- University of Malaya, Malaysia, Media & Communication Studies, Faculty Memberadd
- Blended learning in higher education, Media & Communication Studies, Peer Assessment, constructive journalism, Positive Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Positive Psychology, and 4 moreadult ADHD, Autoethnography, Self study and autoethnography in teacher development, and Collaborative Autoethnographyedit
PurposeThe unstoppable and exponential growth of social media use has given rise to concerns about the consequent effects on users. Among the major concerns are the psychological consequences, which have received considerable academic... more
PurposeThe unstoppable and exponential growth of social media use has given rise to concerns about the consequent effects on users. Among the major concerns are the psychological consequences, which have received considerable academic attention. The current mixed-methods research aims to examine women's social media use and its effects on their psychological well-being in a patriarchal culture, namely Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a mixed-method research methodology. The quantitative section collected data from 240 women and used structural equation modelling to test the proposed hypotheses. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the in-depth interviews with ten women.FindingsThe integration of the findings revealed increased use of social media by women and its beneficial effects (communication and socialisation, escapism and self-presentation), though qualitative findings revealed the cultural implications and obstacles that women face (online anonymity...
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During prolonged social isolation, media exposure is often intensified increases as individuals turn to the Internet, social media, television, and newspapers for information, communication, entertainment, and more. This exploratory study... more
During prolonged social isolation, media exposure is often intensified increases as individuals turn to the Internet, social media, television, and newspapers for information, communication, entertainment, and more. This exploratory study explores the correlations among media use, anxiety, and wellbeing in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey questionnaire was designed to measure the following five constructs: media dependency, media attention, anxiety, wellbeing, and collectivism. A total of 722 respondents in China participated in the survey from November 2020 to December 2020. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Our findings indicate that respondents who report collectivist norms tend to experience higher levels of wellbeing (and lower levels of anxiety), regardless of their scores for media use, media attention, or media dependency. Conversely, those respondents who record low collectivism tend to have higher levels of anxiety (and lower wellbeing), even if they report lower media use, attention and dependency during the pandemic. Study results also found that anxiety mediates the relationship between media use and wellbeing. Our introduction of collectivism as a possible moderating variable represents a significant contribution to current academic debates and suggests the inclusion of cultural factors for future studies on media use and anxiety/wellbeing during public health crises.
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ABSTRACT This study investigated the correlation between social media usage and psychological wellbeing among university students as well as the moderating role of gender between this relationship. A conceptual model was developed to... more
ABSTRACT This study investigated the correlation between social media usage and psychological wellbeing among university students as well as the moderating role of gender between this relationship. A conceptual model was developed to empirically test and explore the effects of five social media needs derived from the Uses and Gratification theory on Ryff’s six dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Structural equation modeling analysis results revealed that social media needs vary between males and females. The significant moderating effect of gender was thus found on the relationship between social media needs and psychological wellbeing.
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Drawing upon a transnational study addressing the implication of social media sources on the daily routines of global and local mainstream journalists based in Malaysia, this conceptual paper explores the relevance of Malaysia as a... more
Drawing upon a transnational study addressing the implication of social media sources on the daily routines of global and local mainstream journalists based in Malaysia, this conceptual paper explores the relevance of Malaysia as a site for global media research, and proposes a non-critical, non-status quo research agenda for Malaysian media research. Situated within the chasm between these twooppositional approaches, is a gap in Malaysia-based media scholarship, wherein there is a lack of ‘objective’ (value-free, interest-free scholarship that is not aligned to either state-centric nor opposition political ideologies), that simultaneously promotes ‘subjective’ phenomenological interpretative inquiry.
