Assessing the identity of digital technology in education in the age of digital communication

Tin Tin Ting 1 * , Kuok Tiung Lee 2, Siew Mooi Lim 3, Che Ching Lai 2, Marja Azlima Omar 2, James Alin 2, Aisah Meri 2
More Detail
1 INTI International University, Negeri Sembilan, MALAYSIA
2 University Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, MALAYSIA
3 Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: e202353. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13695
OPEN ACCESS   927 Views   632 Downloads   Published online: 18 Sep 2023
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Digital technology has become a part of undergraduate daily life as digital assistant in the age of digital communication (social media and smartphones), purchasing necessities (online shopping), releasing stress (online game) and education resources supply (social media) during or after COVID-19 pandemics especially those involved in online education. However, excessive participation in these technologies raises concerns among the society. The most visible impact will be academic performance, physical and mental health. This research aims to analyze the addiction level and impacts of digital culture in undergraduates who involved in digital education, using empirical study. 320 scholars from a private university are invited to participate in the study. Pearson correlation and descriptive analysis are performed using SPSS in data analysis. The result shows that 62.05% of the respondents fall under a moderate level of addictive digital. Social media addiction, smartphone addiction, online game addiction, and online shopping addiction do not significantly affect undergraduate academic performance, but they have a significant impact on physical and mental health. This research brings new perceptions of different digital technologies to undergraduates in a comprehensive view in terms of digital technology empowerment or endangerment in education in this age of digital communication. This is useful as guidance to policy makers in the future design of online education.
Keywords: digital culture, social networks, smartphone, online shopping, online game, digital communication

CITATION

Ting, T. T., Lee, K. T., Lim, S. M., Lai, C. C., Omar, M. A., Alin, J., & Meri, A. (2023). Assessing the identity of digital technology in education in the age of digital communication. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 13(4), e202353. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/13695

