Communication Technologies Research Articles

The weapons of civilization: self-technologies and the governance of dissent

ABSTRACT This essay analyzes how liberal and radical activists battled over the subjective management strategies used in the temperance movement. First, the essay fills a theoretical gap by offering a new conceptual apparatus for examining the intersection of communication and Foucaultian technologies of the self, particularly in the context of counter-radicalism. Second, it contributes to critical Communication history by examining the clash between bourgeois activists, on the one hand, and "barbaric" activists like Carry Nation, who used bar-smashing violence as a critique of conventional public address and other “civilized” methods of dissent. The essay concludes by reflecting on how this historical clash illuminates contemporary strategies of counter-radicalism and dissent management.

Teachers’ perceptions and practices of iPads for visual arts learning in early childhood education

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about information and communications technologies integration in early childhood education, specifically its role in promoting visual arts education. We explored the use of iPads to support young children’s visual arts learning. A qualitative case study approach used observations, interviews, and children’s assessments to obtain data. Results showed that teachers held positive perceptions of iPads as tools for young children’s visual arts education, teachers collaborated with children while using iPads, and teachers integrated iPads with traditional art resources. The study suggests that teachers’ positive perceptions of iPads and their purposeful integration into children’s learning environments could creatively foster young children’s visual arts education.

Research on path planning in UAV-assisted emergency communication

The rapid development of UAV communication technology makes it have application potential in wireless systems. However, for the optimization problem of UAV base station providing communication for ground personnel in the disaster area under special natural disasters, traditional deep reinforcement learning is used. Algorithms cannot solve such problems well. This article proposes the AD3QN algorithm combined with the attention mechanism, which can communicate with disaster victims on the ground better and more quickly, providing better information collection for rescue missions and completing the task of communication optimization. In the mission simulation environment, in order to make the environment more realistic, we innovatively designed the ground user distribution model, air-to-ground communication model, and electromagnetic interference model. Finally, the effect of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing different deep reinforcement learning algorithms. The results show that the algorithm we proposed can provide communication services faster and has higher practicability in terms of algorithm.

Entangled Amid Misaligned Seams: Limitations to Technology-Mediated Care for Repairing Infrastructural Breakdowns in a Youth Empowerment Program

The COVID-19 pandemic broke down the human infrastructure of many community-based programs, disrupting in-person care services for low-resourced families. Yet, minimal work has explored how actors repair these breakdowns and how other infrastructures may interfere with repairs in such contexts. Interviewing adolescents and adults affiliated with a youth empowerment program, we used the pandemic to examine how a human infrastructure that previously facilitated a sense of community broke down and how members attempted to repair this infrastructure. While organized activities, resources, and interpersonal interactions aligned to facilitate in-person care that established a sense of community, incorporating information and communication technologies to align a sociotechnical infrastructure during social restrictions could not overcome multiple constraints imposed by other infrastructures that limited this sense of community. We discuss limitations to care and aligning together multiple disjointed infrastructures, calling for CSCW researchers to critically consider asset-based design as a methodology that might help sustain a community's well-being.

Transhuman Communication: Human Augmentation Technologies through Co-Speculation Workshops

The advancement of human-computer integration as a research field promises to introduce transhumanistic ways of communicating through the enhanced abilities of augmented humans. Our work seeks to illuminate this experiential landscape, exploring a diverse set of human augmentation technologies (HATs) for communication purposes. We investigated this topic through four co-speculation workshops focusing on physical, cognitive, sensory and emotional augmentations with 35 participants. Through a reflexive thematic analysis of the workshop data, we outlined eight HAT speculations for transhuman communication, grouped into four overarching augmentation clusters: (1) Bodily Changes in/for Communication, (2) Communication with Transferrable and Collective Beings, (3) Communication through Emotion and Memory, and (4) Communication with Augmented/Altered Perception. By serving as a foundation for discussions on transhumanism and communication in CSCW and beyond, these speculations contribute to a design space highlighting design opportunities and challenges to developing and researching near-future communication technologies.