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© 2012 Dr. Amira Sariyati FirdausBeyond global media reporting of natural disasters (e.g. Fukushima earthquake/tsunami); terrorist attacks (e.g. 2005 London and 2004 Madrid bombings); and political uprisings (e.g. Arab Spring) and local... more
© 2012 Dr. Amira Sariyati FirdausBeyond global media reporting of natural disasters (e.g. Fukushima earthquake/tsunami); terrorist attacks (e.g. 2005 London and 2004 Madrid bombings); and political uprisings (e.g. Arab Spring) and local spot news emergencies (e.g. traffic accidents, fires), we know little regarding the journalistic integration of user-driven networked media within conventional news settings (i.e. institutional, mainstream news media). This thesis proposes ‘network newswork’ as an emerging practice of news production which allows journalism to capture the complex journalistic space which integrates user-driven networked informational sources into various stages of news production. The thesis asks: Within traditional, institutionally-driven journalistic settings, how is ‘network newswork’ integrated into routine newswork? Drawing upon a recent global-comparative turn in journalism studies, this thesis suggests a ‘glocal’ comparative approach to the research question by focusing its empirical analysis on expatriate and local journalists all based in the same ‘locality’ of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but working for news outlets that operate in distinctly different news spheres. Thus the thesis explores how globalized informational flows are used within different ‘glocal’ journalistic settings, represented by global channel Al Jazeera English with its Kuala Lumpur broadcast centre and the newsroom of Malaysian national channel Bernama TV, as well as four other ‘transnational’ outlets. Based on semi-structured interviews with journalists recruited via a chain of referrals within professional networks of journalists, study findings are structured along a ‘hierarchy of influences’ model. Across global, local and ‘glocal’ news spheres, commonalities are found in microsociological news practices. However, ideological macrosociological differences give rise to divergent rationales in journalistic evaluation of social media sources. Both commonalities and divergences across news spheres are explained by ideological-institutional and ‘professional’-journalistic-routines ‘structuration’ of individual journalists’ agency in appropriating user-driven networked media as tools of newswork. The thesis discusses the implications of ‘network newswork’ on the wider global journalistic sphere, elucidating a ‘tiered model’ of networked sources and expounding upon journalism’s deepening of the digital divide in its inadvertent ‘muting’ of the voices of non-networked communities that are ‘switched off’ from the global news sphere and its ‘network society’
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One primary concern in researching journalistic practice and media production is the difficulty of gaining research access to media organizations and their media professionals. This paper theorizes Small World Sampling method for... more
One primary concern in researching journalistic practice and media production is the difficulty of gaining research access to media organizations and their media professionals. This paper theorizes Small World Sampling method for identifying and recruiting participants for qualitative research. Based on an ethnographic interview study involving 32 journalists at six different international news organizations, our Small World Sampling method created a direct research path into journalists’ professional occupational networks without having to negotiate indirect access through their non-journalist organizational gatekeepers (e.g. PR executives, HR department, managers). Small World Sampling allows the participant selection process to be guided by media practitioners’ expert and in-group knowledge of their professional network of media colleagues and acquaintances. More methodologically important, our Small World Sampling protocol offers a novel technique for demonstrating the qualitative reliability of the sampling process and for establishing the qualitative validity of the sample under study. Additionally, the paper introduces the concept of ‘contextual case studies’ offering additional nuance and insights enriching the conclusions drawn from the project’s main case studies. Beyond media and journalism research, we propose that Small World Sampling may also prove useful for other fields to facilitate research access into closed organizations, elite networks, and hidden communities.
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As one of the major venues for articulating and disseminating national agendas and opinion discourse, national newspapers play a critical role in promulgating ideology. Underpinned by Intertextuality and Social Actor Theory, this study... more
As one of the major venues for articulating and disseminating national agendas and opinion discourse, national newspapers play a critical role in promulgating ideology. Underpinned by Intertextuality and Social Actor Theory, this study explores intertextual aspects of China Daily’s reporting of COVID-19 to unearth hidden ideology behind texts. The analysis reveals diversified voices from multiple actors around the globe, with China’s official leaders appearing most frequently. In the portrayal of social actors, some strategies like impersonalisation, and genericisation are utilised to add impersonal authority or power to an actor’s activity, actant’s engagement, and increase the trustworthiness of news. These reprsentational strategies belies a transformation in Chinese media discourse with a softer approach is used in wielding ideological intentions through journalistic practices of intertextuality. Our findings help to unravel how news texts draw on, echo, and bring together multi...
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The presentation and performance of women's selfhood and identity in Pakistan, in both the real and the virtual world, is dictated and shaped by the male-dominated cultural mores of Pakistan. Therefore, drawing upon Goffman's... more
The presentation and performance of women's selfhood and identity in Pakistan, in both the real and the virtual world, is dictated and shaped by the male-dominated cultural mores of Pakistan. Therefore, drawing upon Goffman's notion of self-presentation and everyday performance of selfhood, this paper explores digitally active Pakistani women's selfhood and identity presentation through qualitative interviews with ten Pakistani women from diverse backgrounds. Participants’ narratives revealed identity conflicts between their offline and online identities due to the control exhibited by the prevalent cultural norms and values. Similarly, offline cultural mores of the veil seeping into the online world operate as a patriarchal means of controlling women online akin to the male-protected family and home as a sacred sanctuary providing security to the family women. Pakistani women's experience of the online world is also defined in terms of “digital veil” and “digital sa...
