Sexualized deepfakes as a socio-technical continuation of gendered power

Incorporating quantitative analysis, qualitative case studies, and game-theoretic modelling, this review article takes a mixed-methods approach to assess the educational and economic effects of digital learning platforms. In this study, we analyse data from a variety of global organizations to determine things like student outcomes, cost-efficiency, internet penetration, and access to digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The correlations between digital infrastructure and educational outcomes were investigated using statistical analyses, and the operational cost savings and scalability of digital learning were quantified using regression models. Three developing nations, namely, Brazil, India, and Kenya, that used digital learning platforms during the pandemic are examined in detail in the study. Topics covered in these case studies include the digital divide, infrastructure constraints, and the adaptability of digital platforms for disadvantaged populations, as well as the specific difficulties and triumphs encountered by each nation. Case studies in India, Kenya, and Brazil all centre on different aspects of digital platform integration in rural schools, mobile learning solutions’ impact on expanding educational opportunities to underserved areas, and the importance of removing socioeconomic barriers from public schooling in Brazil. The strategic interactions between important stakeholders, including governments, educational institutions, students, and technology providers, were also modelled using a game-theoretic analysis. Using payoff matrices, the research shows the costs and benefits that each stakeholder considers when choosing between expensive but high-quality platforms and cheaper but lower-quality alternatives. Findings highlight the significance of stakeholder alignment and collaboration in achieving educational outcomes that are both cost-efficient in the long run and optimized for individual stakeholders. Digital learning platforms offer considerable scalability benefits and reduce costs per student by 25–30%, as shown in this review. Consequently, they are cost-effective educational solutions. Having said that, these platforms can only succeed if digital infrastructure and institutional funding are readily available. Enrolment, retention, and student outcomes have all improved in regions with strong internet access, while areas with weak infrastructure still struggle greatly with equity in access and academic achievement. Digital infrastructure is crucial to the success of educational models worldwide. The long-term advantages for institutions and students are best achieved through strategic, high-quality investments in digital platforms.

Research purpose. In India’s rapidly growing digital economy, cybersecurity has become a key factor shaping consumer perception and behaviour on digital marketing platforms. Rising data breaches and privacy concerns have elevated the importance of user trust. Cybersecurity is now seen not only as a technical safeguard but also as a strategic element for retaining consumers. Despite its growing significance, there is limited research on how cybersecurity directly influences consumer trust and loyalty in the Indian context. This study addresses that gap. The purpose of the research is to analyse the impact of cybersecurity measures on consumer trust and loyalty toward digital marketing platforms in India. To achieve that, such factors as data protection, privacy practices, and incident response, and their influence on consumer trust, engagement, and long-term loyalty to digital marketing platforms are assessed. The visibility of cybersecurity practices and their meaning to consumers are also analysed, as well as the translation of such perceptions into repeat purchasing behaviour and brand advocacy. By achieving that, the paper not only contributes to the scientific purpose but also provides actionable guidance for practitioners. The research analyses how trust serves as a mediating factor between cybersecurity measures and loyalty outcomes. Design / Methodology / Approach. A mixed-methods approach is used. Quantitative data from a structured online survey (50 participants across India) is combined with qualitative insights from an interview with a digital marketing professional. Analytical methods include regression, factor analysis, and thematic evaluation. Findings. Results show a strong positive link between effective cybersecurity and consumer trust, which significantly affects loyalty. Transparent data protection policies and visible cybersecurity efforts enhance consumer confidence and repeat usage. The study provides practical recommendations for strengthening user trust via improved cybersecurity. The findings are also intended to support digital platforms in designing security strategies that strengthen consumer confidence and create sustainable competitive advantage. Originality / Value / Practical implications. This research is one of the few studies that empirically examines how cybersecurity measures directly influence consumer trust and loyalty in the Indian digital marketing context. Its originality lies in combining consumer perception analysis with expert insights to reveal that visible and transparent cybersecurity practices are more influential than technical certifications. The findings provide practical guidance for digital platforms on how to build consumer trust and loyalty by integrating cybersecurity as a core element of brand strategy.

Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) self-care offers a pathway for low income countries to advance towards Universal Health Coverage by empowering individuals, families, and communities to prioritize their SRH needs independently of healthcare providers. Facilitating access to SRH products is crucial for embracing self-care and digital health technologies hold promise for enhancing accessibility. This study explored the role played by rocket health digital platforms in enhancing accessibility to SRH self-care products among youth in Uganda. Employing a cross-sectional design with a mixed-method approach, the study involved key informant interviews with youth who had purchased SRH self-care products from Rocket Health in 2022, as well as key staff at Rocket Health. Quantitative data were extracted from Rocket Health's Electronic Medical Records covering the period from January 2022 to December 2022.More males (57%) utilized digital platforms for SRH compared to females (43%). The highest utilization was via the E-commerce platform (49%) while the least was via the voice call platforms (4%). A notable portion of youth (30%) still relied on visiting the pharmacy. Contraception products were predominantly consumed through digital platforms (44%), whereas self-testing were less frequently utilized (14%). The study also identified key resources such as the digital infrastructure that maximize the potential of digital health platforms in enhancing SRH self-care. By gaining insights into the digital infrastructure, preferences, barriers, and financial considerations associated with accessing SRH self-care services through digital platforms, targeted interventions such as access to contraceptives, awareness programs, prevention and treatment of Sexual Transmitted Infections can be developed to promote positive SRH outcomes among youth.

Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) self-care offers a pathway for low income countries to advance towards Universal Health Coverage by empowering individuals, families, and communities to prioritize their SRH needs independently of healthcare providers. Facilitating access to SRH products is crucial for embracing self-care and digital health technologies hold promise for enhancing accessibility. This study explored the role played by rocket health digital platforms in enhancing accessibility to SRH self-care products among youth in Uganda. Employing a cross-sectional design with a mixed-method approach, the study involved key informant interviews with youth who had purchased SRH self-care products from Rocket Health in 2022, as well as key staff at Rocket Health. Quantitative data were extracted from Rocket Health’s Electronic Medical Records covering the period from January 2022 to December 2022.More males (57%) utilized digital platforms for SRH compared to females (43%). The highest utilization was via the E-commerce platform (49%) while the least was via the voice call platforms (4%). A notable portion of youth (30%) still relied on visiting the pharmacy. Contraception products were predominantly consumed through digital platforms (44%), whereas self-testing were less frequently utilized (14%). The study also identified key resources such as the digital infrastructure that maximize the potential of digital health platforms in enhancing SRH self-care. By gaining insights into the digital infrastructure, preferences, barriers, and financial considerations associated with accessing SRH self-care services through digital platforms, targeted interventions such as access to contraceptives, awareness programs, prevention and treatment of Sexual Transmitted Infections can be developed to promote positive SRH outcomes among youth.

