This study investigates the pivotal role of Hormuud Telecom’s EVC-Plus mobile money platform in enhancing the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid in Somalia, one of the world’s most fragile states. It examines how operational accessibility, financial integration, and inclusive financial resilience influence the effectiveness of humanitarian aid programs in contexts of systemic fragility. A quantitative survey design was employed, drawing on data from 240 respondents, including humanitarian practitioners, beneficiaries, and mobile money users. Anchored in Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Financial Inclusion Theory, and the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study utilized multiple regression analysis to assess both direct effects and interaction dynamics among core variables. Model diagnostics ensured reliability, validity, and robustness. The results demonstrate that financial integration, usability and accessibility, and inclusive financial resilience significantly improve the effectiveness of humanitarian aid delivery. Among these factors, financial integration emerged as the strongest predictor. However, the interaction effect between operational accessibility and financial integration was significantly negative, suggesting diminishing returns when both dimensions are simultaneously maximized. These findings position EVC-Plus as a critical humanitarian infrastructure while highlighting the need for balanced integration strategies. The study provides actionable insights for humanitarian organizations, policymakers, and mobile money providers. It advocates for inclusive program design, capacity building for digital literacy, and collaborative partnerships to enhance service reach and efficiency. For policymakers, the results underscore the importance of integrating mobile money platforms into national social protection and emergency response frameworks, supported by robust regulatory safeguards and investments in digital infrastructure. This study is among the first empirical investigations to position mobile money platforms as strategic humanitarian infrastructures rather than mere financial tools in fragile state contexts. Linking digital financial services with humanitarian aid delivery provides a novel framework for understanding the systemic role of mobile money in crisis response. This research enriches the fields of humanitarian finance, digital inclusion, and mobile money adoption by offering empirical evidence from Somalia’s unique context. It extends theoretical frameworks by demonstrating how EVC-Plus bridges technological innovation, institutional resilience, and inclusive development, offering a scalable model for fragile and conflict-affected states.

The paper aims to philosophically explore the relationship between digital time and digital narrative. It explains two general topics. The first topic is the meaning of narrative as a literary genre. In addition, the paper seeks to formulate a different meaning of narrative depending on some philosophical thoughts. Then it explores the relationship between time and narrative. It concludes that narrative exists in time. Without time, narrative cannot live. Although language is important to narrative, it is merely a locator of where time is. The link between time and events is strong. An event is the only narrative component that embodies time. However, to have a philosophy of narrative as a carrier of the meaning of time and explanation of life and existence, narrative must be discussed as a philosophical way, not as a literary genre. The second general topic of the paper is about digital narrative and the digital concept of time. In this topic, narrative is not discussed as an independent topic; it links to several concepts, such as digital community and digital narrator. Some characteristics of digital media are explained to understand what this paper means by digital narrative. Narrative, understood as the carrier of meaning of time and the explainer of life and existence, exists by social media and within digital time, not by a human narrator. In digital narrative, several concepts drastically change. One or two aspects of interest can form a digital community. In addition, the past and the future do not exist on social media. Users live in unlimited ‘nows.’ This unlimited ‘now’ is shaped by the feature of permanence and continuity of social media, in which man’s engagement with social media has no end or limit.

This original research analyses continuities and ruptures in the trajectories of LGBTQI+ migrants, focusing on lesbians and transgender experiences at Brazilian and the Mexican borders regions as empirical contexts. Although these trajectories vary in terms of time, geopolitical scenarios and the ways in which social markers of difference shift through border crossings, these displacements suggest, as a transversal characteristic, that the production of uncertainty is a form of governance of human mobility. These displacements suggest that the global migration control regime is framed by a heteronormative and familistic order that shapes gender hierarchies and inequalities in the transit of LGBTQI+ migrants across Latin American borders. The underlying argument is that all migration policies are gender policies. In the cases discussed here, the productive relations between gender, sexuality and migration are based on cis-heterocentric gender norm that is structurally rooted in a limited binary gender system. This system becomes insufficient when confronted with the experiences of lesbian and trans migrants in transit across borders of the Global South. These displacements in the Brazilian and the Mexican borders shed light on the inconsistencies and ambiguities that gender dimorphism brings to humanitarian policies for LGBTQI+ migrants. Finally, the results section explores the resistance and survival strategies employed by LGBTQI+ migrants in response to the precarious and uncertain conditions they face when crossing borders of Latin America.

This mini review examines the intersection of digital disinformation, artificial intelligence technologies, and cultural identity construction within Southeast Asian startup ecosystems. Through systematic analysis of 68 peer-reviewed studies published between 2019 and 2024, we synthesize the current understanding of how AI-enhanced communication strategies both combat and potentially amplify disinformation while navigating complex cultural identity negotiations. Research demonstrates that culturally sensitive AI implementation increases funding success rates by 34% and market reach by 58% among religious minority entrepreneurs when appropriate algorithms are employed. The review identifies three critical research areas: algorithmic bias in cultural content moderation, the role of religious identity in digital entrepreneurship, and platform-specific adaptations of traditional communication frameworks. Our analysis reveals significant gaps in cross-cultural AI ethics research and proposes the “Cultural-AI Communication Convergence” (CAICF) framework, integrating Islamic communication principles with contemporary digital marketing practices. Findings suggest that while AI technologies offer promising solutions for combating disinformation, implementation must account for diverse cultural values and religious sensitivities to avoid marginalizing minority voices in digital spaces.

