Digital Life Research Articles

The association between family socio-demographic factors, parental mediation and adolescents’ digital literacy: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDigital technology has a two-sided impact whether it is used appropriately or not. It is crucial to promote the benefits of digital technology and reduce its harms by bolstering adolescents’ digital literacy. The appropriateness of the strategies parents use to manage their children’s digital lives plays a key role. This study aims to investigate the separate effects of family socio-demographic factors and varied dimensions of parental mediation on adolescents’ digital literacy separately and simultaneously to explore the appropriate parental mediation strategies even in the absence of favorable family status.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was utilized with a sample of 1894 Chinese adolescents in junior and senior high schools (mean age = 14.01, 48.94% female), using a set of exam questions to test children’s objective digital literacy online. Family socio-demographic factors (parental marital status, economic status, and parental education levels) and varied dimensions of parental mediation were included as predictors of digital literacy. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to estimate the relation between the variables.ResultsHigher parental education levels were positively associated with adolescents’ parental mediation and digital literacy while better family economic status and parental divorce were negatively associated. Among the dimensions of parental mediation, active mediation, restrictive mediation and supervision were significantly associated with adolescents’ digital literacy, but not for co-use. Active mediation and supervision showed significant positive associations with adolescents’ digital literacy, whereas, co-use showed a significant negative association when all parental mediation dimensions were integrated into the model, The significant association between restrictive mediation and digital literacy disappeared. Parental mediation has diluted the impact of family socio-demographic factors on adolescents’ digital literacy.ConclusionsEffective interventions are needed to promote parental active mediation and supervision to help adolescents develop digital literacy and navigate the digital world, especially for adolescents who do not have highly educated parents or whose parents are divorced.

Utilizing AspectJ for Defense Against Evasive Malware Attacks in Android System

Introduction: Mobile devices have become an integral part of our digital lives, facilitating various tasks and storing a treasure trove of sensitive information. However, as more people utilize mobile devices, sophisticated cyber threats are emerging to elude traditional security measures. Method: The use of evasion techniques by malicious actors presents a significant challenge to mobile security, necessitating creative solutions. In this work, we investigate the potential critical role that the aspect-oriented programming paradigm AspectJ can play in strengthening mobile security against evasion attempts. Evasion techniques cover a wide range of tactics, including runtime manipulation, code obfuscation, and unauthorized data access. Results: These tactics usually aim to bypass detection and avoid security measures. In order to address the aforementioned issues, this paper uses AspectJ to give developers a flexible and dynamic way to add aspects to their coding structures so they can monitor, intercept, and respond to evasive actions. It illustrates how AspectJ can improve mobile security and counteract the long-lasting risks that evasion techniques present in a dynamic threat landscape. Conclusion: Consequently, this work proposes a novel defense mechanism incorporating AspectJ into a significant paradigm of security against evasion with 91.33% accuracy and demonstrates the successful detection of evasive attacks.

Essay Topic: Digital Life: Many Theorists see it as a Space of Limitless Social and Cultural Opportunity. Others See is as a Much More Limited Space Ruled by Commodification and Commercialism. What Do You Think?

Essay Topic: Digital Life: Many Theorists see it as a Space of Limitless Social and Cultural Opportunity. Others See is as a Much More Limited Space Ruled by Commodification and Commercialism. What Do You Think?

“It’s not your fault!”: Aging and the dilemmas of literacy in a digital world

“It’s not your fault!”: Aging and the dilemmas of literacy in a digital world As the world becomes increasingly digitally focused, Kim Sawchuk, Director of engAGE: Centre for Research on Aging, Concordia University, examines what this shift means for older adults trying to navigate media literacy. In an increasingly digital world, media literacy has become a critical life skill. Yet, having the skills to engage in this world can be challenging. In a recent workshop on navigating digital ecosystems, older participants spoke eloquently of the joys, frustrations, and threats they encountered in their daily digital lives. They recounted the difficulties they face in acquiring and maintaining the knowledge and skills needed to access this digital world safely and securely in media systems that are changing at a rapid pace.