Development and evaluation of a free-form-based optical antenna with enhanced channel performance

Optical receiving antennas play a pivotal role in enhancing the communication quality of visible light communication (VLC) systems. In this study, we propose an innovative optical receiving antenna based on free-form surfaces. Initially, the layout scheme for the LED array is meticulously optimized to ensure uniform indoor illumination. Subsequently, a three-piece integrated optical receiving antenna is designed using XY polynomial free-form surfaces with the primary objectives of amplifying the optical gain, augmenting the received power, and elevating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To further validate the efficacy of the proposed optical receiving antenna, an indoor VLC channel model is established, and its performance is rigorously analyzed. Experimental outcomes reveal that the mean square error of indoor illumination stands at 113.3 lx, the optical gain of the free-form optical receiving antenna reaches an impressive 11.29, the semiregular field of view spans 35.2°, the average received power amounts to 6.1251 dBm, the average SNR attains 84.7054 dB, and the radius of the optical spot is a mere 1.5 mm. Consequently, the optimized free-form optical receiving antenna can guarantee high-speed and stable communication within indoor VLC systems, thereby furnishing crucial technical support for the advancement of VLC communication technology.

Race and Privacy in Broadcast Police Communications

Radios are essential for the operations of modern police departments, and they function as both a collaborative communication technology and a sociotechnical system. However, little prior research has examined their usage or their connections to individual privacy and the role of race in policing, two growing topics of concern in the US. As a case study, we examine the Chicago Police Department's (CPD's) use of broadcast police communications (BPC) to coordinate the activity of law enforcement officers (LEOs) in the city. From a recently assembled archive of 80,775 hours of BPC associated with CPD operations, we analyze human-generated text transcripts of radio transmissions broadcast 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on August 10th, 2018 in one majority Black, one majority White, and one majority Hispanic area of the city (24 hours of audio) to explore four research questions: (1) Do BPC reflect reported racial disparities in policing? (2) How and when is gender, race/ethnicity, and age mentioned in BPC? (3) To what extent do BPC include sensitive information, and who is put at most risk by this practice? (4) To what extent can large language models (LLMs) heighten this risk? We explore the vocabulary and speech acts used by police in BPC, comparing mentions of personal characteristics to local demographics, the personal information shared over BPC, and the privacy concerns that it poses. Analysis indicates (a) policing professionals in the city of Chicago exhibit disproportionate attention to Black members of the public regardless of context, (b) sociodemographic characteristics like gender, race/ethnicity, and age are primarily mentioned in BPC about event information, and (c) disproportionate attention introduces disproportionate privacy risks for Black members of the public. This study shows BPC can provide a novel window into disproportionate attention (i.e., via radio communications) by law enforcement officers to specific racial groups, leading to increased privacy vulnerability for those groups, particularly Black males.

The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on the Competitiveness of Smes in Morocco: An Approach Based on the Technology Acceptance Model

This article examines the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on economic competitiveness in Morocco, with a focus on ICT adoption among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through an analysis based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the study identifies key challenges faced by companies in integrating ICT and highlights opportunities presented by government initiatives such as the "Digital Morocco Plan 2020." The findings indicate that the acceptance and increased use of ICT are essential for fostering innovation and enhancing the performance of Moroccan businesses, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth.

Utilisation of ICT in the management of land administration information in Tanzania

The study investigates the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in managing land administration information in Tanzania. The study specifically established the status of available ICT facilities and assessed the extent of their application in managing land administration information. The research involved a cross-sectional survey and interview with 422 stakeholders, revealing the presence of ICT facilities in land administration authorities and individuals. The result revealed the presence of ICT facilities in land administration authorities and among individuals. These technologies are used for planning, designing, surveying, and processing land documents. However, a lack of knowledge about certain ICT services hinders the government’s efforts to enhance land services. Online services in land administration, such as search, building permits, and land application, can reduce bureaucracy and increase revenue. The potential of ICTs is significant, prompting land authorities to develop strategies and invest in their efficient use. The study recommends investing in modern ICT infrastructure in land offices to modernise land services, increase client satisfaction, and achieve the land sector’s goals. Furthermore, it suggests providing online land-related services and integrating them with online payment systems to increase revenue and reduce travel time. The study also recommends improving government online platforms for land information communication, enhancing stakeholder self-service, and introducing SMS, mobile applications, and AI for land administration information services. Lastly, the study recommends reviewing the MLHHSD ICT Policy and providing training to adapt to technology trends.