Social media use has become integral to daily life, raising increasing concern about its addictive potential, particularly among adolescents. This mini-review combined a structured systematic search and complementary narrative exploration to identify and analyze 27 validated instruments assessing social media addiction. The first phase followed PRISMA-based criteria across four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, Redalyc), while subsequent phases expanded the search to include related and recent literature up to 2025. The instruments encompass physiological, behavioral, cognitive–emotional, and social dimensions of addiction—such as tolerance, withdrawal, preoccupation, mood modification, and time displacement—and were validated in both Western and non-Western contexts. Western-developed scales (e.g., BSMAS, SMD Scale) demonstrated stronger psychometric consistency and larger samples, whereas regional adaptations improved cultural relevance but require broader validation. The absence of unified diagnostic criteria continues to limit cross-cultural comparison. These findings underscore the need for internationally standardized and culturally sensitive tools to improve early detection and cross-context comparability in adolescent social media addiction research.

Introduction This study evaluates user perceptions of the Louvre Abu Dhabi (LAD) interactive website, focusing on how digital technologies influence the consumption and interpretation of cultural heritage. Methods The research employed a mixed-method design with 50 participants. It investigated key parameters including usability, content richness, and learning outcomes, specifically examining how digital interactivity supports heritage engagement. The analytical framework extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Kano model to a Gulf cultural context. Results Findings revealed consistently high satisfaction across usability and learning dimensions, confirming the site’s effectiveness as a cultural mediation tool. Beyond technical performance, participants described the platform as a gateway to immersive and participatory heritage consumption, where digital storytelling and interactivity foster curiosity and sustained cultural interest. Discussion Thematic analysis identified key development priorities: immersive virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) integration, deeper narrative context, personalized guided itineraries, and stronger social-media outreach. The results suggest that digital heritage features have evolved from optional enhancements to essential components of cultural participation. The study concludes that sustained innovation in immersive design and AI-driven personalization is vital for museums seeking to expand cultural access and learning through digital media.

This study examines the relationship between digital transformation, trust in government, and citizen participation in Gowa Regency, Indonesia, a region marked by urban–rural disparities. Drawing on a survey of 394 respondents across urban, semi-urban, and rural districts, the research employs descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, including ordinary least squares regression, to investigate how perceptions of digital public services influence trust and participatory behaviors. Findings reveal that digital transformation significantly enhances both trust in government and participation, while trust itself emerges as a strong predictor of citizen participation. However, participation levels remain modest, highlighting a persistent gap between positive perceptions of digital services and actual civic involvement. Spatial differences further complicate the picture: urban areas report higher digital transformation and trust scores, yet participation peaks in transitional zones, suggesting complex socio-structural dynamics. These results underscore that while digital transformation can foster institutional trust, its participatory potential requires complementary strategies addressing inclusivity, literacy, and feedback mechanisms. The study contributes to debates on digital governance by demonstrating that technology alone does not guarantee democratic responsiveness, but its impact is contingent on local contexts and the mediating role of trust.

Introduction This study investigates how visual body cues in TikTok videos affect young viewers’ perceptions of body image and general eating intentions. Methods In this study, 78 female participants viewed six messages: three without body cues and three with either thin or muscular ideal cues in a randomized order in a 2 (thin ideal versus muscular ideal) × 3 (repetition of messages) × 2 (present vs. absence) mixed factorial design. After viewing each video, self-reported eating intentions and body dissatisfaction were measured. Results Results suggested that participants who view videos with body cues reported significantly lower eating intentions and higher body dissatisfaction. Although thin ideal cues led to higher body dissatisfaction compared to muscular ideal cues, no significant effect on eating intentions was found. Findings showed that body shape concerns significantly moderated the effects of body cues on body dissatisfaction and the effects of ideal cues on eating intentions, with individuals having higher body shape concerns experiencing more pronounced changes. Discussion These findings indicate that comparisons to influencers’ body ideals in TikTok “What I Eat in a Day” content can lower eating intentions and heighten body dissatisfaction, particularly among young women with body image concerns. Those results highlight the need for platform policies and body image interventions that separate food content from aesthetic ideals and instead promote functional, diverse body representations

Integrating artificial intelligence into journalism has transformed how gender identities are represented and consumed across digital platforms. This perspective examines the emergence of “platform-specific masculinities” in Indonesian digital journalism, drawing from recent empirical evidence showing a 55-percentage-point decline in traditional masculine representations between 2019 and 2024. We propose the “Algorithmic Gender Representation Paradigm” (AGRP) as a theoretical framework emerging from Indonesian contexts for understanding how platform-specific affordances, machine learning algorithms, business models, and cultural contexts interact to influence journalistic content and audience engagement. Analysis of 240 h of television programming and 1,100 digital media items reveals that digital platforms demonstrate 111% higher engagement rates for emotionally expressive content than traditional masculine representations, particularly among audiences aged 18–24. While television maintains predominantly traditional representations (65%), platforms like TikTok show significantly higher proportions of emotional (42%) and creative (45%) expressions. These patterns reflect not only algorithmic affordances but also divergent business models: advertiser-funded platforms optimizing for engagement versus broadcast television navigating regulatory constraints. Drawing on platform studies, feminist technology scholarship, and glocalization theory, we challenge assumptions about algorithmic neutrality and highlight the need for culturally sensitive AI development in journalism. We identify critical gaps in cross-cultural algorithmic bias studies and propose methodological approaches for examining long-term societal impacts. The perspective concludes that understanding algorithmic influence on gender representation requires interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating communication studies, computer science, gender studies, and area studies to ensure that digital transformation serves democratic values and promotes culturally sensitive representation across diverse global contexts.