Digital Connectivity Research Articles

‘The culture is disgusting’: analysing continuities and differences in experiences and perceptions of youth rape culture through cross-generational testimonies online

ABSTRACT This paper draws on anonymous survivor testimonies shared on the Everyone’s Invited platform to analyse continuities and differences in experiences and perceptions of youth rape culture across generations. Findings suggest that while there are stubbornly consistent patterns of harm in experiences of rape culture over decades, there is hope to be found in distinct perceptions of rape culture between survivors of different ages. This occurs specifically in the way young people wield the discourses and conceptual resources of society’s reckoning with sexual violence to situate their experiences in a broader structural and cultural landscape, in spite of ongoing and entrenched institutional failings. While the experience of rape culture as a phenomenon continues much as it did decades ago, the mobilization of ‘rape culture’ as a conceptual resource amongst young people is increasingly visible at our current conjuncture, and this visibility is facilitated partly via digital connectivity and the expansion of personal testimony campaigns.

Risk Factors for the Musculoskeletal Pain Based on the Computer Ergonomics Related Practices among Medical Professionals

Background: With The fast growing world, in Bangladesh also getting increased usage of digital connectivity has led to a rise in online activities and also rise in the musculoskeletal (MSK) pain among the professionals.Objective: We investigating the relationship between MSK pain and discomfort among resident doctors because of computer ergonomics related issues.Materials and Methods: The study collected computer ergonomics related information from 227 resident doctors who had used computer for at least one year. Along with descriptive statistical tools, this study addressed essential test of hypothesis and administered a binary logistic regression model to identify the risk factors of MSK pain among resident doctors.Results: The prevalence of neck pain and lower back pain was estimated over 50% whereas more than one-third faced pain in one or both eyes as well as in their upper back. The different sorts of ergonomics significantly associated with different types of MSK pain. The faculty type- taking break, awkward posture, the shoulder placement had significant impact on the pain in one or both eyes. Besides, having gap between leg and seat as well as monitor placement were the significant predictor of neck pain. In addition, wrist not straightening was not the only risk factor for lower back pain and faculty type, device type, gap between legs and seat, Not having an armrest were the risk factors for upper back pain.Conclusion: The computer ergonomics related practices are the fundamental codes for the medical professionals to avoid MSK pain and hence specific practice safeguards for specific pains.
 KYAMC Journal Vol. 14, No. 01, April 2023: 19-24

And Digitally Just and Inclusive Futures

As the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries gather for the 2023 Summit in August 2023, they are confronted with the task to deepen economic cooperation in line with the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy. Key to this is the building of a BRICS-wide digital economy that enables inclusion and dynamism. They see themselves as committed to driving digital transformation, harnessing opportunities and mitigating challenges they face in regard to digital technologies. They recognize the importance of digital inclusion and connectivity as economic growth and social development drivers. Initiatives such as India's Digital India program, China's Belt and Road Initiative, and South Africa's National Integrated ICT Policy emphasize expanding digital infrastructure and improving access to bridge the digital divide (Kaplinsky, 2017).

Use of metaverse in socializing: Application of the big five personality traits framework

AbstractSocial media sites, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, are increasingly interconnected with the metaverse, which has forged a new digital connection between the users and community‐building platforms. The increased accessibility of social media via smartphones provides opportunities for greater social interaction and facilitates users’ interaction online. As the metaverse and social media sites become increasingly connected it presents opportunities for the users to make new digital connections and socialize virtually. This study employs the Big Five personality theory to empirically test how the personality traits of Generation‐Z impact on their intentions to socialize using innovative technology (metaverse). With Personal Innovation and Hedonic Motivation as moderators, we use a mixed‐methods approach that employs a qualitative (n = 24) and quantitative study (n = 436) to understand why Generation‐Z is inclined to use the metaverse for socializing. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analyse the data statistically. Results show that Openness has the highest impact on users’ intention to adopt the metaverse, followed by Extraversion and Agreeableness. Personal Innovation and Hedonic Motivation variables present evidence of positive moderation with the personality traits. Further, generation differences between cohorts and users’ personalities affects their willingness to adopt the metaverse.