Systematic Review of Dimensions and Indicators in Sustainable and Smart Cities: Trends, Interdependencies, and Continental Variations

Accelerated urbanization challenges cities globally. Ensuring good quality of life and environmental protection requires innovative, data-driven solutions. Sustainable and smart cities (SSCs) offer a promising response, but effective implementation depends on selecting and using appropriate dimensions and indicators. The main objective of this article is to present a systematic review within the framework of SSCs to study trends in the use of dimensions and indicators. A citation frequency index (Q) considering quartiles is used to determine the importance of the variables considered in this study. A spatiotemporal analysis of the dimensions and indicators detected is also performed. The results suggest that the multifaceted nature of SSCs necessitates a holistic approach, with environmental (Q3 = 0.536) and social (Q2 = 0.403) dimensions being principal. Despite the lower ranking (Q1 = 0.080) of the information and communication technology (ICT) dimension, its pervasive influence highlights its evolving importance. Effective ICT implementation relies on robust social and environmental foundations, illustrating their interdependence. The governance (Q1 = 0.169) dimension is also essential for the creation of transparent and equitable urban policies. Key indicators related to energy systems (Q2 = 0.379), data analysis (Q2 = 0.327), and resource management (Q2 = 0.291) are crucial for operational efficiency and sustainability. Continental differences in prioritizing SSC dimensions highlight the importance of context-specific strategies, reflecting unique challenges and opportunities faced by different continental areas. By understanding and addressing these continental differences, policymakers and urban planners can more effectively promote sustainable and resilient urban development worldwide.

The Reality of Using Information and Communication Technology (Ict) and its Relationship to Academic Achievement and the Development of Creative Thinking Among Secondary School Student‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Reality of Using Information and Communication Technology (Ict) and its Relationship to Academic Achievement and the Development of Creative Thinking Among Secondary School Student‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Multi‐Objective Federated Averaging Algorithm

ABSTRACTThe recent global trend is the convergence of information and communications technology (ICT). By applying ICT in various fields such as the humanities, new types of products and services are created, and new values that help people's lives can be created. AI can be selected as a representative technology in such convergence ICT. However, applying AI technology to actual production requires ensuring data security. Federated learning (FL) can achieve secure sharing of data, where all parties participate in model training locally and upload it to the server for aggregation. The data never leaves the parties involved, thus solving the problems of data privacy and data silos. However, FL faces issues such as high communication cost, imbalanced performance distribution among participants, and low privacy protection. To achieve a balance between model accuracy, communication cost, fairness, and privacy, this paper proposes a multi‐objective optimization‐based FL algorithm (M‐FedAvg). The multi‐objective optimization problem of maximising the accuracy of the global model, minimising the communication cost, minimising the variance of the accuracy, and minimising the privacy budget is solved by NSGA‐III. The experimental results show that the algorithm proposed can effectively reduce the communication cost of FL and achieve privacy protection for participants without affecting the accuracy of the global model.

Flow, job performance and psychological wellbeing: the role of psychological ownership and trust in the ICT work place

Purpose This paper, drawing on self-enhancement theory and from employee perspective, aims to develop and validate an integrative theoretical model that centers on the trust–psychological ownership (PO) link to investigate information and communications technology (ICT) employee work outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey with PLS-SEM analysis of 424 employees in ICT industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, reports that all of 10 hypotheses are empirically supported. Findings PO is found to be an important driver of employee flow, job performance and psychological wellbeing. Moreover, it is posited that trust acts a moderator of the relationship between flow experience and job performance, and between job performance and psychological wellbeing. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is among the first to affirm that trust in work environment serves as both an enabler for PO and a moderator for the relationship between flow experience–job performance as well as between job performance–psychological wellbeing path. The study also affirms that flow state plays a mediating role in the PO–job performance path, and that job performance acts as a mediator in the flow experience–psychological wellbeing sequence. Finally, new evidence expectedly highlights the positive impact of job performance, a short-term work outcome, on psychological wellbeing, a long-term work outcome.

