SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

THE IMPACT OF DUMMY ACCOUNT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE VICTIMS

Kristel rebollo, Joy peñero, Teyshaun Catahan, and Roxanne mae arenas
San Mateo Senior High School

ABSTRACT
SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

I. INTRODUCTION

A dummy account is created when someone creates an account that impersonates a

person, entity, or group. The process of creating an online profile or account using incorrect

information is known as "fake account creation." Although the motives behind this behavior

can vary, they frequently involve fraud or other illicit activities. Fake Facebook accounts are

created by cyber criminals with the intention of friending users and gaining access to their

personal data. They are driven by identity theft. By physically applying for loans or credit

cards in someone else's name, they can make money from this confidential information.

Digital identity theft takes the form of social media impersonation. With the help of personally

identifiable information (name, photo, location, and background information) that has been

taken from a specific person, a cybercriminal or fraudster builds a profile on a social

platform. To trick the victim's connections into believing the bogus profile belongs to a

legitimate person they can trust is the first step in the attack. The ultimate purpose is to

leverage this appearance of authenticity to take advantage of people who connect with the

phony account (by requesting personal information, money, or damaging the account

owner).

Background of the study

Email addresses were used to start the establishment of fake accounts. Individuals set

new accounts using false information and made-up identities, then used those accounts to

transmit spam or carry out other criminal deeds. The construction of dummy accounts has,

however, advanced significantly with the growth of social media and the digital revolution.

Fake account creation could initially look like innocent entertainment, but it actually

has negative effects that can be life-threatening. It can result in identity theft, fraud, and

other sorts of crime, and it is unlawful in many places. In the present generation, online
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Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

social networks (OSNs) have become increasingly popular, people’s social lives have

become more associated with these sites. They use OSNs to keep in touch with each other,

share news, organize events, and even run their own e-business

The rabid growth of OSNs and the massive amount of personal data of its subscribers

have attracted attackers, and imposters to steal personal data, share false news, and spread

malicious activities. On the other hand, researchers have started to investigate an efficient-

techniques to detect abnormal activities and fake accounts relying on accounts features, and

classification algorithms.

Facebook, for the first time, shared a report in the first quarter of 2018 that shows their

internal guidelines used to enforce community standards covering their efforts between

October 2017 to March 2018, this report illustrates the amount of undesirable content that

has been removed by Facebook, and it covers six categories: graphic violence, adult nudity

and sexual activity, terrorist propaganda, hate speech, spam, and fake accounts.

837 million posts containing spam have been taken down, and about 583 million fake

accounts have been disabled, Facebook also has removed around 81 million undesirable

contents in terms of the rest violating content types. However, even after preventing millions

of fake accounts from Facebook, it was estimated that, around 88 million accounts, are still

fake.

In this time of life, the number of cases reported for the dummy accounts are

continuously increasing. A survey commissioned by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has found

that three out of 10 users in Asia Pacific have admitted to having a social media profile with

fake names and photos (Agustin, 2020). Seventy percent of these “dummy” accounts are on

Facebook, 37% are on YouTube, 33% are on Instagram, and 25% are on Twitter.

Anonymous accounts are prevalent in Southeast Asia at 35%, closely followed by South

Asia at 28% and Australia at 20%.

SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Fake social networks accounts and impersonation attacks can have a lot of

consequences when speaking about security but these are not the only consequences they

may have.

In another completely different context, fake accounts and impersonation can be

used to psychologically hurt someone just as stated in. Even when this scenario is present

mostly in teenagers, fake accounts and impersonation has a big role in cyberbullying and

therefore in teenager’s psychological health and mental stability.

Theoretical Framework

The use of social media has grown rapidly over the years, and with it, the prevalence of

fake or dummy accounts. These accounts are created to deceive or mislead users, and their

impact on social media has raised concerns about the safety and security of users. This

theoretical framework aims to explore the impact of dummy accounts on social media to the

victims.

Theoretical Framework:

 Social Identity Theory: Social Identity Theory (SIT) suggests that individuals form

their sense of identity based on the groups they belong to. On social media, users

form their identities through their profiles, connections, and interactions with others.

When users encounter a fake account, it can challenge their sense of identity,

leading to confusion, anxiety, and mistrust.

 Attribution Theory: Attribution Theory proposes that individuals try to understand

the causes of events and behaviors by making attributions. In the case of fake

accounts on social media, victims may make attributions about the motives and

intentions of the person behind the account. This can lead to negative emotions such

as anger, frustration, and helplessness.

SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

 Social Learning Theory: Social Learning Theory (SLT) suggests that people learn

through observation, imitation, and modeling. On social media, users may observe

others interacting with fake accounts and learn to do the same. This can lead to the

proliferation of fake accounts and contribute to a culture of deception and mistrust.

 Social Support Theory: Social Support Theory suggests that social support can

buffer the negative impact of stressful events. In the case of fake accounts on social

media, victims may benefit from social support from their online communities.

Supportive comments, messages, and actions from friends and followers can help

victims feel validated, understood, and cared for.

