Digital engagement: a preliminary analysis of marginalized youth in the information society

Efforts have been made to narrow the digital divide in disadvantaged communities through increased investment in Internet infrastructure, with such initiatives particularly advanced by community-based facilities. The hope is for such investment to afford more underprivileged groups the benefits of 21st century society, where many public services are, by default, accessible online. Accordingly, this study focusses on how 15-to-25-year-old Malaysian youths in marginalised communities engage with the Internet in performing various activities in their everyday lives. The findings indicate that the majority of these individuals have access to the Internet but that their engagement spans only basic activities such as communication and uploading and downloading of materials. In terms of intermediate and advanced activities, the investigated youths minimally shop online, search for educational materials and participate in civic and political causes. The results also indicate that attitudes towards the Internet considerably influence the decision of Malaysian youth to occupy themselves with digital activities. Fostering a digitally-inclusive society necessitates expanding digital engagement beyond basic activities - a goal that can be achieved by improving the digital literacy of youth and offering them participatory literacy programmes

Kredibiliti media dan penyertaan dalam persekitaran pengdemokrasian maklumat di Malaysia

Perkembangan teknologi telah mengubah landskap industri media dengan mewujudkan persaingan antara media tradisional dan media baru. Seiring itu, takrifan konstruk kredibiliti media juga turut berubah bersesuaian dengan perubahan landskap media ini. Kajian ini bertujuan membentuk dan menguji ukuran baharu kredibiliti media. Turut menjadi fokus kajian ini, ialah bagaimana pendidikan dan persepsi mempengaruhi penggunaan media dan bagaimana penggunaan media serta kredibiliti media mempengaruhi penyertaan khalayak dalam menyuarakan pendapat. Untuk mendapatkan data, 210 responden ditemubual dengan kaedah survei. Responden terdiri daripada mereka yang berumur antara 20 hingga 70 tahun dan tinggal di Mukim Kajang, Selangor. Hasil kajian menunjukkan responden meletakkan kredibiliti berita sebagai dimensi kredibiliti media yang lebih utama berbanding dengan dimensi kredibiliti medium. Selain itu penggunaan media tidak mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan kredibiliti media secara keseluruhan, tetapi mempunyai hubungan yang signifikan dengan dimensi kredibiliti medium. Kredibiliti media juga tidak mempunyai hubungan signifikan dengan penyertaan tetapi sebaliknya, penggunaan media menunjukkan hubungan yang signifikan dengan penyertaan

Situation complexity: delineating situational factors affecting individual communicative action in problem solving

The rapid development of new social media technologies has provided today’s individual with a variety of communicative tools that enable the dissemination of information to large groups of people in a very short amount of time. Individuals who converge into collectives are viewed as influential forces in the creation of problem perception, and have the potential to influence society and pressure the organisations within it. For this reason, understanding audiences and managing information is of interest to communications practitioners and scholars alike. Of late, the study of the individual problem solving process has become an important focus; more specifically, the communicative behaviour of individuals and the factors that influence these communicative behaviours. Previous studies have examined three key antecedent factors that determine an individual’s participation in communicative action: problem recognition, involvement recognition, and constraint recognition. This study proposes that the problem solving process is also influenced by contextual factors that may limit or encourage communicative behaviour. The purpose of this study was to delineate the “situation” in the individual problem solving process and construct a quantitative measure of perceived situation complexity. A synthesis of extant literature produced preliminary dimensions and items that were tested through a survey distributed among 152 university students. Exploratory factor analysis yielded six main dimensions: solution complexity, referent criterion, negative feelings toward the problem, environmental salience, problem familiarity, and uncertainty of a solution. These results provide initial guidance into exploring the concept of context in individual problem solving and the consequences on communicative action

Digital experience and citizen participation in bridging ethnic divide: an analysis of young generation in Malaysia

