Social media psyche

The field of psychology evolves with time.

Social media is new and there is plenty of room to research on and study.

There are some things that I still find puzzling as a psychology student and I intend to find out why people behave the way they do. Some scenarios that intrigued me include;

• Crying on camera – a person says he/she has mental health issues. This person then decides to film themselves crying their eyes out and broadcast it on social media. The justification given was to raise awareness and keep it real.
• Filming other people (as the core topic/idea) and making it their content on social media. I get that when you film yourself in public, you’re bound to accidentally stranger’s faces here and there. But to purposely capture someone else, without their consent and make them the star of your videos seems weird.
• Becoming an instant expert – suddenly everyone is an expert in skin care, business or irking health.
• Loyal, innocent and unsuspecting fans/followers – no matter what, the influencers they ‘follow’ are always in the right.
• The viral phenomenon – what makes something viral? what are the key features of something being viral.

I am sure there is more to this.

Calming the nerves – starting Semester 8

Studying is overwhelming when you see it as a whole. Even the module name ‘industrial placement’ can put you in shivers as you look at the amount of information presented to you. I remembered when I started in 2020 as a 1st year student – it was a daunting feeling as I saw that I have to do a final year project to complete my degree. I was honestly hyperventilating at the thought of having to go to school while working during the pandemic.

The trick to calm my nerves at the time was

• reassure me that I am not competing with anyone and that this learning journey was intended to add value to my job
• take it one semester at a time
• enjoy the process

Although I was able to take 4 subjects in a semester, I chose to stick to only 3 at a time because I do not want to stress myself.

This semester however I am taking 3 subjects with 12 credit points on board. This is because Industrial Placement will carry 6 credits whereas Clinical Psychology and Chinese language with 3 credits each. Online classes will start next week. I have already received my starter pack for my Industrial Placement module and yes, it’s overwhelming but I will take it one step at a time.

Current Study Update

At first everything seemed manageable despite the increasing workload. Things took a different turn once Covid19 started affecting my family members in Selangor. In short, my mother got worse. She didn’t make it. I wrote about the experience in my other blog. Al-fatihah to my mom.

I have been missing my live e -tutorial sessions but am catching up via the recorded ones. The forum have been very useful.
Previously, I have been aiming for a CGPA of 3.5 and above. However, with everything that is going on at the moment, I have to say that it will be enough if I pass.

Soon, one of our primary care clinics (KK) will be open for 24 hours and converted into a green zone area for emergency cases. The nearby hospital is no longer accepting them and will only manage the yellow and red tag cases only. Other KKs will also be affected as we expand our services at the expense of managing chronic illnesses. CAC kita. vaksin kita. sekolah kita. banjir kita. apa lagi.. tapi what to do.. berkhidmat untuk negara kan..

As of now, I have managed to complete my statistics assignment. I need to touch up on my Hubungan Etnik course work and then later, concentrate on the Health and Wellness module. Exams are in August. Thankfully MCQ. Bolehlah tembak.

One paper down, 2 more to go

Hey there, it’s exam week.

I managed to squeeze in my online exam for subject ABCC1103 during my long lunch hour break today. I was worried that I couldn’t make it tonight but turns out it’s not that exhausting tonight. The format for the online exam are MCQs with a time limit of 90 minutes.

I recognized some of the questions from our online quiz a few weeks earlier. Some gave off the vibe like the questions we answer in our weekly E-lessons. It seems that Language is a popular theme. So is mass media. It took me just over an hour to answer the MCQ as I had to rush back to work. In other words, tembak je lah. After submitting my answers, I quickly prayed Zuhur and drove back to the clinic.

Next week is all about psychology. I have planned to take leave on the 20th so that I could sit for the online exam with a peace of mind. Lepas tu kita ronggenggg! Vincenzo Cassano, I cannot wait.

Study Slump

The Study Slump came.

I am disappointed that it came too early this semester. Maybe because the days have been too bright and warm cause well I prefer the dark, cold weather. Perhaps it was the unexpected extension of the MCO period that I had to cancel my AGoda hotel booking during the CNY long weekend. Thankfully, my solar lanterns are coming by mail soon. I wish this Study Slump will end by this weekend. This heavy, dragging feeling is driving me nuts.

Workwise – I will be involved in the Vaccination team. There will be busy weeks ahead as we prepare and coordinate ‘stuff’ before the megascale vaccination programme starts.

Studywise – I have been unable to keep up with writing up my personal notes. This is my first semester with 4 subjects. I am beginning to see that it is a lack of judgement on my part when I decided to sign up for all 4. I was a bit frustrated earlier this week when I realized that I did not tick as much boxes that I wanted to in my planner. I became stressed up although to be honest, no one is actually checking to see if I’ve completed my chapters.

The perfectionist in me is nagging me to start on my E-weekly lessons and the procrastinator in me is basically yelling back a “shut up”. At the end of the day, I think I should Relax, Reorganize and Remove anything that is hindering my process to study and work diligently. On top of mothering the kids.