The aim of the article. The article addresses drivers of digital marketing development as a marketing system at the macro level in the context of digital transformation of the economy. The topic is relatively new and needs attention since most research devoted to digitalization in marketing is usually undertaken on the microlevel. Due to such a bias little is known about ties of digital marketing development with digital transformation on the macrolevel. The article aims at developing of conceptual frameworks of relations thereof. The methodological base of the work is the ternary structure of the digital marketing system. It consists of IT sector, digital marketing and extended digital marketing. IT-sector provides for tools of digital marketing, thus encompassing digital marketing mix. Analyses results. Digital marketing englobes tools and platforms for which digital technology are essential, while extended digital marketing layer embraces the most of marketing activities, which are in the process of digitalisation. The development of digital marketing on the macrolevel is proposed to consider as a process of transformation, like the process of organizational change of Beckhard and Harris. This process is aimed at digital transformation of the entire economy. It applies four major means of digital transformation, namely: digital privatization, digital industrialization, digital investment and reinvestment, and e-governance and paperless. Digital privatization is aimed at ensuring higher efficiency of the economy by correcting existing inefficient models in certain industries by introducing digital platforms and solutions. Digital industrialization is undertaken by the rapid introduction of digital technologies in various sectors of the economy, other than the IT sector, the transition to a new technological mode and thus ensure increased productivity and productivity in the implementation of economic exchanges. The implementation of digital industrialization requires the deployment of digital entrepreneurship, including the renewal of existing and the creation of a new infrastructure of production, management, and support processes. E-governance and paperless can improve the efficiency of management decisions, as they integrate digital data with models that allow simulation and forecasting, eliminate the problem when digital data is not converted into information and does not get into databases needed for management decisions to be made. Digital investment and reinvestment refers to the development of foundations and factors of digital economy development - digital infrastructure, hardware and software, as well as institutional conditions of digitalization, education, training and development of the workforce, creating and maintaining the necessary conditions for its development and reproduction. With the help of digital industrialization, one can expect the development of digital platforms. It should lead to an increase in the number of users and partners - an increase in coverage, both in terms of demand (consumption and penetration rate) and in terms of production and provision of services (number of digital service providers and digital producers). products). The main areas of digital investment and reinvestment are the development of the IT sector and digital platforms, but there are also points of effort at the level of expanded digital marketing - in areas that are being digitized. Efforts should be directed towards the development of digital consumption through the transfer of procurement, including public services to the digital environment. Conclusions and directions for further research. Implementing this strategy requires macroeconomic stability, without which success in long-term macro-level projects seems to be unlikely, especially in projects involving large investments and significant technological transformations. Some directions of further research are defined, such as: driving forces influencing purchasing behaviour on digital platforms, conditions for effective development of digital entrepreneurship, organizational conditions and mechanism of digital industrialization, investment and reinvestment, state economic policy that encourages the development of e-commerce, forms of communication and mechanisms of influence between digital marketing systems at different levels of the economy and the knowledge economy, etc.

Introduction This article offers a conceptual perspective on the practices of electability survey institutions in Indonesia as instruments of power, employing a Foucauldian Critical Discourse Analysis lens. It addresses how survey data increasingly function not merely as measurements of public opinion but as authoritative references shaping political reality in contemporary Indonesia. Methods The study adopts a qualitative, interpretive approach grounded in Foucauldian discourse analysis. Illustrative materials are drawn from electability survey results during the 2023–2024 period and their media representations, including numerical visualizations, headlines, and public comments circulating on digital platforms. The analysis is reflective and discourse-oriented rather than empirically generalizable. Results The analysis demonstrates that linguistic constructions and numerical visualizations within survey publications constitute a “regime of truth” in which statistics appear as objective and neutral facts. These performative facts normalize political reality, shape voter preferences, and discipline political subjects. Mainstream media frequently reproduce survey results without critical scrutiny, reinforcing the hegemony of survey discourse, while public responses reveal only limited and fragmented forms of resistance. Discussion The article argues that electability surveys operate as technologies of power that govern political perception and civic imagination. While not aiming for empirical generalization, the study highlights how Foucauldian notions of power/knowledge enrich critical understandings of survey practices. It recommends enhancing transparency in polling procedures, strengthening public data literacy, and encouraging comparative and qualitative research to further examine the power mechanisms of surveys in democratic contexts.

Innovating rare disease care: A digital health network for the remote management of acquired Hemophilia A

