivations such as entertainment,
social interactions, or escapism. Applied to this probe, students may choose content
1
,that provides entertainment, instead of what stimulates them intellectually. Whereas,
it is compatible to what Grade-11 students ingest online on a day-to-day basis.
Similarly, Cognitive Dissonance Theory by Leon Festinger (1957) suggests
that teenagers may intentionally evade news due to negative prerequisites,
emotional fatigue, information overload, or a sense of futility. In the context of
adolescents, contemporary issues are often perceived as something they can’t wrap
their heads around which may discourage consistent engagement. This avoidance
creates fear that creeps behind students’ minds subconsciously which will increase
the likeness of scrolling pass issue concentrated content when it appears on one’s
feed.
Furthermore, this boils down to how massive time dedicated on non-
informational digital activities like gaming, doomscrolling, or bathing to short clips,
reduce the time available for purposeful immersion to useful content which is
supported by the concept of Sigmund Freud: Time Displacement Theory. To vouch
for that, a survey made by Philippine Statistics Theory (PSA) indicates that 87.5% of
students nationwide spent more than two hours per day on social media, often using
platforms like TikTok for short, three-minute videos that distract them away from
allocated academic demands.
Lastly, Media Dependence Theory implies that individuals rely on media
differently depending on personal relevance and perceived utility. Hence, it can be
concluded that PNHS students may do not deem contemporary issues an integral
part of their lives, weakening their dependency on informational media. However, the
posts that they ignore today actually shapes the world they’ll walk on tomorrow so
this study aims to encourage PNHS students face the ever-changing world.
Complacency is another word for devolution.
Given the importance of Contemporary Issues as a subject designed to
develop critical thinking, social awareness, and responsible citizenship,
understanding why PNHS students remain disconnected despite being chronically
online is essential. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the lived experiences,
2
, perceptions, and digital behaviors of PNHS students to uncover the underlying
factors contributing to their disengagement. By examining this paradox through a
qualitative lens, the research aims to provide deeper insights that may inform
educational strategies, curriculum development, and media literacy initiatives in the
digital age.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study navigated the experiences of students, especially in Senior
High School, that are unaware of contemporary issues despite being active online at
Panagangan National High School during the School Year 2025-2026.
Precisely, it strives to determine the answers for the following questions:
1. How do the students describe a moment when a major issue was happening in
the world, yet the students found themselves scrolling past it—what was going on
students’ minds and how did that moment make them feel afterward?
2. What challenges or difficulties have senior high school students experienced in
school, social life, or daily decisions because they weren’t aware of current
events or contemporary issues?
3. What do the students do to catch up, understand, or stay informed about
contemporary issues when they realize they’ve fallen behind or missed important
news?
C. Theoretical Framework
1. Attention Economy (Herbert A. Simon)
This theory suggests that while we are surrounded by abundant information, our
attention is limited. We simply don’t have enough time in a day to focus on
everything available. In the past, finding information was difficult, but today,
information is easily accessible. The challenge now is not the scarcity of
information, but rather our willingness and ability to give attention to it.
3
, CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Technology has made information easier to access because it is the key to
future, yet students treat it like the past–forgotten. The digital era has significantly
transformed how adolescents access information, communicate, and engage with
recent dilemmas. With the widespread availability of smartphones, social media
platform, and constant exposure to the internet, today’s students are often described
as chronically online. In theory, by soaking their attention to the digital world, it
should raise their awareness and make their insights about contemporary issues
such as politics, national problems, timely controversies more formidable, yet
majority of students from Panagangan National High School (PNHS) have little to
none knowledge about current problems. Emerging observations in the campus
suggest a paradox: despite being always online, many students, especially in junior
High School (SHS), remain disconnected.
This contradiction is prominent among PNHS students, who demonstrate high
screen time, but show limited interest, awareness, or engagement with urgent
societal concerns. Such detachment erects alarming debates whether online activity
translates to meaningful information digestion. Stemming from the watchful gaze of
based on the initial interview of the researchers multiple subject teachers that often
tackle national scandal in SHS, majority of pupils lack knowledge about what’s
occurring around them and heavily resorts to Artificial Intelligence to fill them in the
details they’re unaware of.
Several communication and media theories help explain this phenomenon.
According to the Uses and Gratification Theory by Elihu Katz, Jay G. Blumler on
1970, individuals actively prioritize their needs, motivations such as entertainment,
social interactions, or escapism. Applied to this probe, students may choose content
1
,that provides entertainment, instead of what stimulates them intellectually. Whereas,
it is compatible to what Grade-11 students ingest online on a day-to-day basis.
Similarly, Cognitive Dissonance Theory by Leon Festinger (1957) suggests
that teenagers may intentionally evade news due to negative prerequisites,
emotional fatigue, information overload, or a sense of futility. In the context of
adolescents, contemporary issues are often perceived as something they can’t wrap
their heads around which may discourage consistent engagement. This avoidance
creates fear that creeps behind students’ minds subconsciously which will increase
the likeness of scrolling pass issue concentrated content when it appears on one’s
feed.
Furthermore, this boils down to how massive time dedicated on non-
informational digital activities like gaming, doomscrolling, or bathing to short clips,
reduce the time available for purposeful immersion to useful content which is
supported by the concept of Sigmund Freud: Time Displacement Theory. To vouch
for that, a survey made by Philippine Statistics Theory (PSA) indicates that 87.5% of
students nationwide spent more than two hours per day on social media, often using
platforms like TikTok for short, three-minute videos that distract them away from
allocated academic demands.
Lastly, Media Dependence Theory implies that individuals rely on media
differently depending on personal relevance and perceived utility. Hence, it can be
concluded that PNHS students may do not deem contemporary issues an integral
part of their lives, weakening their dependency on informational media. However, the
posts that they ignore today actually shapes the world they’ll walk on tomorrow so
this study aims to encourage PNHS students face the ever-changing world.
Complacency is another word for devolution.
Given the importance of Contemporary Issues as a subject designed to
develop critical thinking, social awareness, and responsible citizenship,
understanding why PNHS students remain disconnected despite being chronically
online is essential. This study, therefore, seeks to explore the lived experiences,
2
, perceptions, and digital behaviors of PNHS students to uncover the underlying
factors contributing to their disengagement. By examining this paradox through a
qualitative lens, the research aims to provide deeper insights that may inform
educational strategies, curriculum development, and media literacy initiatives in the
digital age.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study navigated the experiences of students, especially in Senior
High School, that are unaware of contemporary issues despite being active online at
Panagangan National High School during the School Year 2025-2026.
Precisely, it strives to determine the answers for the following questions:
1. How do the students describe a moment when a major issue was happening in
the world, yet the students found themselves scrolling past it—what was going on
students’ minds and how did that moment make them feel afterward?
2. What challenges or difficulties have senior high school students experienced in
school, social life, or daily decisions because they weren’t aware of current
events or contemporary issues?
3. What do the students do to catch up, understand, or stay informed about
contemporary issues when they realize they’ve fallen behind or missed important
news?
C. Theoretical Framework
1. Attention Economy (Herbert A. Simon)
This theory suggests that while we are surrounded by abundant information, our
attention is limited. We simply don’t have enough time in a day to focus on
everything available. In the past, finding information was difficult, but today,
information is easily accessible. The challenge now is not the scarcity of
information, but rather our willingness and ability to give attention to it.
3
