Social media is now central to student life, reshaping how college students learn, connect, and cope with stress. This study explored patterns of social networking use among 360 Indian college students, examining links with self-esteem, psychological well-being, and stress coping styles. Using standardized tools (Social Networking Usage Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Psychological Well-Being Scale, and Brief COPE Scale), findings showed academic-oriented use dominated, reflecting a shift toward digital platforms as tools for learning and collaboration. Self-esteem did not significantly predict usage patterns, but psychological well-being—especially self-awareness—and approach coping strategies, like planning and active coping, were strongly linked with academic use. The results highlight social media's growing relevance in education and mental health.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the factors responsible for cyberfraud perpetration and the rate of cyberfraud perpetration in the South African banking industry using technology as a mediating variable. Structured questionnaire was employed as survey instrument. Using purposive sampling, it was distributed to 42 selected staff members of the 17 licensed banks in South Africa. The use of emerging technologies was found to have positive and significant relationship with internal controls, accountability, record keeping and ethical culture. This is justified by their p-values less than 0.05 except for the relationship between technology and poor organisation whose p-value was greater than 0.05. Overall, the mediating variable (technology) was found to indeed influence the rate of cyberfraud perpetration in the South African banking industry. This study provides an insight into the factors responsible for cyberfraud perpetration in South Africa and the moderating role of technology to reduce cyberfraud perpetration.

This article examines monetization in video games, with a focus on battle and season passes, their risks and their presence, in videogames aimed at minors. Through the analysis of 105 PlayStation 5 titles, this study explored the prevalence of these monetization systems in free-to-play and paid games, along with their impact on game dynamics and player behavior. The findings revealed a significant uptake of battle passes in free-to-play games and a preference for season passes in paid games. These results of this research suggest a worrying connection between aggressive monetization and problematic gaming practices, particularly in titles aimed at young audiences. This study contributes to an understanding of contemporary monetization strategies and their potential impact on young gamers.

Administering a set of self-reporting questionnaires to 169 people who identify as female university students, this study investigated associations between smartphone-dependence scores and scores for loneliness and trait anxiety. Loneliness and trait-anxiety scores correlated with scores for smartphone dependence only for respondents who did not have a boyfriend: No similar association was apparent for those who had a boyfriend. These findings suggest that having or not having a boyfriend is a factor both in smartphone dependence and in loneliness and trait anxiety.

This paper studies college students' perspectives on social media discourse surrounding major international events and the effects on their psychological state and information-seeking behaviors. Through empirical research, this paper describes and analyzes the influences of “information push” from important international affairs, its inconsistent information quality, and excessive peer-to-peer sharing on users' emotional exhaustion and resistance to future social media engagement. Frequent push notifications cause interruptions that engender exhaustion. This paper identifies the “neglect” and “shielding” behaviors that can then result. Building on stressors previously identified in information overload on social media, this research furthers understanding of their interconnections. This paper develops a model that links social overload and system features with exhaustion, psychological resistance, social media discontinuation, and burnout. Corresponding countermeasures are put forward with proposed utility for social media users and the platforms themselves.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether previously established visual attention patterns remained intact during video scenes designed to elicit specific emotions using a novel suite of biosensors. To examine the relationship between visual attention and emotion, data from eye tracking, facial expression recognition (FER), and galvanic skin response (GSR) combined with survey data were used to identify the bottom-up and top-down features of saliency in videos that contributed to their “interestingness.” Using a mixed-methods design and convenience sampling, participants (N = 42) watched 60 video clips designed to evoke different emotional responses (positive, neutral, or negative). The results indicated that using a suite of biosensors to examine the impacts of bottom-up and top-down features of visual attention was effective.

In response to the evolving e-commerce landscape, the study investigates changing patterns of social networking site (SNS) usage during a pandemic. Grounded in the interaction of the person-affect-cognition-execution model for addictive behaviors and the appraisal and coping theory, it explores the depth and extent of SNS usage. Specifically, the study examines the moderated mediating effect of perceived stress (PS) and fear of missing out, with risk mitigation behavior as a moderator. With data from a nationwide survey in Korea with 760 responses, results show that risk mitigation behavior moderates the relationship between infection threat and PS, while PS and fear of missing out mediate the effect of infection threat on SNS usage. The moderated mediation of PS was significant, shedding light on the complex psychological mechanisms that drive SNS behavior during global crises. The findings deepen understanding of how stress and coping strategies shape SNS engagement in response to crisis.

Romance scams, a prevalent form of cybercrime, have surged globally, with South Korea experiencing a rapid rise. Furthermore, perpetrators have adopted increasingly sophisticated tactics. However, South Korea's unique legal framework and the lack of comprehensive regional studies have led to insufficient preventive measures and responses. This research aims to elucidate the modus operandi of South Korean romance scams and highlight their distinguishing features. By employing crime script analysis and conducting interviews with investigators, this study delineated three pre-crime scripts and thirteen criminal event scripts. The research reveals distinctive features of these scams, including the extensive use of KakaoTalk for romantic communications, the significant influence of South Korean cultural norms on scam operations, and the increasing use of advanced technologies such as deepfakes. These findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the unique dynamics of romance scams in South Korea, thus facilitating the development of more effective preventive strategies and responses.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of problematic internet use (PIU) among Brazilian adults and its cognitive and emotional factors. A total of 294 individuals (144 men, 149 women, 1 undisclosed) aged 18 to 55 years (M=29.31, SD=7.99) participated, completing various instruments: a sociodemographic and internet use questionnaire, the generalized problematic internet use scale (GPIUS-2), the online cognition scale (OCS), the depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21), and the difficulties in emotional regulation scale (DERS). The prevalence of PIU was 17.4% (n=49). Younger participants reported higher rates of PIU. GPIUS-2 scores positively correlated with DERS and DASS-21 subscales. Network analysis highlighted impulse control deficits and loneliness/depression as key factors associated with PIU, with anxiety indirectly related through stress. These findings highlight the link between emotional difficulties and PIU, suggesting the need for guidelines to promote healthier internet use.