Learning outcomes This paper aims to first, identify the external and internal factors that a company needs to analyze when formulating its digital platform strategy. Based on the framework of PESTNPG (political economic social and culture technological population and globalization) and internal analysis a company should analyze both internal and external factors to formulate its digital platform strategy. For companies from emerging markets the institutional-based market created by national or local governments is important for digital platform strategy. Second dynamic capability theory and its linkages to digital platform strategy. The dynamic capabilities view is considered as a primary theoretical lens in the strategy literature to analyze a company’s strategies to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. To carry out a successful digital platform strategy companies need to build strong dynamic capabilities to capture or create opportunities and reconfigure their resources simultaneously. Third the advantages and disadvantages of different digital platform strategies (i.e. an independent digital platform and online–offline integration platform) and the possible consequences and risks of different strategies. It is important to evaluate different types of digital platform strategies that require different capabilities in terms of business structure product structure revenue structure organizational structure and technology architecture. A company needs to link these capabilities to a digital platform strategy to enable the integration (or separation) of online business with offline business. It also increases the accuracy and efficiency of online business. Fourth key points of digital platform strategy implementation. Companies need to identify key profit models for their digital platform to promote business growth and financial returns. It is equally important to increase customer value by leveraging its digital exhibition platform and to learn to use digital technology to foster organizational dematerialization. Case overview/Synopsis Zhejiang Meorient Commerce & Exhibition Inc. (hereinafter referred to as “Meorient”) was a leading company in the exhibition industry in China. The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 plunged Meorient into a state of emergency that forced it to fight for survival. Further, China had launched a national strategy of Digital China, which created new market opportunities for Meorient. As a result, Meorient gradually developed and launched its digital exhibition services in 2015. Meorient suffered significant losses in 2020 due to COVID-19 and had to formulate a new strategy based on a digital exhibition platform in 2021. Chairman Pan Jianjun had two options. One was a purely digital platform strategy without the original offline exhibition business. The other one was an online and offline integration strategy. Which option was the best way forward for Meorient? Pan had to make a choice. Some of the top management team members believed Meorient should completely transform into a digital platform company and provide comprehensive online digital exhibition services. Over the previous 20 years, Meorient had accumulated a large amount of data from domestic and foreign exhibitors and professional buyers and had gradually developed a digital exhibition platform. It was one of the companies that pioneered digital transformation within China’s exhibition industry. More conservative thinking held that Meorient's strategy should focus more narrowly on the integration of online and offline exhibition businesses. Toward the post-pandemic era, China’s national strategy of “Digital China” accelerated the development of digital infrastructures. During such critical transitional period, Meorient had to choose wisely if it was to sustain its profits or even survive. Complexity academic level The case is aimed at students in undergraduate, MBA, short course executive, EMBA or other executive education programs, especially where digital transformation is featured subject matter. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy

Digital technologies are critical in ensuring sustainable development, contributing to economic growth, social equality and environmental security. The article reviews modern digital practices and their impact on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and also analyses international experience in applying innovative technologies in various spheres of society. The study assesses the role of artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, blockchain and financial technologies in shaping sustainable economic models and improving resource management. In particular, the impact of digital financial technologies on expanding access to banking services and lending for vulnerable population groups is highlighted, contributing to economic inclusion. The development of e-commerce and digital platforms allows small businesses to enter global markets, which positively impacts the competitiveness of economies. The environmental aspect of digitalisation includes the development of “smart” cities, the implementation of IoT solutions for environmental monitoring and efficient management of energy resources. Digital environmental platforms facilitate monitoring of air, water and soil pollution and help automate waste management processes. The use of blockchain in tracking supply chains allows for transparency of business processes, promoting enterprises’ environmental responsibility. The social aspect of digital transformation includes improving access to quality education through online courses, digital platforms and adaptive learning based on artificial intelligence. Such technologies allow for personalisation of the educational process, making it more effective and accessible to the general public. An analysis of the European Union’s financial investments in digital transformation indicates a significant level of funding for the development of artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cloud computing and digital infrastructure. At the same time, the article considers key challenges of digitalisation, including the growth of digital inequality, cybersecurity issues, the need to regulate artificial intelligence and the problems of e-waste management. The article also presents recommendations for the effective use of digital technologies for sustainable development. The study results can shape digital transformation strategies that promote balanced economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social equality.

Over the past decade, a growing body of scholarship in media studies and other cognate disciplines has focused our attention on the social, material, cultural, and political dimensions of the infrastructures that undergird and sustain media and communication networks and cultures across the world. This infrastructural turn assumes greater significance in relation to digital media and in particular, the influence that digital platforms have come to wield. Having ‘disrupted’ many sectors of social, political, and economic life, many of the most widely used digital platforms now seem to operate as infrastructures themselves. This special issue explores how an infrastructural perspective reframes the study of digital platforms and allows us to pose questions of scale, labor, industry logics, policy and regulation, state power, cultural practices, and citizenship in relation to the routine, everyday uses of digital platforms. In this opening article, we offer a critical overview of media infrastructure studies and situate the study of digital infrastructures and platforms within broader scholarly and public debates on the history and political economy of media infrastructures. We also draw on the study of media industries and production cultures to make the case for an inter-medial and inter-sectoral approach to understanding the entanglements of digital platforms and infrastructures.