REFERENCES

  • Adžić, S., Al-Mansour, J., Naqvi, H., & Stambolić, S. (2021). The impact of video games on students’ educational outcomes. Entertainment Computing, 38, 100412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2021.100412
  • Al-Menayes, J. J. (2015). Social media use, engagement and addiction as predictors of academic performance. International Journal of Psychological Studies, 7(4), 86. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijps.v7n4p86
  • Alomari, A. A. (2019). The impact of social media use on students’ academic performance: A field study at a mid-south university [Master’s thesis, Arkansas State University].
  • Altintas, E., Karaca, Y., Hullaert, T., & Tassi, P. (2019). Sleep quality and video game playing: Effect of intensity of video game playing and mental health. Psychiatry Research, 273, 487-492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.01.030
  • Andreassen, C. S., Griffiths, M. D., Pallesen, S., Bilder, R. M., Torsheim, T., & Aboujaoude, E. (2015). The Bergen shopping addiction scale: Reliability and validity of a brief screening test. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01374
  • Arnold, M., & Pearce, C. (2015). Are technologies innocent?: Part one. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 34(4), 100-101. https://doi.org/10.1109/MTS.2015.2494401
  • Black, D. W. (2007). A review of compulsive buying disorder. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association, 6(1), 14-18.
  • Caleb, C. K. L., Tang, H. R., Lee, K. S., Courtney, C. C. N., Rajermani, T., Ting, T. T., & Malathy, B. (2022). A case study on the impact of video games towards Malaysian youth. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 100(19), 5840-5853.
  • Caroline, V. K. (2019). Students’ vocabulary enhancement at grade 10: A comparative study using CALL & MALL in Indonesia. CALL-EJ, 20(1), 87-114.
  • Chu, J., Qaisar, S., Shah, Z., & Jalil, A. (2021). Attention or distraction? The impact of mobile phone on users’ psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.612127
  • Crocker, J. (2001). Self-esteem in adulthood. In International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 13822-13826). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-08-043076-7/01724-1
  • Cunningham, S., Hudson, C. C., & Harkness, K. (2021). Social media and depression symptoms: A meta-analysis. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49(2), 241-253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-020-00715-7
  • Dana, A., Helia, N., Mir, H. S., Sima, M. S., & Sepideh, S. (2022). Smartphone usage status, sleep pattern, health-related quality of life, and physical activity among adolescents from before to during the COVID-19 confinement: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of School Health, 9(1), 1-9.
  • de Guzman, A., Acerit, A., Baui, N. J., Daliri, J., Lazatin, S. C., Porto, P., Rabago, Z., Rodriguez, G., & Valdez, H. M. (2022). Oniomania: A phenomenological study on online shopping addiction. International Journal of Arts, Sciences and Education, 3(1), 71-85.
  • Elhai, J. D., McKay, D., Yang, H., Minaya, C., Montag, C., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2021). Health anxiety related to problematic smartphone use and gaming disorder severity during COVID‐19: Fear of missing out as a mediator. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 3(1), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.227
  • Elkhamisy, F. A. A., & Wassef, R. M. (2021). Innovating pathology learning via Kahoot! game-based tool: A quantitative study of students’ perceptions and academic performance. Alexandria Journal of Medicine, 57(1), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/20905068.2021.1954413
  • Eltahir, M. E., Alsalhi, N. R., Al-Qatawneh, S., AlQudah, H. A., & Jaradat, M. (2021). The impact of game-based learning (GBL) on students’ motivation, engagement and academic performance on an Arabic language grammar course in higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 26(3), 3251-3278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10396-w
  • Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007). Anxiety and cognitive performance: Attentional control theory. Emotion, 7(2), 336-353. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336
  • Faridah, N., Norliza, O., Muhamad, A. A., & Mohd, H. M. H. (2020). A case study of social media addiction among Malaysians. Solid State Technology, 63(4), 1839-1851.
  • George, D., & Mallery, M. (2003). Using SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple guide and reference. Allyn & Bacon.
  • Ghosh, P., Ghosh, A., & Khasnabis, M. (2021). Prevalence of smartphone addiction: Correlates of smartphone use and its association with social phobia in post-graduate medical students in Assam. International Journal of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(4), 1836. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20211242
  • GlobalData. (2021). The Malaysian e-commerce market to grow by 10.6% in 2021. GlobalData. https://www.globaldata.com/media/banking/malaysia-e-commerce-market-grow-10-6-2021-reveals-globaldata/
  • Haidar, W. M. (2022). Studi korelasi antara kecanduan bermain game online mobile legends dan manajemen waktu dengan prestasi akademik siswa kelas XI SMA Negeri 1 Kudus tahun pelajaran 2020/2021 [Correlation study between addiction to playing online game mobile legends and time management with academic achievement of class XI students of SMA Negeri 1 Kudus academic year 2020/2021]. Empati-Jurnal Bimbingan Dan Konseling [Empathy-Journal of Guidance and Counseling], 9(1), 19-35. https://doi.org/10.26877/empati.v9i1.9813
  • Hanley, A., & Wilhelm, M. S. (1992). Compulsive buying: An exploration into self-esteem and money attitudes. Journal of Economic Psychology, 13(1), 5-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(92)90049-D
  • ITU. (2020). Individuals using the Internet. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
  • Katemba, C. V., & Sinuhaji, G. V. (2021). Can ESA method through Quizizz games enhance vocabulary knowledge? International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 11(3), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJGBL.2021070102
  • Katemba, C. V., Tobing, J. H. L., & Putri, T. A. (2022). Kahoot! games enhance vocabulary learning? Revija za Elementarno Izobraževanje [Journal of Elementary Education], 15(3), 393-408. https://doi.org/10.18690/rei.15.3.393-408.2022
  • Kemp, S. (2022). Digital 2022: Malaysia-DataReportal–global digital insights. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-malaysia
  • Kesici, A., & Fidan Tunc, N. (2018). Investigating the digital addiction level of the university students according to their purposes for using digital tools. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 6(2), 235-241. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2018.060204
  • Khan, H. A., Ameen, K., & Rafique, G. M. (2021). Impact of personal digital devices usage on academic performance of university students in Pakistan. Library Philosophy and Practice, 5374.
  • Kim, J., & Lee, K. (2022). The association between physical activity and smartphone addiction in Korean adolescents: The 16th Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey, 2020. Healthcare, 10(4), 702. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10040702