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<p>The goal of positive education is to improve students' well-being, as well as academic performance. This holistic approach to student development is on the rise, yet most of the academic research on positive education is... more
<p>The goal of positive education is to improve students' well-being, as well as academic performance. This holistic approach to student development is on the rise, yet most of the academic research on positive education is conducted in Western countries. This is despite the fact that two-thirds of the world's population live in Asia. The primary aim of this scoping review is to rigorously examine the extent of the current original research work on positive education within public and private higher education institutions across South, East, and Southeast Asia. The descriptive analyses will shed light on the amount, the nature and the characteristics of this work done so far and identify any major gaps in the evidence base. It is anticipated that by presenting the results in an accessible and summarised format, stakeholders will be well placed to make effective use of the findings. To promote transparency, we report our planned methodology for that scoping review. This protocol is published during the literature search stage, before data charting has started.</p>
Social media use has been increasing apace regardless of geographical and economic boundaries. In particular, its penetration has occurred more rapidly in developing and low-income countries with abounding health and psychological... more
Social media use has been increasing apace regardless of geographical and economic boundaries. In particular, its penetration has occurred more rapidly in developing and low-income countries with abounding health and psychological disadvantages. Given the understanding that women are more prone to psychological disorders than men, the current research is an effort to examine social media motives and subsequent effects on the psychological well-being of women social media users in Pakistan. The study is based on an online survey conducted to ascertain as to what extent social media use contributes to women’s psychological well-being or otherwise. The survey recorded responses of 240 women selected through purposive sampling technique. SEM-PLS analysis of the collected data revealed that social media usage plays a meaningful role in women’s psychological health. However, results exposed that Pakistani women, under the traditional patriarchal social pressure, not only have to observe c...
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Strategic communication is an effective communication of information distributions at every level includes individual, group and organization. In terms of organizational management, strategic communication defined as a purposeful... more
Strategic communication is an effective communication of information distributions at every level includes individual, group and organization. In terms of organizational management, strategic communication defined as a purposeful communication in order to achieve a specific goal and target. Strategic communication does not only function as a tool of vision and goal interpretation towards targeted audience, but also to achieve both organization’s vision and goal. It act as a centre to ensure a strategy implementation achievement made by the organization. This article will describe and discuss further strategic communication practices based on three focuses; definition, approach and implementation. Based on secondary data and analysis of the findings of previous studies as well as the views of scholars through the field of strategic communication research, It show that strategic communication is a purposeful communication practice managed systematically through planning, implementatio...
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Keterlihatan laman sesawang semakin menjadi elemen penting untuk mempromosi institusi bagi universiti terbaik dunia. Laman sesawang rasmi universiti bertindak sebagai medium utama untuk mempromosi reputasi dan imej serta menjadi platform... more
Keterlihatan laman sesawang semakin menjadi elemen penting untuk mempromosi institusi bagi universiti terbaik dunia. Laman sesawang rasmi universiti bertindak sebagai medium utama untuk mempromosi reputasi dan imej serta menjadi platform publisiti untuk aktiviti dan pencapaian universiti. Laman sesawang memainkan peranan penting dalam mempertingkatkan keterlihatan institusi di peringkat lokal dan juga global, selaras dengan hasrat nasional untuk mengantarabangsakan pendidikan tinggi, contohnya pembangunan hab pendidikan tinggi serantau dan global. Komunikasi laman sesawang memainkan peranan yang penting sebagai tapak perhubungan pertama serta sumber maklumat utama bagi khalayak. Kajian ini meneliti penggunaan laman sesawang secara strategik oleh tiga universiti penyelidikan di Malaysia. Kajian ini juga mengkaji strategi komunikasi laman sesawang bagi setiap universiti menerusi analisis kandungan kualitatif dan pemerhatian secara dalam talian terhadap laman sesawang universiti berkai...
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Early Career Faculties (ECFs) are an important demographic of university faculty population shaping the future of the institution and higher education, despite the challenges they face as new academics. Analysis of scholarly output on... more
Early Career Faculties (ECFs) are an important demographic of university faculty population shaping the future of the institution and higher education, despite the challenges they face as new academics. Analysis of scholarly output on ECFs offers useful data to inform and aid both national policy formulations and institutional planning decisions especially in ECFs' support and development. Peer-reviewed high impact journals and academic databases provide highly valid and reliable sources of data and information on ECFs. This study examines the trend of ECFs research over two decades comparing scholarly output and research impact across global regions, in Web of Science and Scopus Elsevier. The bibliometric analysis highlights key topics of research and publications related to ECFs and identify the regions and countries most actively research on the topic. The trend of research on ECFs has been found to increase exponentially beginning the 1990s worldwide, mostly from western ins...
