Digital Extroversion: The Role of Anonymity, Comfort, and Digital Cues among Senior High School Students
Document Types
Paper Presentation
Research Theme (for Paper Presentation and Poster Presentation submissions only)
Gender, Human Development, and the Individual (GHI)
School Name
De La Salle University - Manila
Track or Strand
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Research Advisor (Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial)
Myla M. Arcinas
Start Date
25-6-2026 10:30 AM
End Date
25-6-2026 12:00 PM
Zoom Link/ Room Assignment
Online - https://zoom.us/j/95274188371?pwd=bXhb7DQU3HQbLltdMsVaoT4A5iwGBr.1 Meeting ID: 952 7418 8371 | Passcode: research
Abstract/Executive Summary
This study investigated the extent to which perceived anonymity, online comfort, and digital cue adaptation predict the expression of digital extroversion among Grade 12 students (n=114) at a selected university in Metro Manila. Using a quantitative explanatory research design, data were collected via a structured online survey and analyzed with descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rho correlation, and multiple linear regression. Descriptive results revealed a "Very High" level of social media use or integration (Md = 5.00), with students demonstrating "High" digital cue adaptation (Md = 4.00) and "Low" levels of perceived anonymity (Md = 2.50), “Moderate” online comfort (Md = 3.25), and “Moderate” digital extroversion (Md = 3.25). Correlational analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between digital extroversion and both online comfort (ρ = .426, p < .001). However, the relationship between digital extroversion and digital cue adaptation was weakly positive but not statistically significant (ρ = .176, p = .062). The regression model—which accounted for 16.7% of the total variance—identified Online Comfort as the sole significant unique predictor of digital extroversion (β = 0.343, p < .001). These findings offer a nuanced extension of the online disinhibition theory by suggesting that a student’s sense of anonymity does not significantly predict digital expression; rather, subjective comfort and technical ease within digital spaces emerge as the strongest factors associated with authentic self-presentation. The study concludes that students function as “digital pragmatists” who prioritize identity continuity over anonymous persona-building.
Keywords
digital extroversion expression, perceived anonymity, online comfort, digital cues, senior high school students
Initial Consent for Publication
yes
Statement of Originality
yes
Digital Extroversion: The Role of Anonymity, Comfort, and Digital Cues among Senior High School Students
This study investigated the extent to which perceived anonymity, online comfort, and digital cue adaptation predict the expression of digital extroversion among Grade 12 students (n=114) at a selected university in Metro Manila. Using a quantitative explanatory research design, data were collected via a structured online survey and analyzed with descriptive statistics, Spearman’s rho correlation, and multiple linear regression. Descriptive results revealed a "Very High" level of social media use or integration (Md = 5.00), with students demonstrating "High" digital cue adaptation (Md = 4.00) and "Low" levels of perceived anonymity (Md = 2.50), “Moderate” online comfort (Md = 3.25), and “Moderate” digital extroversion (Md = 3.25). Correlational analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between digital extroversion and both online comfort (ρ = .426, p < .001). However, the relationship between digital extroversion and digital cue adaptation was weakly positive but not statistically significant (ρ = .176, p = .062). The regression model—which accounted for 16.7% of the total variance—identified Online Comfort as the sole significant unique predictor of digital extroversion (β = 0.343, p < .001). These findings offer a nuanced extension of the online disinhibition theory by suggesting that a student’s sense of anonymity does not significantly predict digital expression; rather, subjective comfort and technical ease within digital spaces emerge as the strongest factors associated with authentic self-presentation. The study concludes that students function as “digital pragmatists” who prioritize identity continuity over anonymous persona-building.
https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2026/BoA_GHI/10