Eudaimonic and Hedonic Tensions: Indonesian Youths’ Ambivalent Stances on Video Consumption and Reading Habits
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Abstract
In recent years, the rise of platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts has significantly increased the consumption of video-based media, surpassing text-based online resources. This study explores the ambivalence of Indonesian youths regarding their consumption of online videos and books for pleasure (hedonic) and personal growth (eudaimonic). Through an analysis of 49 essays written by first-year English major students at a private university, the study employs Voyant Tools and Gee’s Discourse Analysis to examine students’ perspectives on media consumption and the Create a Research Space (CARS) Model to evaluate their writing skills. The findings reveal that most of the essays lean toward neutrality or a combination of sentiments rather than exhibiting extreme positivity or negativity. Discourse analysis categorises their views into five standpoints—positive, negative, neutral, neutral-positive, and neutral-negative—while textual frequency analysis indicates that “Book” has a generally stronger association with academic and intellectual contexts compared to “Video,” which has a lower but still notable correlation with learning-related terms. The study highlights the potential of extensive viewing as more than just a complementary pedagogical strategy for extensive reading. CARS analysis reveals challenges in argumentative writing, particularly in topic development and niche establishment, with 15 students struggling to perform well in that area. These insights inform strategies for improving academic writing instruction, emphasising structured composition approaches to support students’ proficiency in foreign language writing.
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