Perancangan Sistem Informasi Toko Pak Kusno Sidorukun Untuk Mempermudah Jual Beli Barang

Modern digital life relies heavily on information systems (IS) to manage data efficiently, make better decisions, and increase productivity. Mr. Kusno's shop faces problems of goods management, finance, and product promotion. This research designs a customized information system to solve those problems, such as easier digital transaction recording, more optimized goods management, and better financial management. The implementation of this system is expected to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of Toko Pak Kusno. The development method used is the waterfall method, which ensures each step is carried out sequentially from analysis, design, implementation, to system testing. The results showed efforts in designing an information system that can improve the operational efficiency and service quality of Toko Pak Kusno in buying and selling goods and store management.

What drives the development of digital rural life in China?

Background and objectiveEmpowering rural life through digital technology reflects the collective aspirations of millions of farmers striving for a better quality of life. Ensuring that the benefits of digital advancements reach every corner of the population is a crucial and inevitable choice. To expedite the establishment of an inclusive digital life for all citizens, the Chinese government has exerted substantial efforts by positioning the development of digital villages as a national strategy. Through comprehensive initiatives in digital village construction, facilitating the extension of "Internet+" services such as education, healthcare, transportation, and entertainment to rural areas. 24-hour digital village libraries, smart health stations, intelligent homes, facial recognition payments, unmanned supermarkets, and a variety of digitized, networked, and intelligent lifestyle applications are increasingly prevalent in Chinese rural regions. The digital gap between urban and rural areas in China is gradually diminishing, and the ongoing evolution of rural digital lifestyles paints a picturesque picture of an enhanced rural life. This study endeavors to provide a meticulous analysis of the digital landscape in Chinese villages, seeking to unravel the intricacies behind the swift development of rural digital life. MethodsUsing the top 100 counties in China's 2020 Rural Life Digitization Index ranking as case studies, this research collected the necessary data through industry research reports and official statistical sources. To begin with, based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) analysis framework, variables such as digital infrastructure, government policy support, funds are put into utilization, digital economy level, and farmer digital literacy were identified. The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method was then employed to recognize the influencing factors of rural digital life and combinations of condition variables. Subsequently, utilizing the system dynamics methodology, the relationships between factors were analyzed, simulating changes in rural digital life development to gain a deeper understanding of the key elements affecting rural digital life. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to further reveal the extent of influence of these key elements on rural digital life. ResultsThe fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis reveals that the evolution of rural digital life in China is a complex outcome influenced by the simultaneous interplay of multiple factors. It demonstrates a pattern of diverse combinations and parallel pathways encompassing various variables. Among these configurations, six paths stand out with the highest coverage. These six paths can be further classified into three modes of rural digital life development in China: environment-empowered type, organization-pushed type, and compound-driven type. Further dissection of causal combinations through a system dynamics model unveils that the progression of rural digital life is intricately linked to key factors such as information infrastructure, policy intensity, and digital learning and development. Over time, there is a discernible upward trajectory in the level of rural digital life, characterized by an accelerating pace of improvement. The influence of policy intensity on rural digital life surpasses that of information infrastructure and digital learning and development, indicating that policy intensity exerts the most significant impact overall. ConclusionThe evolution of rural digital life in China is a complex, long-term process propelled by a combination of multiple factors. China's experience demonstrates that achieving high-level development in rural digital life demands attention not only to the synergistic interplay of various factors but also a strategic focus on leveraging specific key elements. This entails skillfully integrating diverse factors and identifying pivotal areas to maximize the impact of relevant conditions to the greatest extent possible.

MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS BY ELEVATED DIGITAL SCREEN TIME DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction – The length of time invested in and the various activities carried out utilizing digital devices are referred to as screen time. The COVID-19 pandemic's restrictions on social interactions exacerbated the overuse of digital gadgets for everyday tasks like socializing, education, shopping, working, meeting, and entertainment. Increased screen usage has been thought to have harmful impacts on psychiatric health in studies. Methods – Several journal articles were used as references, with the inclusion criteria of literature that discuss the mental health impacts of elevated digital screen time during the pandemic of COVID-19 and its recommended measures to minimize its adverse mental health outcomes and the promotion of healthy digital habits. Results – During the pandemic of COVID-19, the unprecedented digital life led to higher numbers of anxiety, sadness, confusion, and unpleasant feelings including irritation and violence. it is crucial to know how screen use time evolved during the COVID-19 period of crisis so that the design of health promotion and intervention may be planned and informed. This study aims to discuss the mental health impacts of elevated digital screen time on the pandemic of COVID-19 and strategies to minimize its adverse mental health outcomes, and the promotion of healthy digital habits. Discuss – Boosting collaborative research involving worldwide nations to tackle COVID-19-related public health concerns can improve global evidence and future policies. Increased screen usage has been displayed to have harmful impacts on psychiatric health in studies. Excessive digital use has been linked to attention deficit disorders, social and emotional cognitive impairment, social withdrawal, phantom vibration syndrome, and major psychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety, and gaming addiction. Conclusion – It is critical to promote good digital practices and good applications of digital media to avoid the negative effects of increased screen time. To prevent hazardous screen usage and other behaviors that may influence the mental health and welfare of COVID-19-affected people, it is critical to harness the evidence available and adopt multimodal strategies. Keywords: mental health, screen time, COVID-19.

The Digital Lives of the Poor: Entertainment Traps and Information Isolation

Smartphones have enabled the delivery of life-improving information services to base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) consumers. However, little is known about how the poor interact with the digital world. Through a novel app we developed to investigate real-time smartphone usage, we identify an unnoticed barrier to digital information access by the poor—data shortages. By analyzing over 9.4 million minutes of smartphone usage data from 929 residents of a Mumbai settlement, we find that entertainment consumes 61% of their phone time. Our data reveal that under universally adopted monthly data plans, low-income individuals binge on YouTube and social media, resulting in data shortages and information isolation in the late-plan period. We offer a practical operational solution to this problem—shorter data-replenishment cycles—which serve as a commitment device to curb binge usage. We randomly assign participants to a “capped plan”—with daily data usage caps—or a standard (monthly) plan. Assignment to the capped plan increases late-plan access of invites to health camps sent via WhatsApp, increases attendance at these in-person camps by 27%, and reduces social media binge usage. Most participants (particularly those with low self-control and high fear of missing out) prefer the capped plan, even when costlier—clearly signaling demand. Because capped plans are inherently cheaper to provide, offering them could enable providers to increase BOP customer value and expand access. Our results suggest an opportunity to amplify the impact of life-improving services targeted at the poor by leveraging users’ interactions with smartphone technology. This paper was accepted by Victor Martínez de Albéniz, operations management. Funding: Financial support from The Wheeler Institute for Business & Development is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2024.4989 .

Social Media Use and Academic Performance in Chinese Children and Adolescents: A Moderated Chain Mediation Model.

Based on data from the 2022 Chinese Minors' Digital Life and Online Protection Survey, this study investigated the status quo of social media use and its influencing mechanism on academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents. The statistical results indicate that the average level of Chinese students' social media use was generally low, with their academic performance varying across socio-demographic and schooling characteristics. After controlling for other variables, it was found that the frequency of social media use could exert a significant positive impact on students' academic performance. Moreover, the mechanism analysis revealed that online learning behavior and prosocial behavior served as chain mediators linking social media use to academic performance. Specifically, students could transfer their social media behavioral patterns to the internet-based learning context, and then effectively utilize remote learning resources. Meanwhile, engagement with social media would cultivate individuals' prosocial personality, thereby stimulating intrinsic motivation for learning and ultimately enhancing academic performance. The heterogeneity analysis further confirmed that the impact of social media use on students' academic performance was stronger in lower-class families, underscoring the moderating role of family socioeconomic status in the relationship between social media use and academic performance. The findings suggest that if academic performance is regarded as an integral part of individual capacity development, then the rational utilization of social media resources might be a pivotal approach to alleviate the predicament of developmental inequality faced by students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Decent deepfakes? Professional deepfake developers’ ethical considerations and their governance potential

