Research Activity No. 2.

Sa’yo ang boto ko, kapwa! : A qualitative study on the content of parasocial relationship in Philippine
Politics

Abstract/Summary

Since the proliferation of the internet and social media, many politicians have capitalized on the
platforms by garnering a large following. Politicians have gone from picture-perfect commercials to real-
life relatable tweets or videos to portray themselves to the public. This type of preferred intimate and
relatable interaction can be seen as a parasocial relationship, wherein individuals form a side-one-sided
relationship with media figures as if they are friends (Chung & Cho, 2017). This research aimed to
analyze the contents and factors of parasocial relationships of Filipino voters to their preferred
presidential candidates during the 2022 elections. Additionally, the study aimed to analyze how the
content of parasocial relationships is seen through the lens of the Kapwa theory, specifically ibang tao
and hindi ibang tao. To test the hypothesis, this study used the Political Parasocial Relationship Scale to
test for the parasociality that the participants experienced with their desired presidential candidate. Out
of the 420 participants, 12 participants were then contacted to be part of the focus group discussions
and individual interviews to further identify the content of parasocial relationships. The sessions were
then transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify the key themes and subthemes from
the data collected. The results of this study resulted in four key themes namely (a) Exposure and
intensification: Media influence on parasocial relationships, (b) Perceived similarities of the candidate to
self and significant others, (c) Perceived closeness with the preferred presidential candidate, and (d)
Looking at the candidate on a positive light. The findings of the study indicated that the hindi ibang tao
concept is an important factor of parasocial relationships in the Philippine political context, congruent to
the study’s framework. This study provides a cultural explanation of the dynamics between political
candidates and Filipino voters through hindi ibang tao and how it affects their voting behavior.

Keywords: Parasocial relationships, political context, relationships, Philippine politics

https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_psych/16/

Answer this:

1. What is content of parasocial relationship? Who are the author/s behind this?

2. Based from the study, identify the following:

a. objectives

b. methods

c. Theoretical lens

d. findings/ results