THE SOCIAL NETWORKING PREFERENCES AND THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS

Received: 22 October 2017 Final Accepted: 24 November 2017 Published: December 2017 Social networking via the internet has brought forth changes in the lives of the youth, including gaining an unlimited number of friends. Social networking websites are experiencing rapid growth which allows the Internet community, new and old friends, to get in touch. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Multiply boast with millions of members using their networks on a regular basis to communicate, share, create, and collaborate with others in the virtual world. Alongside the virtual world is the school which educates students to succeed in life depending on intelligence and control of emotions. Aside from IQ alone, the measure of success includes emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and luck (Goleman, 2005). Other qualities such as trust, integrity, authenticity, creativity, honesty, presence and resilience are as important. These different bits of intelligence are collectively described as Emotional Intelligence.This study was conducted to determine the social networking preferences and the emotional intelligence level of the college students and found out the relationship of social networking preferences and the emotional intelligence level of the college students, as well as, the connection of the profile between the relationship of the social networking preferences and emotional intelligence level of students.

In 2010, Pfeiffer discovered that social networking sites were beginning to attract mainstream attention as parents and educators have to deal with the fallout from preteens and teens who were confronted with ugly criticisms on the site. This study indicated that social networking sites might affect the state of emotional intelligence of the users. However, more often than not, these users have not stopped to think about the long-term effects of participation in these types of online activities, which may be hampering social development, including emotional intelligence. The reason behind the success of social networking websites, which have become so valuable, is due to the number of youth that is using it; and the youth is precisely what the school is concerned of. Although there are good points in online social networking, there may also be bad ones if there will be inappropriate use of it. Almost everybody is using these sites to communicate with friends, family, and others because of its natural access. Recent researches show that our emotions are more strongly influenced by friends and relatives than we might have imagined.
1692 Furthermore, it seems that emotions and even moods pass through social networking across several degrees of separation, and we are almost bound to catch them.
Social networking via the internet has brought forth changes in the lives of the youth. Social networking websites are experiencing rapid growth. With this rapid growth, social networking websites are a must for the internet community to stay in touch with each other. Social networking websites help people keep in touch with old friends and make new friends share new data or product, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. There seems to be no limit to their size and member. Many social networking websites boast with millions of members using their networks on a regular basis to communicate, share, create, and collaborate with others. Popular examples of these social networking websites are facebook, twitter, skype and multiply.
The school educate students with one main objective in mind: their success. The measure of success depends on several bits of intelligence and on the control of emotions. IQ alone is no more the measure of success; emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and luck also play a big role in a person's success (Goleman, 2005). Only a part of our success in life is attributable to the intellect. Other qualities such as trust, integrity, authenticity, creativity, honesty, presence and resilience are at least as important. These different bits of intelligence are collectively described as Emotional Intelligence.

Statement of the Problem:-
The general problem of this study was "How do social networking preferences relate to the emotional intelligence level of the college students of St. Mary's College of Baliuag during the second semester of the academic year 2010-2011?" Specifically, this study found the answers to the following questions: What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

Methodology:-
The methods and techniques used in this study was the descriptive method as it assessed and determined the relationship between social networking preferences and the emotional intelligence level of the college students.

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According to Fonorella (2010), the descriptive way describes, records, analyzes and interprets the status of conditions as it will follow the procedures of an expressive research work. Aside from determining profile and state, the inquiry likewise describes the association of the non-manipulated variables of the study.
Moreover, according to Travers in 2000, descriptive research method is used to describe the nature of a situation as it exists at the time of the study, and to explore the causes of particular phenomena. As to Day (2002), he defines descriptive research as an activity involving the collection of data to test the hypothesis. A descriptive study determines and reports the way things are (Travers, 2000). The data necessary to examine the theories as well as answer the questions concerning the current status of the subjects of the study will be generated through the survey method using the standardized test and researcher-devised questionnaires.

Results and Discussions:-Demographic Profile of the College Students:-
The respondents' demographic profile was described in terms of age, gender, birth order, socioeconomic status and multimedia. The age range of the respondents was from fifteen to thirty-three years old. Most of the respondents were females. The most significant numbers of them were middle children followed by youngest, oldest and only child. The more significant part of the respondents belongs to monthly family income ranged from P11, 000 -P20, 000. A more substantial number of respondents owned a PC; some owned a cellphone, seldom used laptop and iPod.

Social Networking Preferences of the College Students:-
Most of the respondents preferred searching in Google for their social networking activities which obtained the highest percentage eighty-three point seven, thirty-eight point one spent two to three hours on social networking sites. Evening obtained the highest percentage of sixty-five point three. Research got the highest number of respondents with seventy-three point four percent. The respondents used social networking sites once a day that had the highest percentage which was thirty-two point six percent.

Emotional Intelligence Level of the College Students:-
The emotional intelligence level of the respondents in terms of responsibility, relationship, autonomy, emotion, creativity, empathy and self-restraint obtained an overall mean of two-point eighty-four which indicated that the emotional intelligence level of the respondents appeared to be on a standard level.

The Relationship between the Profile and Social Networking Preferences on the Emotional Intelligence Level:-
The profile in terms of socio-economic status was highly significant to social networking preferences in terms of activities in skype. The profile in terms of gender was related to social networking preferences in terms of activities in youtube. Furthermore, the profile in terms of age and socio-economic status was significant to social networking preferences in terms of time.

The Relationship of Social Networking Preferences to Emotional Intelligence of the College Students:-
The social networking preference of the respondents in terms of activity in behavior is significantly related with their emotional intelligence level in terms of responsibility and autonomy. However, the social networking preferences in terms of activities in twitter, facebook, multiply, skype and youtube of the respondents manifested no significant relationship with their emotional intelligence level in terms of responsibility, relationship, autonomy, emotion, creativity, empathy and self-restraint.

Conclusions:-
In the light of the preliminary findings on the test of relationship raised in the study, the following conclusions were arrived at: The profile in terms of socio-economic status is significantly related to social networking preferences in terms of activities in Skype. The profile in terms of gender is significantly related to social networking preferences in terms of activities in youtube. The profile in terms of age and socio-economic status is considerably related to time. The profile does not significantly relate to the emotional intelligence level of the respondents.