AbstractPolicymakers and societies are grappling with the question of how to respond to deepfakes, i.e., synthetic audio-visual media which is proliferating in all areas of digital life– from politics to pornography. However, debates and research on deepfakes’ impact and governance largely neglect the technology’s sources, namely the developers of the underlying artificial intelligence (AI), and those who provide code or deepfake creation services to others, making the technology widely accessible. These actors include open-source developers, professionals working in large technology companies and specialized start-ups, and for deepfake apps. They can profoundly impact which underlying AI technologies are developed, whether and how they are made public, and what kind of deepfakes can be created. Therefore, this paper explores which values guide professional deepfake development, how economic and academic pressures and incentives influence developers’ (perception of) agency and ethical views, and how these views do and could impact deepfake design, creation, and dissemination. Thereby, the paper focuses on values derived from debates on AI ethics and on deepfakes’ impact. It is based on ten qualitative in-depth expert interviews with academic and commercial deepfake developers and ethics representatives of synthetic media companies. The paper contributes to a more nuanced understanding of AI ethics in relation to audio-visual generative AI. Besides, it empirically informs and enriches the deepfake governance debate by incorporating developers’ voices and highlighting governance measures which directly address deepfake developers and providers and emphasize the potential of ethics to curb the dangers of deepfakes.

Innovating Social-Emotional Learning to Enhance Positive Engagement of Youth With Social Media: A Comprehensive Review of Why and How.

The rising mental health burden among youth, exacerbated by excessive social media use and other risks associated with digital engagement, necessitates urgent and innovative preventive solutions. The existing research supports the notion that smartphones and social media significantly impact youth mental health, advocating for age restrictions to mitigate worsening psychological distress in the young.This comprehensive narrative literature review synthesizes research on the dual role of social media in shaping well-being among youth and explores how social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can be adapted to encourage a healthy relationship with digital platforms. Innovating SEL programs by incorporating educational techniques such as Problem-Based Learning, Inquiry-Based Learning, and Project-Based Learning inculcates real-world problem-solving and holds significant promise for fostering self-realization and self-regulation among the youth. By inculcating skills related to mindful technology use within SEL programs, students can learn to navigate social media and other technology related risk factors in a way that supports their mental health and overall well-being. The goal is to empower students to make informed decisions about technology and social media use, understand its effects on their mood and mental state, and practice techniques that contribute to a healthier, more balanced digital life. This holistic approach not only mitigates the risks associated with digital overuse but also leverages technology as a tool for enhancing personal and social development. Well-designed, innovative programs backed by thorough feasibility studies can help cultivate a generation of emotionally intelligent, resilient, and adaptive learners who can thrive in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to assess the long-term effects of these SEL innovations and develop scalable models that can be implemented across various educational settings.

Hybridism, edutainment, and doubt: Science blogging finding its feet

Blogs have become everyday acquaintances in digital life. Although personal, political, and fashion blogs may be the best known, academics also engage in blogging about research. With fast-expanding digital publishing of all kinds, we may have to rethink the status of blogging in relation to our on-going research. This article discusses the perception of science blogs, and their status as a genre. It explores some blog threads talking about research blogging: are blogs a great way to improve outreach, or just dumbing down? Should we use blogs for publishing serious findings, or brush them aside as edutainment – preferably done by somebody else? Research blogs are explored in the context of science communication and research writing traditions, and their old and new features discussed.