Writing Strange Letters in the Garden, with Love and Fury

French feminist philosopher Hélène Cixous says, ‘the book is a letter on the run’ ( White Ink 177) and I too have taken the letters of two Australian women gardeners on the run to create my thesis. I grasped the letters between wildflower illustrator Kathleen McArthur and poet Judith Wright and ran with them. I held them close as I grappled to understand how contemporary Australian women’s digital garden stories might work to create conditions of community and worlds in common. In corresponding about their gardens, the poet and the artist developed a deep friendship that bloomed into a broader conservation ethic and action. Their letters and deep female friendship evolved into a question about how to live in harmony with the more-than human world. They would go on to play vital roles in the protection of places I hold dear: The Great Barrier Reef, K’gari (Fraser Island) and the Cooloola National Park. As I held these letters close and analysed my own thesis findings the world around me suffered increasing, human-caused, environmental catastrophe and I felt myself writing with both love and fury, much like Wright did. I began writing strange letters to Kathleen McArthur, alongside letters to my supervisor Professor Liz Mackinlay. Through these letters I searched for what gardens said and did and felt when they were turned into stories. What happens to garden boundaries in this time of environmental love and loss, and digital connection?

Rapid implementation of remote digital primary care in Stockholm and implications for further system-wide implementation: practitioner’s and manager’s experience of the Always Open mobile application

Objective To contribute actionable knowledge how to increase appropriate use of digital technologies in primary care by understanding clinical managers experiences with a digital connection system, Always Open, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and subjects The overall design was a qualitative study with directed content analysis method. Data were collected from documents and focus group (n = 12) interviews with clinical managers (n = 99) of primary care. The seven domains of the Non-adoption, Abandonment, and challenges to the Scale-up, Spread and Sustainability (NASSS) framework was used to understand the implementation process, as described by the clinical managers. Results Focus group participants reported that their units made their own local decisions to make more use of the technology provided by the health system. Most participants considered that the technology was ready to use, despite some limitations, that included individual clinician’s and patient preferences, and how ready their unit was for making changes to practice and organization. Some raised concerns about how standardizing some aspects possibly conflicted with the decentralized management model of the organization. The overall experience was reported to be positive, with an intention to sustain the achievements. Conclusion Focus group interviews found that clinical unit managers reported that they and their staff were positive about the digital technology system for remote care. For the future, they wanted changes to be made at different levels of the health system to better combine digital and physical care. Possibilities to use digital technology to integrate primary and hospital health care were identified.

South Korea–Vietnam–India Trilateral Economic Cooperation: Prospects and Policy Implications

Great attention has been paid to the bilateral economic relations between India, Vietnam, and South Korea; however, only scant research has focused on the prospects of triangular economic cooperation among the three countries. Given the advantage and demand for the cooperation of each party, there is significant potential for trilateral economic cooperation among South Korea, Vietnam, and India. In this paper, we discover the prospects for their triangular economic cooperation in three aspects. First, this study examines the potential for cooperation in production networks and supply chains between the three countries in the context of reconfiguring the global value chains (GVCs), with a focus on the leading role of South Korean multinational enterprises (MNEs). Second, the study explores trilateral cooperation in the digital economy and connectivity, focusing on how South Korea and India can collaborate on investment projects in Vietnam. Third, this study discusses the rationale and possibility of forming a regional trade agreement (RTA) between the three countries. South Korea, Vietnam, and India have extant bilateral trade agreements between two of the three countries; however, there is no regional integration among the three countries discussed in specific. Considering the bilateral relations and domestic and external factors, the paper reckons that an RTA for starters between the three countries would be mutually beneficial to each of the corresponding economies.

Experimental Prototype of Electromagnetic Emissions for Biotechnological Research: Monitoring Cocoa Bean Fermentation Parameters.