  • Kil, N., Kim, J., McDaniel, J. T., Kim, J., & Kensinger, K. (2021). Examining associations between smartphone use, smartphone addiction, and mental health outcomes: A cross-sectional study of college students. Health Promotion Perspectives, 11(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.34172/hpp.2021.06
  • Kim, H. S., Son, G., Roh, E.-B., Ahn, W.-Y., Kim, J., Shin, S.-H., Chey, J., & Choi, K.-H. (2022). Prevalence of gaming disorder: A meta-analysis. Addictive Behaviors, 126, 107183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107183
  • Krishnan, B., Sanjeev, R., & Latti, R. (2020). Quality of sleep among bedtime smartphone users. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 11(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_266_19
  • Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2010). The patient health questionnaire somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptom scales: A systematic review. General Hospital Psychiatry, 32(4), 345-359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.03.006
  • Lim, W. P., Loo, J. Y., Lee, K., Pui, H. M., & Ting, T. T. (2021). The impact of social media on student’s academic performance: A survey on TAR UC computing students in Malaysia during COVID-19 pandemic. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Transformation and Application. https://doi.org/10.56453/icdxa.2021.1017
  • MCMC. (2020). Internet users survey 2020. https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/IUS-2020-Report.pdf
  • Meng, J., Wang, F., Chen, R., Hua, H., Yang, Q., Yang, D., Wang, N., Li, X., Ma, F., Huang, L., Zou, Z., Li, M., Wang, T., Luo, Y., Li, Y., & Liu, Y. (2021). Association between the pattern of mobile phone use and sleep quality in Northeast China college students. Sleep and Breathing, 25(4), 2259-2267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-021-02295-2
  • Montag, C., Schivinski, B., & Pontes, H. M. (2021). Is the proposed distinction of gaming disorder into a predominantly online vs. offline form meaningful? Empirical evidence from a large German speaking gamer sample. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 14, 100391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2021.100391
  • Moore, S., Satel, J., & Pontes, H. M. (2022). Investigating the role of health factors and psychological well-being in gaming disorder. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(2), 94-100. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0050
  • Neha, R. B., & Kiran, G. H. (2019). Effect of online shopping addiction on mental illness among youth. Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, 16(6), 115-120.
  • New Straits Times. (2021). Khairy: Malaysia to have more resources for students who need mental health assistance. New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/739825/khairy-malaysia-have-more-resources-students-who-need-mental-health
  • Petrosyan, A. (2023). Worldwide digital population 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/
  • Puah, C. W., Eng, W. L., Tan, C. H., Tan, S. C., & Ting, T. T. (2021). Digital culture: Online shopping adoption among college students in Malaysia. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Transformation and Applications (pp. 137-143). https://doi.org/10.56453/icdxa.2021.1014
  • Richins, M. L., & Dawson, S. (1992). A consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(3), 303. https://doi.org/10.1086/209304
  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400876136
  • Serra, G., Lo Scalzo, L., Giuffrè, M., Ferrara, P., & Corsello, G. (2021). Smartphone use and addiction during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: Cohort study on 184 Italian children and adolescents. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 47(1), 150. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-021-01102-8
  • Shakoor, F., Fakhar, A., & Abbas, J. (2021). Impact of smartphones usage on the learning behavior and academic performance of students: Empirical evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(2), 862-881. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i2/8902
  • Singh, M. (2019). Compulsive digital gaming: An emerging mental health disorder in children. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics, 86(2), 171-173. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-018-2785-y
  • Smith, D. (2020). Types of social media and how each works. https://inosocial.com/blog/types-of-social-media/
  • Statista Research Department. (2022). Most visited e-commerce sites in Malaysia Q2 2022, by monthly traffic. https://www.statista.com/statistics/869640/malaysia-top-10-e-commerce-sites/
  • Statista. (2021). Online games (Malaysia). https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/digital-media/video-games/online-games/malaysia
  • Teng, Z., Pontes, H. M., Nie, Q., Griffiths, M. D., & Guo, C. (2021). Depression and anxiety symptoms associated with internet gaming disorder before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 10(1), 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2021.00016
  • Uzarska, A., Czerwiński, S. K., & Atroszko, P. A. (2023). Measurement of shopping addiction and its relationship with personality traits and well-being among Polish undergraduate students. Current Psychology, 42(5), 3794-3810. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01712-9
  • Valkenburg, P. M., Meier, A., & Beyens, I. (2022). Social media use and its impact on adolescent mental health: An umbrella review of the evidence. Current Opinion in Psychology, 44, 58-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.017
  • Wacks, Y., & Weinstein, A. M. (2021). Excessive smartphone use is associated with health problems in adolescents and young adults. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669042
  • Wenzel, H. G., Bakken, I. J., Johansson, A., Götestam, K. G., & Øren, A. (2009). Excessive computer game playing among Norwegian adults: Self-reported consequences of playing and association with mental health problems. Psychological Reports, 105(3_suppl), 1237-1247. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.105.F.1237-1247
  • WHO. (2021). Depression. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
  • World Bank. (2020). Individuals using the Internet (% of population). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS
  • Young, K. S., & Cristiano, N. D. A. (2010). Internet addiction–A handbook and guide to evaluation and treatment. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Yuen Fook, C., Narasuman, S., Abdul Aziz, N., Syed Mustafa, S. M., & Tau Han, C. (2021). Smart phone use among university students. Asian Journal of University Education, 17(1), 282. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v17i1.12622
  • Zamani, E., Chashmi, M., & Hedayati, N. (2009). Effect of addiction to computer games on physical and mental health of female and male students of guidance school in City of Isfahan. Addict Health, 1(2), 98-104.
  • Zhong, Y., Ma, H., Liang, Y.-F., Liao, C.-J., Zhang, C.-C., & Jiang, W.-J. (2022). Prevalence of smartphone addiction among Asian medical students: A meta-analysis of multinational observational studies. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68(6), 1171-1183. https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221089535