Conclusion:

The impact of fake or dummy accounts on social media to the victims is complex and

multifaceted. Social Identity Theory, Attribution Theory, Social Learning Theory, and

Social Support Theory provide useful frameworks to understand the psychological,

social, and emotional impact of these accounts. By understanding these theories, social

media platforms can develop effective strategies to prevent and mitigate the negative

impact of fake accounts on their users.

SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Conceptual Framework

In order to have direction for the research study, the researchers provided a conceptual

framework of the study.

1. The respondent’s
profile from grade 12
HUMSS students in
San Mateo Senior
An interview Proposed possible
High School.
questionnaire will be implications that may
2. How many times a given to the randomly have in school policy
student experienced selected respondents to lessen the number
being the victim to answer the of cases for dummy
questions. accounts
3. The impact of
having a dummy
account on social
media to them.

Feedback

Figure 1. Conceptual Paradigm of the study

The conceptual framework shown above presents the conceptualized model utilized in

conducting the study. The respondent’s profile from grade 12 HUMSS students in San Mateo

Senior High School, how many times a student experienced being the victim, and the impact

of having a dummy account on social media to them.

SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Open ended questionnaires will be utilized as a framework in identifying the impacts of

dummy accounts on social media to the students. The researchers’ use open ended

questions as a research instrument in gathering data because it should help the researchers

in collecting data and information in a specific time-bounded, in a various respondent.

III.Statement of the problem

This study is conducted to determine the impact of dummy accounts on social media

platforms to the victims from grade 12 HUMSS student in San Mateo Senior High School

during the school year 2022-2023.

1. How many times do they experienced being the victim of this case?

2. What are the impacts of dummy accounts on social media platforms to the students

in San Mateo Senior High School?

3. Based on the data gathered, what can be the possible implications that may have in

school policy to lessen the number of cases?

IV.Scope and Delimitation

This paper is confined to the impacts of dummy accounts on social media platforms and

how many times a student experienced being the victim of having a dummy account. The

respondents of this study are grade 12 students from San Mateo Senior High School.

Significance of the study

This study proved beneficial to the following group of people.

Teachers. The outcome of the study will definitely help the teachers, in a way that, they

will be informed what are the dangers of fake accounts on social media.
SAN MATEO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Students. The result will help students to prevent their selves from experiencing the

impacts of dummy accounts on social media.

Future researchers. For the future researchers, the result of the study can be served

as their basis in doing their research. Also, the research can be useful to them in terms of

considering the results that is based from the given data.

Definition of terms
To facilitate the understanding of this study, different terms are defined herein.
Adult nudity - it is the state of nakedness that is being clarified by Facebook.

Automated bots - In this study, it is a software application that is programmed to do

certain tasks. Bots are automated, which means they run according to their instructions

without a human user needing to manually start them up every time. Bots often imitate or

replace a human user's behavior.

Cyberbullying - the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by

sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature.

Detection methods - are online processes to detect frauds and other cybercrimes.

Dummy account - an imitation or copy of something, to be used as a substitute; a model;

a lay figure.

E- business - E-Business (electronic business) is any process that a business

organization conducts over a computer-mediated network. Business organizations

include any for-profit, governmental, or nonprofit entity. Their processes include

production-, customer-, and internal- or management-focused business processes.

Extremism - spreading hateful narratives and propaganda to financing, recruitment, and

sharing operational information.

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Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Fraud - occurs when an individual deceives another by inducing them to do something or

not do something that results in a financial loss.

Graphic violence - is the depiction of particularly vivid, severe, and realistic acts of

violence in visual media such as film, television, and video games.

Harnessing Free Speech - collecting and controlling something so that freedom of

speech can be used effectively.

Hate Speech - abusive or threatening speech or writing that expresses prejudice on the

basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or similar grounds.

Identity Theft - It is the stealing of personal information to commit fraud. The identity thief

may use your information to apply for credit, file taxes, or get medical services.

Imposter - In this study, it refers to a person who pretends to be someone else's account

on any social media platforms.

Market Research - In this study, it is used by dummy accounts by setting up profiles with

different demographics to observe the behaviors of different people on the same platform

or website.

Online Social Networks - Online Social Networks (OSNs) like Twitter or Facebook are

virtual spaces that allow people to connect with like-minded others by exchanging

different types of media content including posts, links, and pictures.

Online impersonation - is when a person uses an identity other than their own for

malicious purposes. Usually, the aim is to obtain money or ruin a brand's reputation. But

online impersonators can also be out to harass, intimidate, and threaten their victims.

Phishing - is a common scam that attempts to lure you into giving up your username,

password, or other sensitive information by masquerading as someone you know and

trust.
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Practical Research 2: Quantitative Research SY 2022-2023

Political Astroturfing - occurs when a company directly misleads the public by placing

glowing, five-star fake online reviews for their products or services.

Sex Scam - a form of blackmailing activity in which sexual information or images are

used to extort money from individuals by persuading them.

Spam - Spam is unnecessary, unwanted, or repetitive content that clogs inboxes and

clutters social media feeds. The term “spam” has been used to refer to junk messages

since the earliest days of the Internet.

Terrorist propaganda - provides pervasive and continuous condemnation of the 'other

side,' and proposes alternatives to propose, do have ideological alternatives which they

know would not be generally acceptable if they were openly revealed.