A Helmholtz-type electromagnetic emission device, which uses an oscillating magnetic field (OMF), with potential applications in biotechnological research, was built and validated. The coils were connected to an alternating current (AC) generator to generate a 0.5 to 110 mT field at their center. OMF measurements were performed with a Hall effect sensor with a digital signal connection (Arduino nano) and data output to a PC using LabVIEW v2017SP1 software. The fermentation process of the cocoa bean variety CCN 51, exposed to four levels of OMF density for 60 min (0, 5, 40, and 80 mT/60 min), was analyzed. Different variables of the grain fermentation process were evaluated over six days. The ANOVA test probed the device's linearity, accuracy, precision, repeatability, reliability, and robustness. Moreover, CCN 51 cocoa beans' EMF-exposure effect was evaluated under different OMF densities for 60 min. The results show the validity of the equipment under working conditions and the impact of EMF (electromagnetic fields) on the yield, deformation, and pH of cocoa beans. Thus, we concluded that the operation of the prototype is valid for use in biotechnological studies.

New pathways to crisis resilience: solutions for improved digital connectivity and capability in rural Australia

Despite recent investments in telecommunications infrastructure in regional Australia, a digital divide remains between rural and urban communities. The impacts of comparatively limited digital connectivity in rural Australia include fewer opportunities for economic participation, difficulty accessing health and educational services, and challenges responding to crisis events such as natual disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an acute need for improved access to robust mobile and broadband services before, during and after crises in rural Australia. This article presents solutions for improved digital connectivity and digital capability in Far North Queensland, founded in a project that brought together researchers, business owners, councils, development organisations, technical experts and service providers to collaboratively identify and define telecommunications challenges related to a catastrophic flood in 2019. The research supports telecommunications providers, state and local governments, and community development organisations working together to collaboratively invest in technical and social solutions that enable rural communities to achieve greater crisis resilience.

Quantify the Political Bias in News Edits: Experiments with Few-Shot Learners (Student Abstract)

The rapid growth of information and communication technologies in recent years, and the different forms of digital connectivity, have profoundly affected how news is generated and consumed. Digital traces and computational methods offer new opportunities to model and track the provenance of news. This project is the first study to characterize and predict how prominent news outlets make edits to news frames and their implications for geopolitical relationships and attitudes. We evaluate the feasibility of training few-shot learners on the editing patterns of articles discussing different countries, for understanding their wider implications in preserving or damaging geopolitical relationships.

Almost South–South solidarity: The frustration of K-pop fans (but not true fans) in South Africa

This article illuminates the contours of digitalization in a less studied light of emotion. Based primarily on interviews of South African audiences consuming Korean digital creative contents, the research illustrates their affective responses, such as empathy and collective pride but also frustration. A particular focus goes to highly educated audiences characterized by the #RhodesMustFall movement in South Africa. Grounded in a theoretical framework which combines notions of distinction in cultural sociology and South–South solidarity in international relations, this study explains how K-pop fans in South Africa become holders of highbrow empathy trapped in the loop between digital connection and physical marginalization. In the hollow loop, South African audiences are distinctively invited to become fans yet prevented from advancing their own modes of cultural appropriation. While the international visibility of Korean creative contents may bring collective pride to fans in South Africa, they struggle to find their place in return.

Practices of radical digital care: towards autonomous queer migration

ABSTRACT Digital connectivity of queer migrants on the move to Europe plays a crucial role in confronting border regimes, heteronormativity and racist oppression. ICTs at the disposal of queer migrants interrupt the material politics of silence and violence. However, digital technology also implies serious hazards. Queer migrants use digital space to empower themselves, to build networks, and to trace, reach and create safer spaces of care. This paper conceptualises how care is materialised in self-organised actions and horizontal relationships that question power regimes and commodification practices while introducing the notion of radical digital care. Digital spaces of (radical) care constitute safe spaces of compassion where people can be heard and believed. They act as points of reference for queer people seeking recognition and care. Moreover, queer migration constitutes constant shifting between subject and care positions that redefine the notion of home and safety and the material ordering of migration itself. Based on a qualitative study of ten semi-structured interviews with solidarians and migrants, this paper reveals how the appropriation of digital media by queer migrants re-arranges the material politics of the borderland by contesting border technologies, and through radical care, allows communities to live through hardship, fear, and abuse.

