Aims To examine the pertinent issues discussed by endometriosis patients in Malaysia on MyEndosis Facebook group as an alternative platform for online support. Methods Using thematic analysis based on three frameworks, 120 posted messages and comments were examined from MyEndosis Facebook group—a support group for women with endometriosis from January to July 2014. Results Results showed the issues discussed were (a) personal struggles, (b) medication and treatment, (c) alternative medication, (d) side effects, and (e) medication recommended by doctors. While using this social medium, users found (a) emotional support, (b) esteem support, (c) information support, (d) network support, and (e) tangible assistance in their engagement with others. Conclusion The analysis suggested that users' interactions were structured around information, emotion, and community building, which many doctors and nurses were not aware of. The group was shaped as a social network where peer users share social support, cultivate companionship, and exert social influence.

This study aimed to examine the perceived effects of media exposure of body slimming advertisements on body dissatisfaction and the tendency for eating disorders in a sample of adult women in Malaysia. This study examined two aspects: (a) the level of media exposure to slimming advertisements (media exposure), and (b) the tendency of respondents to make body comparisons with models in slimming advertisements (media body comparisons). Participants were 419 young women (18 – 39 years old) living in Kuala Lumpur. Correlation coefficients showed that media exposure and media body comparisons were positively associated with body dissatisfaction and eating disorders tendency. The findings suggest that mass media play a role by providing slim images that young women in Kuala Lumpur tend to emulate and adopt western cultural ideals of body image and the desire for a thinner body type.

This study proposes to investigate and compare the coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by Malaysian mainstream and alternative newspapers-The Star newspaper and Malaysiakini. The MH370 crisis in March 2014 is considered as the greatest aviation crisis in the history of Malaysia because of its magnitude and attracted massive local and international media coverage. It presented Malaysian authorities with a new form of challenge, resulting in various criticisms from aviation, media and crisis communication experts over how information regarding the crisis was handled by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in particular, and the Malaysian government in general. On the other hand, the role of the media during a crisis is not only to provide information regarding the crisis, but also to act as the peoples' advocate by providing an avenue for public engagements and discussions. However, the ability of the media to play this role depends to a certain extent on ownership, and a large extent on the degree of freedom it enjoys in a country. Through quantitative content analysis, the study compares the framing of the crisis by the selected newspapers, the sources of information for their news stories, and slants of the news. The study found that the mainstream newspaper The Star provided general and limited viewpoints with a concentration on the human interest frame, while the alternative newspaper, Malaysiakini, had more critical news reports with a focus on the attribute of responsibility frame.

The pandemic has shifted the way we meet new people and thus, changed the concept of going on a date. With the sporadic and growing rates of Covid-19 cases, it may be difficult to find a relationship and maintain one while exercising social-distance. As we adjusted to this temporary reality, the dating sphere continued reinvent ways to connect people. “Today”, more Indian Malaysian youths have increased their presence on dating apps in search of love and intimacy despite their “traditional” Indian courtship practices. The main thrust of this study is to examine why the smartphone application ‘Tinder’ is increasingly popular among Malaysian Indian youth and to investigate why and how the youth use Tinder during this pandemic. The Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&G) holds major assumptions that individuals are active, rational, and objective, to the extent of being almost goal-oriented in their choices. This study conducted 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews via convenience and snowball sampling found that online dating behaviour has the potential to help scholars have deeper understanding of how the Tinder mobile application integrated with existing religions and cultures gives insights into the nature of technological change as well as adaptation in society. This is by providing new insights into existing interpersonal communication theories focusing on relationship formation. Keywords: Courtships, Cultural studies, Indian, Tinder, Youth.

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