Information and communication technologies provide communities, service providers and advocates with mechanisms through which service can be more effectively and efficiently provided to the young generation. The young generation and these technologies can unite to create an agenda for positive change that will ultimately benefit them and society. The role that information and communication technologies may play and the impact they may have on the ethnic divide and national unity among the young generation in a multicultural society are not well understood, and there are gaps in the evidence base surrounding the possibilities and approaches for national integration that involves information technologies. This paper investigates the usage of ethnic media and issues related to the ethnic divide in multicultural Malaysian society. More specifically, internet use, types of participation, ethnic identity and their interrelations were observed. A national sample of 1,640 respondents between the ages of 21 and 40 years were interviewed. The results indicated that those with more experience and longer usage of the Internet showed higher levels of online and offline participation. The high penetration of information and communication technology among the young generation provides an opportunity for active citizen participation that could lead to a better understanding of the citizens’ rights and responsibilities, which can form the basis for bridging the ethnic divide

Factor affecting online purchase behavior

The study examined the relationship between consumer personality and cultural dimensions to that of purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Krugman’s Low Involvement theory and Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions were incorporated in the study. A survey was conducted in the Subang Jaya, Puchong and Kuala Lumpur area. The sample consisted of 504 respondents drawn from a simple random sampling. Spearman Correlation Coefficients was used to analyze the data. The study showed as suggested by Krugman’s Low Involvement theory, high involvement products and attitude towards Internet contributed significantly to the purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Thus indicating the Internet to be better suited for high involvement products and services as well as help increase the tendency to purchase products and services online. Similarly, the study also showed that the convenience dimension of the consumer personality variable formed a significant relationship with purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Although Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions argued that cultural dimensions influences the adoption of innovations, yet results obtained from the study failed to support the theory as it was found that risk personality which represent the other dimension of the consumer personality and the cultural dimensions failed to support the hypotheses as observed in the non-significant relationships between the variables and the purchasing behavior through cyber advertising

Analisis pola penyertaan digital ICT dan transformasi keusahawanan

Internet adalah medium yang berpotensi dalam perkongsian maklumat yang pantas dan membawa perubahan baharu dalam kehidupan masyarakat. Kewujudan Internet kini telah mendorong kepada penyertaan digital dalam pelbagai aspek termasuk keusahawanan. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk meninjau bagaimana pola penyertaan digital melalui pelbagai aplikasi dalam talian serta bentuk transformasi perniagaan yang berlaku dalam kalangan usahawan. Antara objektif kajian ini adalah untuk melihat pola penyertaan digital dan bentuk transformasi keusahawanan. Pendekatan kuantitatif telah digunakan dan data kajian dikumpul melalui tinjauan dengan soal selidik terhadap 402 responden usahawan wanita berumur 18 hingga 50 tahun yang menjalankan perniagaan secara dalam talian. Dua kaedah tinjauan yang telah dijalankan iaitu secara bersemuka (di sekitar Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Shah Alam dan Bangi) dan secara dalam talian (e-mel dan Facebook). Hasil kajian menunjukkan majoriti usahawan wanita memperoleh manfaat dengan menjadikan internet sebagai sumber mendapatkan maklumat berkaitan produk terkini di pasaran. Selain itu, majoriti responden juga mengiklankan produk mereka di Internet sebagai salah satu cara komunikasi yang berterusan dengan pelanggan. Dari aspek transformasi pula, majoriti responden mendapati tahap perhubungan dengan pelanggan mereka adalah semakin maju. Ini menggambarkan bahawa perubahan positif berlaku dalam perniagaan mereka. Justeru, daripada dapatan kajian dilihat bahawa penyertaan digital ini adalah penting bagi usahawan dalam memajukan lagi perniagaan mereka

