Social media is a Product of a Consumer Society. Psychological Causes and Consequences

/in /by

Social media platforms compete as marketers for our time, attention and data – in effect, we pay for it. But at a high price. This paper seeks to answer the question of how social media use (exploit) psychological phenomena to achieve their business goals and what the psychological consequences of this are, in the light of international research. The aim of the paper is to help understand why and how the excessive use of social media, while supporting self-protection mechanisms, causes addiction, anxiety and self-image disturbance. What is the reason for the aggressive tendencies that accompany social media use and how the superficial and rapid intake of information reshapes cognitive processing, attention, memory and decision-making processes. The paper also reviews the communication phenomena and socio-psychological effects that accompany excessive use of social media, such as peer comparison, changes in patterns of social behaviour, cyberbullying, echo chamber and opinion bubble phenomena, lack of empathy and the culture of erasure, and the impact of all these on users’ mental and physical health.

Coxsackie virus vs Dengue, clinical case: Differential diagnosis in syndemic

/in /by

In tropical regions, the simultaneous presence of multiple infectious agents complicates diagnosis and treatment. This clinical case describes a 4-year-old boy presenting with fever, malaise, and pruritic rashes on the palms and soles, initially suspected as dengue. Laboratory results showed normal platelet and hematocrit levels, excluding dengue fever. The dermatological pattern and self-limiting course were consistent with hand-foot-and-mouth disease caused by Coxsackievirus A. Differential diagnosis between Coxsackievirus and dengue is crucial in endemic settings due to overlapping symptoms such as fever and rash. Recognition of specific dermatological manifestations—particularly vesicular or pruritic lesions on acral regions—and the absence of thrombocytopenia are key diagnostic clues. The case emphasizes the importance of clinical vigilance and basic laboratory testing to distinguish between similar viral syndromes, thereby avoiding unnecessary interventions and ensuring appropriate management in pediatric populations from dengue-endemic areas.

The Effect of the Flashcard-Assisted Group Investigation Type Cooperative Model on Learning Outcomes and Critical Thinking of Grade III Students in the IPAS Subject

/in /by

Problems faced in science learning at SDN Kutorenon 01 include suboptimal student learning outcomes, weak critical thinking skills, teachers being the center of learning, limited use of textbooks as teaching materials, and the use of less innovative learning models and media. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of the Cooperative Group Investigation Model accompanied by Flashcards on the learning outcomes and critical thinking of third-grade students in the subject of science. This study is an experimental study (True Experimental) using Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design with third-grade students of SDN Kutorenon 01. The measuring instrument used is a test, which is expressed in the form of scores obtained from the results of the students’ pretest and posttest. Data analysis uses a t-test or independent sample test with the help of SPSS 27 for Windows software. The results of the data analysis show that the learning outcomes and critical thinking of students in the experimental class are higher than those in the control class. This is supported by the hypothesis test calculations, which state that student learning outcomes reached a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.000 and critical thinking skills reached a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.000, both less than 0.05. This proves a difference in the average learning outcomes and critical thinking skills of students in the experimental and control classes. Thus, it can be concluded that the cooperative investigation-type group model assisted by flashcards has a significant influence on the learning outcomes and critical thinking skills of third-grade science students.

Integrating Think-Pair-Share with Chain Drill to Enhance Students’ Speaking Achievement

/in /by

The challenge of low student engagement and sub-optimal fluency remains a persistent issue in teaching speaking achievement within the Indonesian secondary school context. This study addresses the necessity for effective, communicative, and interactive pedagogical strategies to improve students’ speaking achievement. The research specifically aimed to determine the effectiveness of integrating the Think-Pair-Share (TPS) technique with the Chain Drill (CD) technique in comparison to conventional teaching methods. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was implemented, involving two seventh-grade student groups: an experimental class receiving the integrated TPS-CD treatment, and a control class taught using the conventional approach. Both groups underwent pre-tests and post-tests assessed across five speaking components: pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Analysis using the t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in the post-test mean scores between the two groups. The experimental class demonstrated a notable increase in their mean score from 60.5 (pre-test) to 81 (post-test), significantly outperforming the control group’s post-test score of 79. These findings conclude that combining Think-Pair-Share with Chain Drill is an effective, viable, and recommended teaching technique for substantially enhancing students’ speaking fluency and overall communicative competence.

Culture-Leadership Fit in Fashion Industry Medium Enterprise in Indonesia

/in /by

This study examines the culture-leadership alignment at PT Tunggal Ritel Indonesia (TRI), a medium-sized Indonesian fashion enterprise facing revenue volatility and a widening gap between sales targets and realization. The study started from the proposition that these issues reflected a misalignment between organizational culture and its leadership approach. Using the Integrated Culture Framework, a census survey of 84 employees measured current and preferred culture across eight styles. Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare profiles and identify culture gaps, while attribute-level analysis highlighted priority behaviors. The results show significant gaps for all styles, with employees favouring a blended culture in which “caring” is the “north star”, supported by “safety”, “order”, and “learning”. A literature-based keyword matching analysis was then applied to leadership styles to assess their fit with the target culture mix. Servant leadership was chosen as the best match with the target culture mix. The study contributes to the culture–leadership alignment literature in emerging fashion markets. It provides practical guidance for medium-sized firms designing culture change initiatives.