The Geopolitics of Public Health and China’s Digital Silk Road in Asia

Abstract During this era of COVID-19, cooperation along the digital Belt and Road has been explored less than Beijing’s mask and vaccine diplomacy. China’s international engagement has certainly been reoriented to pandemic control and global health governance, particularly through digital technologies. To account for these developments, this article argues that digital health is emerging as a new venue for the rise of digital power. I focus specifically on the example of China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR), in particular medical artificial intelligence, in the wake of the pandemic. Drawing upon the DSR literature and the concept of health surveillance, this article investigates the role of digital health in expediting Silk Road cooperation, and it further speculates that digital health has become part of China’s political effort to reconcile the much-scrutinized security issues and the global demand for digital connectivity. Hence, it is indicative of China’s expanding digital power in the post-pandemic world.

Factors affecting Strategies for Charismatic Leadership: An Empirical Investigation

The strategies for charismatic leadership are influenced by a number of things in India. Charismatic leaders must be aware of and respectful of these differences in order to effectively connect with their followers given the country's wide variety of languages, faiths, and cultural practices. Additionally, given the inequalities in income between urban and rural areas as well as India's varied levels of development, it is important to establish customized policies that take into account the various demands and ambitions of various social groups.Charismatic leaders are required to navigate complicated power dynamics, forge alliances, and successfully express their ideas in India's dynamic political environment, which is formed by its democratic system in order to win support and sway public opinion.Additionally, charismatic leaders must use technology platforms to reach a wider audience and engage with them more successfully due to India's expanding digital connectivity. Strategies for charismatic leadership are greatly influenced by the historical and cultural context. In order to inspire and mobilize people towards a common vision, charismatic leaders in India must consider the nation's cultural variety, socioeconomic conditions, political climate, technical breakthroughs, and historical background.

Online Educational Experiences in Some Majors of Eszterházy Károly University

Abstract Introduction: In Hungary, as in many parts of the world, a crisis situation has arisen with the start of the quarantine period associated with the coronavirus, which presented the education system with a serious challenge. Social inequality (also in terms of network access and device availability) was expected due to, that differences will only increase the gap in education. Digital connectivity and the digital environment became the main arena for students and faculty over the course of a weekend. That's a real question, of course, can we talk about real digital education during this period? Was online education effective or was it rather a blind spot? Methods: In our research, we examined it from the perspective of geography teachers, kindergarten teachers, and university students attending teaching courses learning and teaching „switching online” betweem March, 2020 and April, 2021 at the Eszterházy Károly Catholic University (then even EKE). Our sample consisted of 108 people. We used an online questionnaire study to assess students' experiences with the effectiveness of distance learning and the development of their digital competence, about the possibilities of implementing professional internships. We were looking for student answers to, how each segment of distance learning can be integrated into the normal education system. We compared our results with similar Hungarian and international research results. Results: Most students felt that online education was effective. The digital competence of students has evolved. Due to changed circumstances of traineeships, students could not gain enough experience, which could later affect their work. Discussion: The changes that have occurred can be highlighted as secondary benefits, this educational environment could be more sustainable in the future, than the traditional educational environment, however, the consequences of isolation cannot be ignored. Limitations: The research shows data valid only for Hungary. Conclusions: Consideration of the experience of students for the effectiveness of their education in the coming years.

Examining the Mediating Effect of Online Engagement and Online Reviews: The Influence of Influencer Credibility on Consumer Purchase Intentions

Companies look up to influencers because they are seen as thought leaders who mediate between the company and its followers. This results in their taking on the role of brand ambassadors or spokespersons. They play a significant role in helping businesses develop what they call a "digital relationship" with their clientele by supplementing and amplifying more traditional forms of marketing. They see digital connection as crucial in the current business climate. This study examined the effects of influencer credibility, customer review, and customer interaction on consumers' intent to buy after seeing an endorsement from an influencer, with an emphasis on Purchase intention. The study's findings indicate that customer involvement is the most important factor in determining whether a consumer will follow through on a purchase intent prompted by an influencer. The credibility of influencers had a notably large impact on consumer engagement; however, trustworthiness was also a factor. Online shoppers place a high value on accessibility to information. Because they both include customers sharing their experience and appraisal of a product or service with other potential purchasers, customer reviews and influencer endorsements can be considered customer reviews. This research reveals that consumer reviews have little impact on consumers' propensity to make a purchase. Influencer endorsement, but not customer reviews, affects desire to buy premium goods. However, the role of customer reviews as a moderator between trustworthiness and desire to buy was not established in this research.