Job preferences among marginalized and non-marginalized youth in Malaysia

This study aimed to explore the factor job preferences among youth in marginalized and non-marginalized in Sabah. Preferences job four dimensions identified in this study, namely communality, job comforts, job goals and self-realization. The study will also explore the different job preferences by demographic background, namely gender and multi-ethnic. A total of 5954 youths was involved, ranging from marginalized (N = 4107) and non-marginalized (N = 1847). The study found no significant differences in job preferences among marginalized and non-marginalized youth in Malaysia as a whole. However, job comforts show selected key factor in the youth as job preferences. For multi-ethnic difference that there were no significant differences for non-marginalized youth, but there are significant differences in the dimensions of self-realization for marginalized youth. The implications of this study are identified factor can contribute to the implementation of government policies to help young people get jobs

Groundwater resources assessment using numerical model : a case study in low-lying coastal area.

The impacts of climate change and human pressure in groundwater have been greatest threats facing small islands. This paper represents a case study of groundwater responses towards the climate change and human pressures in Manukan Island Malaysia. SEAWAT-2000 was used for the simulations of groundwater response in study area. Simulations of six scenarios representing climate change and human pressures showed changes in hydraulic heads and chloride concentrations. Reduction in pumping rate and an increase in recharge rate can alter the bad effects of overdrafts in Manukan Island. In general, reduction in pumping rate and an increase in recharge rate are capable to restore and protect the groundwater resources in Manukan Island. Thus, for groundwater management options in Manukan Island, scenario 2 is capable to lessen the seawater intrusion into the aquifer and sustain water resources on a long-term basis. The selection of scenario 6 is the preeminent option during wet season. The output of this study provides a foundation which can be used in other small islands of similar hydrogeological condition for the purpose of groundwater resources protection

Factors affecting online purchasing behavior

The study examined the relationship between consumer personality and cultural dimensions to that of purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Krugman‟s Low Involvement theory and Hofstede‟s Cultural Dimensions were incorporated in the study. A survey was conducted in the Subang Jaya, Puchong and Kuala Lumpur area. The sample consisted of 504 respondents drawn from a simple random sampling. Spearman Correlation Coefficients was used to analyze the data. The study showed as suggested by Krugman‟s Low Involvement theory, high involvement products and attitude towards Internet contributed significantly to the purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Thus indicating the Internet to be better suited for high involvement products and services as well as help increase the tendency to purchase products and services online. Similarly, the study also showed that the convenience dimension of the consumer personality variable formed a significant relationship with purchasing behavior through cyber advertising. Although Hofstede‟s Cultural Dimensions argued that cultural dimensions influences the adoption of innovations, yet results obtained from the study failed to support the theory as it was found that risk personality which represent the other dimension of the consumer personality and the cultural dimensions failed to support the hypotheses as observed in the non-significant relationships between the variables and the purchasing behavior through cyber advertising

Media, demokrasi dan generasi muda : analisis keputusan pilihan raya umum ke-12

Pilihan raya umum ke-12 telah mengubah lanskap politik di Malaysia.Buat pertama kali sejak merdeka, parti pemerintah Barisan Nasional gagal menguasai kerajaan di lima buah negeri dan juga tidak mempunyai majoriti dua pertiga di parlimen persekutuan.Selain daripada isu-isu yang dibangkitkan dalam kempen pilihan raya, pengaruh internet dalam kalangan generasi muda dikatakan sebagai di antara faktor yang mengayun undi generasi muda kepada parti pembangkang Pakatan Rakyat. Kajian ini telah menganalisis pemboleh ubah kepercayaan terhadap media termasuk internet; isu isu utama seperti isu kenaikan harga barang, pengangguran, kadar jenayah, peningkatan kes rasuah dan layanan sama rata antara kaum; dengan kepuasan terhadap keputusan PRU-12. Analisis regresi berganda menunjukkan kepercayaan kepada maklumat internet dan daripada kawan-kawan serta isu-isu yang dibangkitkan pilihan raya menyumbang secara positif terhadap kepuasan PRU- 12 yang memihak kepada gabungan parti pembangkan