Coded communication study of Laguerre–Gaussian vortex beam and its superposition states in underwater turbulence

Using theoretical and experimental approaches, we have investigated coded communications for the Laguerre–Gaussian (LG) beam and its superposition states in an oceanic turbulent environment. We established an ocean turbulence transmission model and constructed an underwater vortex beam-coded communication experiment, generating light-intensity images of the LG beam and its superposition states transmitted in different simulated ocean turbulence environments. These simulated and experimentally obtained light-intensity images were grayed out, detected and identified, symbol coded, and decoded by the Visual Geometry Group neural network to study the bit error rate (BER) of the LG beam and its superposition states for coded communication in the simulated ocean turbulence environment. The study results show that the BER increases with increasing transmission distance and simulated ocean turbulence intensity. This study provides an important reference for the further development of optical communication and network technology in high-speed data transmission and communication capability enhancement.

Determinants of Students Performance in Information and Communication Technology Program in DEPED Secondary Schools

This study investigated the relationship between the observed organizational attributes and determinants of students performance in the information and communications technology program along five factors: provision of equipment, training of teachers, administrative support, monitoring and Evaluation assessment, and leadership style of school heads and learner’s academic performance in terms of mean percentile scores involving 59 classroom teachers in five public secondary schools in DepEd Eastern Samar division during the school year 2023-2024. The data concerning the respondents’ perceived observation on the determinant factors of students’ performance in ICT program were collected via an expert validated researcher-modified survey instrument and analyzed using frequency count, percentage, mean, spearman rho correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that all of the organizational attributes and determinant factors were “moderately observed” with a mean of 3.3146 and the learner’s academic performance in ICT were “satisfactory” at an average of 78.98%. Test on correlation indicated that training of teachers (p=0.45) as a determinant of success is significantly related to the learner’s academic performance in ICT. All the other determinant factors have p-values greater than the level of significance i.e., provision of equipment (p=.864), administrative support (p=.134), M & E Assessment (p=.191) and leadership style of school head (p=.160) and are not significantly related to the performance of learners in the DepEd secondary schools. Thus, the null hypothesis saying that there is no significant relationship between these determinant factors to the academic performance of learners in DepEd secondary schools is therefore true and accepted. Hence, the researcher recommends the conduct of extensive ICT training programs for teachers for them to teach better and to advance the digital literacy in Philippine schools.

Aspiring and Deprecating Female Influencers: Communicative Capitalism and the Positioning of Women Entrepreneurs

Given the relative ease of joining an e-commerce market via social media platforms, expectations have risen about the role of communication technology and social networks in advancing gender equality in economic participation. South Korean women influencers, in particular, are selling various items using their popularity on social networks. They represent themselves as successful, passionate, gorgeous businesswomen with glamorous lifestyles. These individual influencers exemplify neoliberal ideals, branding and marketing themselves as independent and autonomous creators able to fashion their own destinies in the endless competition of the market. Recently however, heated deinfluencing trends against them have grown in strength and intensity, deprecating these women as nonprofessional, mass-deceptive online vendors. It has become common to describe them with the derogatory term “palyi people.” Against this backdrop, the current study questions the ability of digitalized online technology to empower women coming along with the ideas of neoliberalism and postfeminism. Using the concept of communicative capitalism, this study will analyze the images and texts created and circulated within the social media sphere by six popular female influencers and their followers. Through this data, this study aims to grasp how the free communicative activities of female influencers and their followers on social media negatively position women entrepreneurs in the techno-cultural era.

The Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and FDI on South African Economic Growth

Information, communication, technology (ICT) and foreign direct investment plays a substantial role in various spheres of social and economic development. Therefore, changes in these variables can significantly impact a country's economy. The current study aims to assess the implication of information and communication technology (ICT) and FDI on South African economic growth. To achieve this objective, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and Error Correction Model (ECM) were applied to time series data over the period 1991 to 2021. Findings obtained from econometric modelling and analysis indicate that besides the positive effect of FDI on South African economic growth, all the analysed components of ICT namely mobile phone subscriptions, fixed phones, and internet subscriptions are drivers of economic growth in South Africa. Based on the findings, from the policy perspective, it was suggested that South African economic authorities increase and improve investment in the ICT infrastructure while also attracting more foreign investors. Additionally, to benefit from FDI and ICT's drivers of economics, policymakers should endorse policies and strategies that enhance economic openness and the ICT's resource allocation.

Application of Android-Based Applications to Make It Easier to Record Micro Business Finances (Quuena Store Case Study)

The current development of information and communication technology has many benefits for human life, not only in the social but cultural, educational and economic fields. One use in the economic sector is in the financial services sector, namely the existence of a digital financial recording system in the form of an Android-based application. Financial recording is the process of recording transactions for a period, where this recording report will be used to make decisions and monitor the business being carried out.This research was conducted on MSMEs in Singajaya Village, the object of this research is business actors engaged in products and services, namely "Queena Store" which is located at Jl. CITRA No.12 Block XX Singajaya Village, this research is based on the problem where financial recording at the Queena Store still uses a manual system because the business owner does not understand technology. The purpose of this research is to help business actors implement a new accounting bookkeeping system and analyze its use in using the Android-based financial recording application, namely Akuntansiku, so that the recording process can be easier, faster and have accurate results. Tags research method is descriptive qualitative, which aims to provide a systematic understanding based on facts as it is about how to implement financial records based on the Android-based Akuntansiku application at the Queena Store.

Club convergence in regional labor productivity: how do Australian states and territories compare to the US, UK, and Canadian subnational regions?

AbstractDeveloping strategies to enhance productivity growth requires identifying leading and lagging regions, industries, and growth drivers. However, there are limited cross-country studies using subnational data. Our study goes beyond the traditional country convergence approach and estimates labor productivity convergence using Philips and Sul’s club convergence approach and subnational data from 2004 to 2020. We aim to determine whether labor productivity growth rates in Australian states and territories are equal, converging, or divergent as compared to United States, United Kingdom, and Canadian subnational regions. The results show that five Australian jurisdictions, including Western Australia and New South Wales, are in the high labor productivity group (Club 1), while the remaining three i.e., Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, and Queensland, are in the moderate growth group (Club 2). We also used fixed effects models with least squares dummy variable estimators to identify the club’s characteristics. The results show that regions with a high proportion of employees in information and communications technology, energy, mining, and resources experienced higher labor productivity growth than those with a manufacturing sector. Human capital, innovation, and household disposable income were associated with high labor productivity, whereas high old-age dependency and children-to-women ratios were associated with lower growth. These results are consistent with the macroeconomic phenomenon that economic development leads to inequality and polarization in certain regions of a country. Nonetheless, the findings are useful for decision-makers and researchers to use in benchmarking and improving regional strategies by identifying regional peers and factors that influence convergence or divergence that can be improved. The results provide insightful findings for consideration by policymakers seeking to boost labor productivity or to bridge regional gaps in productivity.

Study of Financial Digitalization for the Sharia Economy

This research discusses the urgency or importance and potential that can be explored from the study of financial digitalization for the sharia economy. Digitalization of sharia economic finance is very important in the digital economic era as an effort to increase public awareness and participation in the sharia financial system, as well as increasing sharia economic growth in Indonesia, where information and communication technology has become the main means of developing the sharia economy. The urgency of studying financial digitalization for the sharia economy lies in the ability of digital technology to increase access to sharia finance and increase public awareness about the importance of the sharia financial system. This research also shows that digitizing Islamic economic finance can help increase financial inclusion, as well as increase people's ability to manage their finances effectively. The method used in this research is a qualitative method, where this research method is supported by secondary data sourced from scientific writings both from journals, digital literature, books and articles published by mass media related to the research topic discussed so that it can then explain what the answer is to the problem formulation in this research. This research shows that the study of financial digitalization for the sharia economy is very important to increase public awareness and participation in the sharia financial system, as well as increasing sharia economic growth in Indonesia