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This comprehensive discussion of agenda setting theory touches upon the merits and limitations of the theory as measured against a post-positivist yardstick. Extensions of agenda setting theory, namely policy agenda, agenda building and... more
This comprehensive discussion of agenda setting theory touches upon the merits and limitations of the theory as measured against a post-positivist yardstick. Extensions of agenda setting theory, namely policy agenda, agenda building and agenda setters are explained. Subsequently, contingency factors that influence agenda setting such as causal direction, time lag, issue obtrusiveness and the need for orientation and informational utility are also discussed. A discussion of the type of research undertaken is also included. The conclusion of this paper touches upon the possibility of other variables intervening in the development of policy agenda.
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This conceptual paper proposes a mode of inquiry that engages with an increasingly glocal reorganization of contemporary globalized spheres. Drawing upon the field of global communication, I discuss existing literature pointing to an... more
This conceptual paper proposes a mode of inquiry that engages with an increasingly glocal reorganization of contemporary globalized spheres. Drawing upon the field of global communication, I discuss existing literature pointing to an emergence of glocalist research. The article engages with notions of ‘glocalization’ to reconceptualise a notion of glocality that resonates with new forms of locality-bound globalized spaces and cultures. Combining this idea of glocality with the power of comparative analysis to draw out hidden intricacies within transnational spaces, I propose a ‘glocal-comparative’ research approach that engages with global and local (glocal) contexts simultaneously. This methodology is illustrated by an analysis of the ‘glocal-comparative’ elements of a study that examined the news practices of local and international journalists operating out of Malaysia.
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Expatriates sojourn-experiences may effect their perceptions of Malaysia, which in turn may influence their assessment of and feelings about Malaysian societies, markets and politics. The negative or positive opinions that expatriates... more
Expatriates sojourn-experiences may effect their perceptions of Malaysia, which in turn may influence their assessment of and feelings about Malaysian societies, markets and politics. The negative or positive opinions that expatriates have ofMalaysia will be relayed to their governments, their media and their corporations, perhaps influencing the opinions and stances of their policy makers towards Malaysia. Intensive interviews are conducted with four Western expatriates inMalaysia. Their adaptation experiences are compared with issues and concepts presented in several past literature on sojourner adaptation.
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Our contemporary media and communication media ecology is a highly networked one where users and producers of information create give rise to diverse flows of communication. It is a media ecology is distinct from that of the mass media... more
Our contemporary media and communication media ecology is a highly networked one where users and producers of information create give rise to diverse flows of communication. It is a media ecology is distinct from that of the mass media age where a small number of large media outlets disseminated one-way flow of messages to mass audiences. This conceptual article discusses the notion of a networked media ecology and explores ‘network paradigm’ as a research framework as proposed by Manuel Castells and Gustav Cardoso. Drawing upon the historical development ofnetworks as a organizing framework in the field of media and journalism, the papers argues for the relevance of a network paradigm in discussing contemporary globaluser-driven news ecologies. Finally, the paper looks at how a network paradigm can be used to discuss agenda-setting structures in contemporary news ecologies.
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Launched from an organizational communication perspective, this article chronicles the four Hawthorne studies that led to the development of the human relations theory. The article shows how the Hawthorne studies led to the birth of the... more
Launched from an organizational communication perspective, this article chronicles the four Hawthorne studies that led to the development of the human relations theory. The article shows how the Hawthorne studies led to the birth of the human relations management approach. The main tenets of human relations theory are discussed, as are its limitations. The article looks at both empirical and ideological limitations to the theory. The article ends by looking into the efforts to address these limitations, namely the evolution of human relations theory into a human resource approach. human relations theory, Hawthorne Studies, human resource approach, organizational communication
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Drawing upon a transnational study addressing the implication of social media sources on the daily routines of global and local mainstream journalists based in Malaysia, this conceptual paper explores the relevance of Malaysia as a site... more
Drawing upon a transnational study addressing the implication of social media sources on the daily routines of global and local mainstream journalists based in Malaysia, this conceptual paper explores the relevance of Malaysia as a site for global media research, and proposes a non-critical, non-status quo research agenda for Malaysian media research. Situated within the chasm between these two oppositional approaches, is a gap in Malaysia-based media scholarship, wherein there is a lack of ‘objective’ (value-free, interest-free scholarship that is not aligned to either state-centric nor opposition political ideologies), that simultaneously promotes ‘subjective’ phenomenological interpretative inquiry.
