The Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences

TikTok’s Consumption Among Pakistani Youth

Rahman Ullah — 2025-07-17

Social media platforms are used more extensively than traditional media, like television, radio, and newspapers. People actively seek to gratify their social, informational, and entertainment needs through digital platforms. This study explores the TikTok consumption patterns among Pakistani university students through the lens of the Uses and Gratifications theory. TikTok is rapidly gaining popularity in Pakistan, particularly among the youth. The research investigates the motivations driving their engagement with the platform. The study employs a qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with (n=50) Kohat University students, (25 male and 25 female). The study identifies key gratifications, including entertainment, self-expression, social interaction, education, lifestyle inspiration, and emotional relief. The findings conclude that youth actively use TikTok to satisfy diverse psychological, social, and informational needs, with content consumption shaped by algorithmic personalization and short-form video design.

Good Governance and Foreign Direct Investment in ASEAN

Mumtaz Hussain Shah — 2025-07-17

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has become one of the most sought-after foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations in recent years. However, there is still room for improvement. This research aims to study the importance of good governance for FDI inflows, along with other classical factors (market size, development level, trade openness, and human capital), in the ASEAN region from 2000 to 2022. Using the fixed effects panel data technique, the results show that the control of corruption exerts a positive and significant influence on FDI in ASEAN. Meanwhile, voice and accountability, though significant, still swayed FDI in the opposite direction, while political stability is found to be insignificant for FDI in ASEAN. Market size, development level, and human capital proved equally important in positively influencing FDI. Trade openness is significant but negatively associated with FDI. The key finding is that improving good governance factors like the control of corruption can play an imperative role in further enhancing the FDI attractiveness of ASEAN.

Punjab under the British

Zameer Hussain — 2025-07-17

This research aims to explore the political evolution of Punjab, focusing on the period before and after British occupation. Before British rule, Punjab was a vibrant region governed by a series of local kingdoms, empires, and dynasties, most notably the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The pre-colonial political landscape was characterized by a combination of religious, feudal, and tribal structures that fostered a diverse and often turbulent political environment. The British annexation of Punjab in 1849 marked a turning point, as the colonial administration introduced new political, economic, and social policies that radically changed the governance of the region. The period witnessed new land reforms, the introduction of modern bureaucracy, and legal restructuring that reshaped traditional power structures. A new class emerged under the banner of the British that replaced the feudal class. They were loyal to their masters and remained loyal to Jinnah at the time of the partition of Punjab and India. As a result of this political engineering, the newly emerged class was in the driving seat in Punjab. By illuminating the political environment of Punjab, this research adds to a greater understanding of colonialism, regional identity, and political transformation in South Asia.

Decontextualizing Buddha

Rasib Mahmood — 2025-07-17

Most postcolonial writers agree that colonizers have historically mistreated the colonized and often distort facts to favor themselves. However, some writers, like Herman Hesse in his novel Siddhartha, view the colonized differently. Published a decade after Hesse’s visit to India, the book depicts Indians as audiences of blind faith, with Siddhartha—representing Buddha—criticizing unquestioning adherence to religion. Hesse suggests many Indians follow faiths without reason, stuck in superstition, though critics argue his portrayal decontextualizes Buddha’s life, emphasizing spiritual over cultural aspects. The novel’s subtitle, “Ein Indische Dichtung,” underscores its poetic, Indian inspiration, but its Western interpretation remains debated.

Representation of Pre-Traumatic Disorder in Don’t Look Up: A Textual Analysis

Sonia Salam — 2025-07-17

Humans and the environment are closely interconnected; however, colonization, urbanization, industrialization, and technological advancement have significantly damaged the environment. Global environmental and climate change affect people mentally due to their looming consequences. Don’t Look Up is a movie about a comet about to hit Earth within six months. The comet is used as a metaphor for climate change in the film. The researcher applies Ann Kaplan’s theory of pre-traumatic stress to analyze the movie, which she discusses in her book Climate Trauma: Foreseeing the Future in Dystopian Films. To examine the film, the research article employs Catherine Belsey’s textual analysis method. The analysis focuses on the dialogues to uncover their hidden meanings and decipher the metaphors. The film analysis offers insights into the manifestation and effects of pre-traumatic stress within a literary context. The paper emphasizes how the capitalist class exploits nature for their benefit, a theme that plays a vital role in the movie.