Transmedia Uprising

As the private sector shapes decisions around educational technology, policymaking and classroom practices, research has identified a democratic deficit in the digital platforms and infrastructures for education. Much research has, however, focused on private-sector actors. This article explores the development of Germany’s digital networked infrastructure for education ( Mein Bildungsraum ), a 600-million-EUR public initiative. The article investigates how a public, not-for-profit infrastructure manifests pedagogical values and priorities. The analysis is grounded in infrastructure studies, platform studies and educational theory. It assumes that digital infrastructures are deeply entangled in sociotechnical relations that shape the future of education and society in significant ways. Using a case study approach, it combines a technical, educational and governance analysis. Findings suggest that users’ data are strongly protected in this public digital infrastructure. However, it reproduces the narrow educational paradigms and lack of democratic participation diagnosed for private, profit-driven infrastructures. These findings challenge existing explanations for how public education is being transformed as the use of digital technologies is intensifying. Privatisation, multiple spheres and interoperability issues only partially explain the study’s findings. The paper suggests that sociocultural contexts and technogenesis are crucial to understand why even publicly-funded projects fail to democratise education.

The purpose of the study is to study the conditions and principles for the formation of digital educational platforms as a stage in the development of the system of staffing industries and human capital. To achieve this goal, the following main tasks were set and solved: an analysis was made of existing trends and factors in the development of the system of vocational education, resource constraints of educational organizations; development of the structure and principles of the formation of digital educational platforms, the economic model of its work; the nature of the relationship between key performance indicators is determined.The object of the study is digital platforms that emulate the management of vocational education. Such platforms are seen as the next stage in the evolution of the vocational education system. The subject of the study is the process of implementing professional educational programs, which evolves from educational organizations that own educational programs to digital educational platforms that unite participants in the educational process (developers of educational programs, teachers, students, business).The practical significance of the study lies in expanding the possibility of using digital educational platforms that can be used in parallel with traditional systems of vocational education. The main result of the presented research is the development of the structure, principles of formation and economic model of digital educational platforms, which are considered as the next stage in the development of the vocational education system.This study is part of a comprehensive scientific study on the improvement of the human capital development system, conducted on the basis of the Samara State Transport University.

Critical political economy analyses have principally conceptualised platforms as unproductive economic forms (rentier capital) skimming value off each intermediated transaction and/or illegitimately extracting and capitalizing user data. This scholarship has also focused heavily on extractive dimensions of global North platforms’ operations within the global South. However, a small but growing literature is examining the productive aspects of digital platforms, while important digital platforms are emerging in Southern economies. These trends draw attention to the prospect of platforms playing a role in leapfrog development. This article examines digital trucking platforms in two major economies of the global South: Brazil and China. We argue that trucking platforms are engendering dramatic transformations of these countries’ disorganised road transport logistics systems. Platforms are centralising investment and co-ordinating control. Utilising technologies which surpass those deployed in the global North, they rationalise disorganised and inefficient transport systems by subjecting them to algorithmic rule and minimising bureaucratic inefficiencies. Through greater centralisation, co-ordination and rationalisation, trucking platforms further serve to proletarianize their owner-operator workforces, driving down costs and eliminating barriers to the geographical circulation of capital. While this offers some benefits to workers, it also exposes them to the vagaries of market discipline in new ways.

This study aims to evaluate user perceptions of digital loan platforms, analyze the role of technology in enhancing loan accessibility, and provide strategic recommendations for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) to optimize their digital lending infrastructure. A quantitative research design has been employed, with data collected from individual users of digital loan mobile applications to identify adoption patterns. Purposive sampling was used, targeting individuals who have processed loan applications through digital platforms at selected NBFCs in India, specifically those with a Head Office or Branch in the state of Gujarat. The findings reveal that Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) has a greater influence than Perceived Usefulness (PU) on users’ Attitude Toward Use (ATU). This suggests that simplifying the digital loan application process has a more significant impact on shaping users' attitudes toward adoption than merely increasing the perceived usefulness of the platform. Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) play a crucial role in addressing the credit needs of organized and unorganized sectors, particularly where traditional banks have limited reach. With a competitive advantage in offering customized products, NBFCs have a significant opportunity to expand in the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) and retail sectors [1].