ABSTRACT This article studied women’s online social capital in the low-income and traditionally patriarchal society of Pakistan. The research focused on two objectives: to identify the needs of social media among Pakistani women; and to... more
ABSTRACT This article studied women’s online social capital in the low-income and traditionally patriarchal society of Pakistan. The research focused on two objectives: to identify the needs of social media among Pakistani women; and to measure the impact of social media needs on their social capital, especially with respect to establishing and bridging social capital. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 240 women. A measurement model was developed, and path analysis was performed using Smart-PLS. Results revealed a significant correlation between social media needs and social capital. Furthermore, it was found that Pakistani women’s social media needs positively correlate with bonding social capital; however, a significant relationship was also observed for bridging social capital as well. Quantitative analysis produced results contrary to widely held notions regarding women and social capital, which suggests a need for additional quantitative analysis as well as further qualitative research to explore the nuances of women’s online social capital in developing and traditional societies.
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Research Interests: Sociology and Asian women
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... MD SIDIN AHMAD ISHAK &amp;amp;amp;amp; AMIRA SARIYATI FIRDAUS ... Cooperation and exchange in these pervasive domains seek to foster friendly relations between the peoples of member countries and to strengthen cultural cooperation... more
... MD SIDIN AHMAD ISHAK &amp;amp;amp;amp; AMIRA SARIYATI FIRDAUS ... Cooperation and exchange in these pervasive domains seek to foster friendly relations between the peoples of member countries and to strengthen cultural cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect for ...
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Page 1. 1 Amira Firdaus News Media's Incorporation of User-Driven Communication Platforms into News Gathering, Production, and Presentation: Credible Source or Incredible Claims? ... AmiraFirdaus School of Culture &... more
Page 1. 1 Amira Firdaus News Media's Incorporation of User-Driven Communication Platforms into News Gathering, Production, and Presentation: Credible Source or Incredible Claims? ... AmiraFirdaus School of Culture & Communication, University of Melbourne, Australia & ...
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... Ethnic Identity and News Media Preferences in Malaysia By Amira Firdaus Paper presented at ARC APFRN SIGNATURE EVENT 2006 Media: Policies, Cultures and Futures in the Asia Pacific Region 27-29 November 2006 Curtin University, Perth,... more
... Ethnic Identity and News Media Preferences in Malaysia By Amira Firdaus Paper presented at ARC APFRN SIGNATURE EVENT 2006 Media: Policies, Cultures and Futures in the Asia Pacific Region 27-29 November 2006 Curtin University, Perth, Australia ABSTRACT This ...
This book analyses networked forms of journalistic production at traditional news organizations and their conventional news channels. Focusing on case studies from Malaysia, it examines current transformations to the norms, practices and... more
This book analyses networked forms of journalistic production at traditional news organizations and their conventional news channels. Focusing on case studies from Malaysia, it examines current transformations to the norms, practices and values of conventional news production. Drawing upon a recent global-comparative turn in journalism studies and parallel efforts to de-Westernize communication theory, this book suggests an innovative ‘glocal’ comparative approach to analyse ‘network newswork’ among global, transnational, and local news organizations, including Al Jazeera and Bernama TV, located within the same geographical locality, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This author uses an empirically-grounded conceptual framework for exploring and understanding recent transformations that user-driven networked resources bring to professional journalists’ daily work of producing news. Discussing the implications of network newswork on the wider global journalistic sphere, the book elucidates a tiered model of networked sources and expounds upon journalism’s deepening of the digital divide in its inadvertent muting of the voices of non-networked communities that are switched off from the global news sphere and its network society.
A fresh perspective on the analysis of globalization in the media and a useful guide for gaining access into media organizations and securing cooperation of organizational members for research, this book will be of interest to researchers in the field of Asian Media and Communication Studies, Journalism Studies, Political Communication and Sociology of Journalism.
A fresh perspective on the analysis of globalization in the media and a useful guide for gaining access into media organizations and securing cooperation of organizational members for research, this book will be of interest to researchers in the field of Asian Media and Communication Studies, Journalism Studies, Political Communication and Sociology of Journalism.