Esperanza-Gabion Test. 162

1. (F.A.S.T.)

2. Introduction
Online social networking sites such as
Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have become a
big part of people’s lives in the 21st century.
These sites serve as tools for people to get in
touch and reconnect with families and friends.
Social networking sites are particularly
popular with the teens (and some adults as well)
who have seemingly unending need, want and
urge to share every detail of their lives
online, even the most trivial ones.

3. Introduction
According to Dr. Kimberly Young, Internet
Addiction can be likened to addictive syndromes
similar to impulse-control disorders on the Axis
I Scale of the DSM.
It is also known as computer
addiction, online addiction, or internet
addiction disorder, which will be included in the
upcoming revision of the DSM-V.
And a possible addition to the variety of
impulse-control problems is the abusive use of
online networking sites.

4. Introduction
Therefore, this instrument aims to
measure the susceptibility to addiction
or abusive use of late adolescents to
online social networking sites
specifically Facebook.

5. Significance of Study
The emergence of different social networking
sites which started in the early nineties, has
affected the lives of people. These websites offer
services wherein one can make an online identity
that can be shared with other people.
Also, through these websites, one can
strengthen existing relationships or create new
relationships with people of the same
activities, interests and background.

6. Significance of Study
Because these sites are internet or web
based, it is much easier for the users to interact
or socialize with their fellow users.
And since it’s first launch in the early
nineties, these sites have now evolved and have
become popular worldwide. With this, the rapid
growth of users imply that more people are
getting “addicted” to it, most especially
adolescents or teens.

7. Significance of Study
Because past researches focused on the
general definition of Internet Addiction, the
researchers wanted to develop a test or
assessment that specifically measured the
susceptibility or the tendency of adolescents to
be addicted to social networking sites especially
Facebook.
With this, the researchers came up the
Facebook Addiction Susceptibility Test (FAST), a
paper and pencil self-administered projective test.

8. Significance of Study
The researchers believe that such
assessment tool is not only timely but also
important for the present and future
generations of Facebook users because it
will help them assess their own internet
use behavior.

9. Conceptual Framework

10. Methodology
Using a self-administered questionnaire to
assess the susceptibility to addiction of late
adolescent users to such online networking sites, a
survey was conducted in selected areas in Manila.
The study population were late adolescents, ages 18-
25 years old.
A self-developed projective test and a
validated Internet addiction scale consisting of 12
self-assessment items measured on a 4-point Likert
scale; 12- item projective test and 12 true or false
questions, was administered.

11. Methodology

12. First page
Methodology

13. Second page
Methodology

14. Methodology
The first section of the survey instrument
consisted of socio-demographic questions
regarding the subject (e.g.
name, address, school, age and year level).
The second section consisted of K-
scale, which included items measuring Internet
Addiction of adolescents.

15. Methodology
The third section consisted of a
projective test, measuring the respondents’
familiarity with the Facebook website. The
section included 12 edited and cropped
illustrations/icons from the said social
networking site.
The 12-item true or false
questions, conversely, was administered to
subjects who had high scores in the FAST to
know whether they are susceptible to addicted
specifically to Facebook

16. Methodology
Test of Validity and Reliability
The K-scale was culturally validated (Cronbach’s
Alpha= .738). The scores were categorized as highly
addicted if the total score in the given scale is over
20 points. The projective test, Facebook Addiction
Susceptibility Test (FAST) was supported by another
self-developed test which consisted of the 12-item
true or false questions about the respondent’s use of
Facebook. The scores in the FAST were categorized as
highly susceptible to addiction if the total score in
the test is over 10.

17. Methodology
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Cronbach's N of Items
Alpha Alpha Based on
Standardized
Items
.738 .728 12

18. Methodology
To isolate what the researchers intended to
measure, the researches made use of various icons
specifically found in the Facebook website.
If the subject identified at 10 correct
icons, then the subject is familiar with the social
networking site because of one’s frequent use of
it, which can be an indicator of one’s tendency to
be addicted to it. To also ensure its
reliability, FAST was correlated to K-Scale which
is a validated scale for Internet Addiction, and to
the self-developed 12-item true or false Facebook
Test.

19. Methodology
Using Pearson Correlation, the K-scale and
FAST is moderately correlated (0.30). This means
that scores of a person in the FAST is not that
dependent on the scores in the K-scale. With
this, we can conclude that if one is addicted to the
internet, it does not necessarily mean that one is also
highly susceptible to be addicted to Facebook.

20. Methodology
Correlations
K-scale FAST
Pearson
1 .300
Correlation
K-scale
Sig. (2-tailed) .117
N 30 30
Pearson
.300 1
Correlation
FAST
Sig. (2-tailed) .117
N 30 30

21. Methodology
To determine the construct validity, Paired t-test
was used. The mean scores in K-scale and FAST are
significantly different (pvalue or sig = 0.000 <0.05). This
means that the two tests do not measure the same
construct. The K-scale measures Internet
Addiction, while the FAST only measures a person’s
susceptibility to addiction to specifically Facebook, and
not internet as a whole. Samples Test
Paired
t df Sig. (2-tailed)
-
K-scale
Pair 1 5.17 29 .000
- FAST
5

22. Methodology
To support the data gathered from the
respondents who scored high in the FAST and
to know whether they are really susceptible to
be addicted to Facebook, they were given
another test, the 12-item true or false test about
their use of Facebook. Out of 30 respondents, 10
respondents scored high (10 correct answers out
of 12 items) and were given the test.

23. Methodology
The scores in the FAST and the 12-item
true or false test were correlated with a
correlation coefficient of 0.794, which means
that the scores on both tests are highly
correlated. Thus, if the respondent scores high on
the FAST, he or she will also score high on the 12-
item true or false test.

24. Methodology
Correlations
Key 10 up
Pearson Correlation 1 .794*
True or False Sig. (2-tailed) .033
N 10 10
Pearson Correlation .794* 1
FAST Sig. (2-tailed) .033
N 10 10
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

25. Methodology
To get rid of the contaminants, the FAST opted
to only measure the adolescents’ susceptibility of the
respondents to addiction, and not addiction per se.
The FAST does not generalize or label the person
as being already addicted. The researchers have
recognized the fact that the FAST may only measure or
describe only one indicator of internet addiction, which
is the familiarity of the respondent to the website
because of one’s frequent use of it or one’s time
allotted in using it.

26. Methodology
This indicator may not be enough in
concluding that a person is addicted to
Facebook, because addiction as a whole is a
complex matter which considers a lot of factors.
Also, to ensure that the respondents cannot
cheat or peak in the Facebook website, the FAST is
in the form of paper and pencil instead of an
online one.

27. Feasibility
The Facebook Addiction Susceptibility Test (FAST) as
an assessment tool that measures the respondent’s
susceptibility to Facebook addiction with little or minimum
effort.
They can assess and at the same time know whether
they should regulate their own internet use and Facebook
use behavior through the use of this self-administered
paper and pencil test.
Basic knowledge on Facebook and its features and of
one’s behavior is enough to help them answer this
assessment tool.

28. Observation
When the respondents were given the
questionnaires, they were amazed with the general
design of it.
One of the factors that contributed to this is
that the icons and tables attached to the
questionnaire were colored, for the respondents to
easily name the icons needed to be identified.
Moreover, there were instances during the
assessment period when some respondents wanted a
copy of it, while some even volunteered to answer.

29. Observation
While the researchers were assessing the
respondents, many of them showed similar behavior
such as imagining the features of Facebook and
where the icons are located, and filling the letters in
the words in the icons to be identified.
There were also some respondents who even
drew the said website to easily locate and identify the
icons.