Redefining Online Reading Behaviour among Malaysian Young Adults

Abstract

Young adults or known as Generation Z (those born after 1993) noted for their digital habits nevertheless, not many studies underwrite studies of reading habits, especially among Malaysian young adults. The reading trend has enormously changed from reading printed materials to reading online. These led to significant changes in the reading habits, attitudes, and interests of the young adult readers. Therefore, this study was undertaken to investigate the changes in the reading habits, interests, and attitudes of young adults in Malaysia. The present study uses a purposive sampling of 238 young adults of a higher institution in Malaysia with samples born between 1993 to 1995 (18- 24 years old during the research) who grew up in Malaysia and were readers of online and offline reading materials. A mixed-method explanatory approach was adopted whereby a set of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were given to the samples to determine their reading experiences in terms of reading interests, habits, and attitudes of these young adult readers. Data were analyzed using Drouilard's (2009) framework to identify their reading experiences. The results have several potentially critical implications for young adult readers. The study revealed that frequency, preferences, and characterization of reading among young adults. Such as factors identified as motivation for young adults to read intrinsically with association with friends, features of online reading, and online social discussion on the internet were identified. Another implication of the finding showed that online comments from the online readers and reading materials such as fan fiction, visual novels, and Wattpad as the main interest in reading among young Malaysian adults. Nevertheless, the findings also pointed out that avid readers among the young Malaysian adults conveyed that reading materials with transmedia features were preferred. With this in view, it is hoped that the need for more research regarding the multidimensionality of reading among young adults in Malaysia. Keywords: reading experiences ; reading habits; reading interests; habits, attitudes; young adults eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i20.3379

Transmedia Reading and Generation Z’s Social Attitudes

“…As a generation that has grown up in a digital age, their reading habits, attitudes, and interests differ from those of previous generations. According to Ullah et al (2022) in their research on Gen Z in Pakistan, Barcellos and Gil (2020) in their research on Gen Z in Brazil, Tazijan et al (2022) in their research on Gen Z in Malaysia, some key characteristics of Gen Z's reading habits, attitudes, and interests are being highlighted in the three studies. The common characteristics are shown in Table 1: Table 1.…”