Soap opera is a potent cultural site for Malay women to imagine the meanings of modernity. Initially the Malaysian government promoted non-Western soap operas to circulate the state’s vision of alternative Asian-style modernities. Now the authorities have voiced a concern that some images and discourses of transnational modernity articulated even in non-Western soaps pose a threat to the cultural integrity of Malay women. This paper studies the significance of non-Western soaps to an understanding of gendered expectations and the progressive re-territorialization of the socio-political order in the context of an ethos of mediatized cultural globalization. Our referent is patriarchal Islamist state Malaysia. We conduct an empirical case study exploring Malay Muslim women’s negotiation and understanding of non-Western soap operas in Malaysia. Results from a series of guided in-depth interviews with 12 rural and urban Malay women enable us to understand how they negotiate their position as viewers of these non-Western soaps, given the criticism about the supposed immorality of these programs. We argue that Malay women act as strategic audiences who mobilize sophisticated viewing tactics that we call ‘watching competencies’ to negotiate the pleasures and potential conflicts of their access to non-Western soaps. This research indicates that Malay women are neither passive, vulnerable consumers of foreign soap, nor easily manipulated by those who claim authority; rather, they confidently assert their autonomy as consumer-citizens of a modern Islamic state.

Social media has become a vital tool for facilitating health communications, particularly during emerging health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This systematic literature review aims to synthesize evidence regarding the benefits and barriers associated with the utilization of social media by health communicators in India for disseminating health-related information. A comprehensive search of databases like CINAHL, Google Scholar, PubMed, and WHO Global Index Medicus databases yielded a total of 13 relevant studies. The narrative analysis revealed six key benefits attributed to the usage of social media by health communicators, including the widespread adoption of social media platforms for health communications, health communicators leveraging social media as an information source, fostering the development of protective behaviors, aiding prompt and transparent health communication, promoting participatory communication and empowerment, and employing social media as a tool for monitoring public sentiments and mental well-being. Conversely, challenges such as the proliferation of misinformation and communication inequalities were identified as significant barriers in social media health communications. While social media platforms hold immense potential in advancing crisis communication agendas, health communicators are advocated to adopt a multifaceted approach by prioritizing digital inclusivity, combating misinformation, and fostering synergetic collaborations between governmental bodies and community entities.

This article examines how Malay women in remote Malaysian villages engage with images of transnational modernity shown in popular soap operas imported from other Asian countries. While the government promoted these Asian soap operas at first as appropriate vehicles for the cultural project of modernising the mindsets and attitudes of the masses, authorities have now expressed some discomfort and ambivalence about the excessive representation of consumer culture in these soaps, which they fear will compromise the cultural values of Malay women. However, I argue that Malay women are discerning viewers who are able to critically negotiate the images of consumer culture in these soaps without necessarily ignoring their cultural values or social responsibilities. This debate about whether these soaps broaden the mindsets of Malay women viewers or teach them degenerate values of consumerist culture is part of an ongoing contestation over the cultural ramifications of modernity in Malaysia. This television genre of Asian soaps can be conceptualised as a site for negotiating modernity, where Malay women derive pleasure from the consumerist modernity depicted in the Asian soap operas while remaining mindful of the strictures posed by local culture.

This study critically examines how media literacy is vital in empowering women and influencing their use of social media in Bangladesh. The study delves into media literacy as digital skills and contextual knowledge about social media using qualitative methodology, including semi-structured online interviews and thematic analysis. The findings uncover the significant benefits of media literacy for women, including enhanced connectivity, improved communication, and access to information for personal and professional growth while ensuring their secure use of online platforms. Nevertheless, despite their literacy, women's active empowerment through social media engagement is still hindered by gender identity and societal norms. This study asserts that media literacy is a dynamic, context-specific activity. It highlights the passive nature of Bangladeshi women's empowerment through social media, as they often act as recipients rather than active participants. The study's findings contribute valuable insights into how women utilize social media and literacy, shedding light on the complexities of promoting and challenging their autonomy and agency in the context of empowerment. However, the study also highlights the need for further research, emphasizing that this work is part of an ongoing and important process. This reiteration will make the audience feel that their work is part of an ongoing and important process.