'Study Motivation Videos' Shared Among Examinees
Famous Online Lecturers Deliver Harsh Criticism
So-Called 'Fact Strikes' Boost Examinees' Motivation
Some 'Intense Videos' Cause Anxiety in Sensitive Adolescents
Experts: "Students' Tolerance for Stimuli Varies Greatly"
"Exposure of Stimulating Videos to Indiscriminate Audiences Should Be Avoided"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "Do you think you can get into college studying like that?", "Don't you feel sorry for your parents who believe in you?"
Recently, so-called 'study motivation videos' have been flooding social networking services (SNS) and YouTube. These videos are short clips compiled from scenes where famous online instructors harshly scold students. Students preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) watch these videos to regain focus or motivation when they feel distracted or demotivated.
The problem is that some motivational videos go beyond simple encouragement and do not hesitate to use abusive language, insults, and verbal abuse. They sometimes instill fear by saying things like, "If you don't study now, you'll live as a loser for life." As a result, some voices criticize that these videos may cause excessive anxiety among students. Experts advise caution when using 'study motivation videos' because the level of stimulation that adolescents can handle varies individually.
◆Searching 'study motivation' reveals a flood of harsh words
On the 7th, searching 'study motivation' on YouTube yields numerous videos containing so-called 'fact-hitting messages' from famous instructors. The core message of these videos is mostly that "You must prepare hard for the CSAT now and get into college to have a successful life." Instructors stimulate students with remarks like, "Think of the faces of your parents who pay your academy fees every month," and "If you don't get into college, you'll have to live a miserable life forever."
With about four months left until the 2021 CSAT, study motivation videos are gaining great popularity online. The comment sections of these videos are filled with students' determined resolutions to study hard. One examinee confessed, "Watching the teachers' videos woke me up. I realized that to not ruin my life, I have to study with all my might during this one year given to me."
Some examinees share phrases that are practically close to profanity and verbal abuse, claiming it motivates their studying. / Photo by Online Community Capture
Study motivation does not stop at videos. Some students transcribe so-called 'motivational quotes' and share them through online communities. On SNS platforms like Twitter, mainly used by teenagers, examinees motivate each other. One netizen posted, "Even if there is verbal abuse and swearing, please give me study motivation to keep my sanity."
◆"If you're going to do it like this, just give up" - Youth bruised by harsh motivation
The problem is that some study motivation videos instill excessive anxiety in adolescents. By nature, these videos mostly point out students' laziness or induce guilt to boost motivation. So-called 'intense videos' include verbal abuse and swearing such as "If you're going to do it like this, just give up," and "You are a hopeless person." Some instructors disparage certain job groups by saying, "If you don't get into a good university, you'll end up doing manual labor or convenience store part-time jobs for life."
Some students have complained that watching study motivation videos actually lowered their self-esteem. High school student A said, "After being practically verbally abused by instructors for over 10 minutes, my mental state couldn't hold up. It feels like depression will come before motivation."
Civilians expressed concerns that excessive study motivation could increase anxiety among sensitive adolescents.
Some students reported experiencing emotional anxiety and decreased self-esteem due to study motivation videos. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News
B, a worker in his 20s, said, "Our generation also watched these kinds of video clips for motivation during entrance exam studies. Some videos are so blatantly demeaning to students that they might actually kill their motivation."
C (44), a math academy instructor in Gyeonggi Province, said, "As someone who teaches students, I think using videos that are practically verbal abuse and swearing to boost study motivation is not right. Why do you think our country ranks first in youth suicide rates and children are unhappy? Maybe it's because we keep pressuring kids like this."
◆One in four middle and high school students nationwide experiences depression... due to study pressure
Meanwhile, academic stress felt by students has been confirmed to be severe enough to affect daily life. According to the '2021 Youth Statistics' released by Statistics Korea in May, 25.2% of middle and high school students nationwide experienced depression in the past year as of last year. Depression here means not just emotional sadness but feeling so sad or hopeless for two weeks straight that daily life is disrupted.
The cause of students' emotional depression appears to be pressure related to grades and studying. Among Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18, nearly half (46.5%) answered that studying, including grades and aptitude, is their biggest concern. This rate is significantly higher than concerns about appearance (12.5%), jobs (12.2%), or health (6.6%).
Experts suggest caution in using such methods to boost study motivation because the level of stimulation adolescents can handle varies.
Lee Miseon, deputy director of the Suicide and Adolescent Mental Health Research Institute at Hallym University, said, "The level of stimulation that students can accept differs. Some students recover quickly even after a certain level of shock, while for others, it can become a lifelong trauma. Exposure of an unspecified large number of students to such videos should be avoided."
She added, "In educational videos, it might be necessary to attach warning labels before the videos to raise students' awareness and caution."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