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES AND MEDIA LITERACY IN THE EDUCATIONAL SPACE OF GEORGIA

In the twenty-first century, digital technologies are an integral part of daily life. The technology used has added a whole new dimension to society regarding communication and relationships, learning and cognition, development, and self-realization. Virtual reality has often replaced the real one, making humanity even more dependent on technology. The merits of digital technologies are unlimited access to information, inclusiveness, and availability from anywhere in the world, breaking down cultural, social, and gender barriers, self-realization and development of creative skills, social communication through various multimedia means, promotion of education and science development, and others. At the same time, the technological age has added a whole new dimension to safety in the form of suicidal online challenges, cyberbullying, and other threats that the younger generation may face as they enter adulthood. The older generation has the responsibility to protect them in the digital environment and ensure a safe digital life. Therefore, it is a priority for the education system to develop the digital awareness of young people and prepare the young generation to deal with the challenges in the digital world. This preparation is necessary for living in both the real and virtual worlds. The paper examines the current situation and peculiarities of using modern computer technologies, digital citizenship, and media literacy in Georgia's general education space and determines the possibilities for improving it.

Network Practice of Rare Disease Bloggers and Life Narrative: Take ALS as an Example

As a healing method, narrative is widely concerned by the medical community. The characteristics of "Hyper-temporal", "sharing" and "personalized" of new media provide convenient conditions for the self-performance of rare disease groups and also encourage them to re-choose narrative content and strategies. This paper adopts in-depth interview and text analysis to analyze the network practice and narrative behavior of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) web celebrities. The study found that the online narrative of ALS is not only the life practice of bloggers' self-healing, self-persuasion and self-empowerment, but also their positive response to real family and social responsibilities. At the same time, the online celebrity career of rare disease bloggers reflects their life courses in a certain sense. The social media accounts of rare disease bloggers are an important carrier for them to enrich themselves and place their feelings and expectations, and the continuation of their digital life has brought new philosophical and ethical thinking.

Intrinsic Disorder and Other Malleable Arsenals of Evolved Protein Multifunctionality.

Microscopic evolution at the functional biomolecular level is an ongoing process. Leveraging functional and high-throughput assays, along with computational data mining, has led to a remarkable expansion of our understanding of multifunctional protein (and gene) families over the past few decades. Various molecular and intermolecular mechanisms are now known that collectively meet the cumulative multifunctional demands in higher organisms along an evolutionary path. This multitasking ability is attributed to a certain degree of intrinsic or adapted flexibility at the structure-function level. Evolutionary diversification of structure-function relationships in proteins highlights the functional importance of intrinsically disordered proteins/regions (IDPs/IDRs) which are highly dynamic biological soft matter. Multifunctionality is favorably supported by the fluid-like shapes of IDPs/IDRs, enabling them to undergo disorder-to-order transitions upon binding to different molecular partners. Other new malleable members of the protein superfamily, such as those involved in fold-switching, also undergo structural transitions. This new insight diverges from all traditional notions of functional singularity in enzyme classes and emphasizes a far more complex, multi-layered diversification of protein functionality. However, a thorough review in this line, focusing on flexibility and function-driven structural transitions related to evolved multifunctionality in proteins, is currently missing. This review attempts to address this gap while broadening the scope of multifunctionality beyond single protein sequences. It argues that protein intrinsic disorder is likely the most striking mechanism for expressing multifunctionality in proteins. A phenomenological analogy has also been drawn to illustrate the increasingly complex nature of modern digital life, driven by the need for multitasking, particularly involving media.

Between hope and hostility: The affirmative biopolitics of everyday smartphone geographies

This paper explores what it means to hope under, within, and through everyday modes of affective hostile governance. Taking the empirical landscape of everyday digital life within the UK's asylum system, this paper outlines how smartphone practices are entangled with an everyday politics of hope. Holding the tension between hostility and hope, I centre an array of taken-for-granted everyday digital practices that have become central to hope production, circulation, and maintenance within periods of waiting for asylum seekers: from online gaming and lock screen photo choices to the creation of WhatsApp group chats. In the context of banal digital practices, I argue that what hope enables — defined as alternative attachments to life otherwise (materially, spatial-temporally, imaginatively) — is a form of agency that cannot simply be dismissed as cruel or futile within the broader context of systems that harm, injure, and erode. Instead, I highlight how the ability of hope to emerge alongside hostility in the UK's asylum system challenges us to reconceptualise everyday forms of digitally-mediated agency and power.