The Influence of Social Media Use and Academic Perseverance on the Research Knowledge among Grade 12 Students

/in /by

Students today are expected to have research knowledge as part of their academic preparation and curriculum, with perseverance and social media use recognized as key factors that shape the development of these competencies. This study examined the influence of students’ academic perseverance and social media use with their research knowledge. Employing a quantitative research design with regression analysis, data were gathered from 236 Grade 12 students using a validated survey questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including Mann Whitney test, Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman correlation, and linear regression. The findings showed that the majority of respondents were female, enrolled in the STEM strand, and primarily preferred Facebook as their social media platform. Overall, the extent of social media use was rated high, while academic perseverance was generally assessed as very high. In terms of research knowledge, students demonstrated average proficiency. Significant differences were observed in academic perseverance when grouped based on sex and academic strand. Results also show that only academic perseverance shows a significant influence on research knowledge. Hence, the study affirms that while social media use plays only a minimal role, academic perseverance remains a crucial determinant in strengthening the research knowledge of Grade 12 students, highlighting the importance of fostering determination, resilience, and effective time management in senior high school education.

The Effect of Growth Opportunity and Credit Risk on Firm Value and Profitability as Mediating Variables in Digital Banking

/in /by

The digital transformation phenomenon in the Indonesian banking industry is growing rapidly, marked by the emergence of digital banks offering fully technology-based services. This change is driving increased competition and creating new dynamics in assessing company value, particularly regarding growth opportunities and credit risk quality. This study aims to analyze the effect of growth opportunity and credit risk on company value, with profitability as a mediating variable. The study uses a quantitative approach with growth opportunity and credit risk as independent variables, profitability as a mediating variable, and company value as the dependent variable. The research sample consisted of six digital banks selected through purposive sampling with a total of 30 observations during the 2020–2024 period. Data were obtained from the companies’ annual financial reports and official publications of the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Then, they were processed using panel regression with the EGLS method and the Sobel test using the Eviews 12 application. The results show that growth opportunity has a positive and significant effect on company value, while credit risk has a negative and significant effect. Credit risk also has a negative and significant effect on profitability, while growth opportunity has no significant effect on profitability. Furthermore, profitability has a positive and significant effect on company value, but does not mediate the relationship between growth opportunity and credit risk on company value. These findings suggest that the firm value of digital banks is more influenced by growth prospects and asset quality than the mediating pathway through profitability.

Bakat Passive in Balinese and Kena Passive in Indonesian: A Comparative Study

/in /by

: This study investigates the grammatical properties of analytic passive constructions in two languages: the bakat passive in Balinese and the kena passive in Indonesian. Although Indonesian kena passive has received substantial attention in prior work, the Balinese bakat passive remains largely underexamined. This research provides the first detailed description and analysis of bakat passive, addressing a significant gap in Balinese grammatical research. For kena passive, despite the availability of basic descriptions, recent studies of comparable constructions in languages such as Mandarin and Vietnamese underscore the need for a renewed analytical perspective. Incorporating these insights, this study proposes an updated analysis of Indonesian kena passive aligned with the depth and rigor of current cross-linguistic research.

The study primarily employs elicitation, involving regular sessions with native speakers to obtain grammaticality judgments, semantic interpretations, and other linguistic data. Additional evidence from Balinese and Indonesian corpora is used to test and refine the proposed hypotheses. The findings show that bakat passive and kena passive function as auxiliary verbs marking noncanonical passive constructions. Both encode “non-intentional” meaning through specific combinations with verbal roots of corresponding lemmas. They can also co-occur with canonical passive markers -a in Balinese and di- in Indonesian. These results advance our understanding of passive structure and syntactic organization in natural language.

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetic Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles by Laser Ablation Technique

/in /by

In recent years, significant attention has been devoted to the development of physical, chemical, and biological methods for synthesizing nanomaterials. While chemical methods typically offer faster synthesis rates compared to physical and biological approaches, they are often associated with environmental hazards and lower product purity. Among the physical techniques, laser ablation has emerged as a promising and clean method, wherein high-energy laser pulses are employed to remove material from a solid target. In this work, magnetic iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles were synthesized via laser ablation in an aqueous medium. A fiber laser operating at a wavelength of 1064 nm was used to irradiate a high-purity (99.99%) iron target. The structural and magnetic characteristics of the resulting nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry(VSM). Additionally, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to identify functional groups present in the sample. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of pure Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, showing full agreement with standard reference data. FESEM analysis revealed spherical nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 23 to 30 nm. Magnetic measurements indicated a saturation magnetization value of 28.32 emu/g, confirming the magnetic nature of the synthesized nanoparticles.

Organizational Readiness for Change and Design using Galbraith’s STAR Model: A Case Study of Digitalization at a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)

/in /by

This study investigates the organizational readiness for digitalization within a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in the Indonesian apparel sector, specifically CV XYZ, which faces sales stagnation due to its reliance on traditional offline channels. Utilizing a qualitative methodology, the research employs in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with key stakeholders to assess readiness and identify necessary organizational design interventions. The theoretical analysis is grounded in Weiner’s theory of organizational readiness and Galbraith’s Star Model. The findings reveal a critical dichotomy in the firm’s readiness: while the organization exhibits high change valence—driven by a strategic recognition of e-commerce as essential for market expansion—it suffers from low change efficacy due to significant gaps in technical competencies and digital literacy. The application of Galbraith’s Star Model highlights specific misalignments, particularly in structure and leadership, which currently hinder digital agility. The study concludes that to successfully implement digitalization, the organization must move beyond mere asset acquisition to focus on capability building. Strategic recommendations include the implementation of “structural differentiation” to create a distinct online marketing division, the appointment of a specialized digital manager to bridge the leadership gap, and a prioritized investment in tiered human capital training over immediate financial incentives. These insights provide a practical framework for SMEs transitioning from traditional operations to digitally enabled business models.