Pandemic upon Pandemic: Middle-Aged and Older Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV Coping and Thriving during the Peak of COVID-19.

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, not only did it abruptly impede the progress that was being made toward achieving global targets to end the HIV pandemic, but it also created significant impacts on the physical and mental health of middle-aged and older men who have sex with men living with HIV. Utilizing a qualitative, community-based participatory research approach, we conducted semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with 16 ethnoracially diverse, middle-aged and older men who have sex with men living with HIV residing in Southern Nevada, to examine the different ways the COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted their physical and mental health, and explore how they eventually coped and thrived during the peak of the crisis. Using thematic analysis to analyze our interview data, we identified three prominent themes: (1) challenges to obtaining credible health information, (2) the physical and mental health impacts of the COVID-19-pandemic-imposed social isolation, and (3) digital technologies and online connections for medical and social purposes. In this article, we extensively discuss these themes, the current discourse on these themes in academic literature, and how the perspectives, input, and lived experiences of our participants during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic could be critical to addressing issues they had already been experiencing prior to the emergence of the pandemic in 2020, and just as importantly, helping us best prepare in stark anticipation of the next potentially devastating pandemic.

NONLINEAR EFFECTS OF DIGITALIZATION ON EXPORT ACTIVITIES: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Our study is the first to empirically analyze the nonlinear relationship between digitalization and export value and diversification. This paper measures the digital transformation process in terms of digital connectivity, uses of the internet, e-business, e-commerce, and e-government. The various econometrics techniques are applied for the database of 23 European countries during the period 2015–2020. The vital findings should be conveyed here. First, the bottlenecks of export values could be resolved by promoting digital transformation. However, the non-linear reverted U-shaped relationship between digitalization and export diversification suggests that positive effects only appear when the digital activities, especially in digital connectivity, humans with digital skills, use of internet services, or digital public services reaches a certain threshold. Second, the positive influence of digitalization on exports stems from a reduction in export cost and export time to deal with documentary and border compliance as well as improvements in competence and quality of logistic services and quality of trade and transport-related infrastructure, thus enhancing exports. Third, the role of digital connectivity and the integration of digital technology into business and commerce become especially important for export diversification.

A framework for mapping actor roles and their innovation potential in digital ecosystems

As digital connectivity continues to unlock new ways to interconnect activities from heterogeneous organisations, our need to understand how actors exercise control over these interdependencies to innovate the ecosystem becomes an imperative. This study proposes a conceptual framework building on a new construct – the ecosystem business model – to specify actors' roles based on the functional activities they manage and their structural positions, and explain why different roles drive innovation in the ecosystem's joint value proposition at different intensities. These arguments are illustrated with two cases of digitally enabled ecosystems from the air transport and healthcare sectors with different connectivity governance rules. This paper contributes to the ecosystem literature by explaining the mechanisms through which governance structures and innovation dynamics interact, providing a new explanation of ecosystem evolution that is compatible with contemporary digital connectivity trends. The framework also serves as a guiding tool for practitioners to map out actor roles and the degree in which they can potentially drive innovation in the ecosystem's value proposition.

Indigenous Community Networking in Hawai’i: The Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo Community Network

Shaping digital inclusion policy and practice to meet community-defined goals requires more than access to digital devices and connectivity; it must also enable their effective design and use in situated local settings. For the Nation of Hawai’i, a <em>Kānaka Maoli</em> (Hawai’ian) sovereignty organization with a land base in Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo on the island of Oahu, these activities are closely associated with broader goals of Nation-building and sovereignty. Recognizing there are many different approaches to sovereignty among diverse Kānaka Maoli, in this paper we document how the Nation of Hawai’i is conceptualizing the ongoing evolution of their community networking project. We suggest that the Pu‘uhonua o Waimānalo initiative reflects one Indigenous organization’s efforts to frame community networks as a means to generate a “sovereignty mindset” among members of the Nation, as well as share resources and experience among local community members and with other communities in Hawai’i and beyond.