Boosting Caption Craft: Instagram and WH-Questions to Elevate Student Writing

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively through written text is a fundamental skill that students need to master for better English acquisition. In particular, digital communication has become increasingly prevalent, with social media platforms like Instagram that students might be involved in various writing activities such as descriptive captions, storytelling, persuasive writing, informational posts, and reflective writing. As such, there is a pressing need to develop innovative teaching strategies that not only improve students' writing abilities but also make the learning process relevant and engaging in the context of their digital lives. This study aimed to analyze the improvement of high school students' ability to write structured paragraphs for captions through Instagram utilizing the WH Question Technique. The research engaged 28 twelfth-grade students from SMAN 2 Batang Anai in West Sumatra, Indonesai. The classroom action research framework, conducted over two cycles, each consisting of three sessions. Data collection methods included assessments of student achievements, interviews, and classroom observations, analyzed using qualitative and quantitative descriptive methods. The findings demonstrated a notable improvement in students' writing skills; the average score increased from 67.08 in the first cycle to 71.76 in the second. Improvements were particularly significant in the students' ability to generate ideas and adapt their writing for social media, specifically Instagram. The study concludes that the integration of Instagram discussions with WH Question Technique enhance paragraph writing skills in an engaging and practical digital format, proving beneficial for high school students' engagement and skill development in writing.

How Expectations and Trust in Telemedicine Contribute to Older Adults' Sense of Control: An Empirical Study.

As numerous nations transition into digital and aging societies, the digital divide has emerged as a significant impediment to older adults' autonomous engagement in the digital society. Enhancing the well-being of elderly individuals through remote medical technology represents a prevailing and prospective trend. Nevertheless, remote medical technology extends beyond the realm of healthcare, offering promise for narrowing the digital divide through the deployment of digital devices and provision of intergenerational support. Therefore, this study investigates the role of trust and expectations in the use of telemedicine, indicating potential pathways for how these products can improve older adults' daily living abilities. Through the construction of a theoretical model, we collected the relevant data of 661 elderly people who use telemedicine technology in China and analyzed the data with SmartPLS4 to obtain the research results. The study discovered that, among older people using telemedicine technology, (1) healthcare expectations promote the breadth of telemedicine product use; (2) trust in product safety increases the depth of telemedicine product use; (3) trust in the service provider promotes the breadth of telemedicine product use; and (4) when compared to the depth of product use, the breadth of telemedicine product use increases older adults' sense of control over their digital lives. The findings provide new empirical data to support growing beliefs about how expectations and trust can increase a sense of control over one's life. They also provide practical contributions on how to boost older adults' usage of telemedicine products, promote their digital literacy and competency, and enhance their sense of control over their digital lives.

Building digital literacy through exploration and curation of emerging technologies

People readily consume an ever-growing range of emerging technologies while largely unaware of their lack of control over the impact that such networking, devices, data, and processes have on their lives. Since college-educated people are huge consumers of digital products and are expected to participate in networked learning, it is critical to foster student development of an expanded understanding of digital literacy. To address this challenge, we have created instructional materials for instructor and student use of the internationally known repository, “Fabric” of Digital Life (https://fabricofdigitallife.com/). This research comes as the result of collaboration between the University of Minnesota’s Emerging Technology Research Collaboratory (ETRC, https://etrc.umn.edu/), a research group for investigating emerging technologies, and Fabric of Digital Life (https://fabricofdigitallife.com/) and its affiliated Decimal Research Lab at Ontario Tech University. Together, functioning as a collaborative in support of networked learning, we invite and facilitate research on building student digital literacy through examination, contribution, and/or curation of collections regarding emerging technologies. From Spring 2019 to the present, 13 instructors and associated students across nine institutions have developed and are using a set of instructional materials for student exploration and/or curation of collections in this repository. This paper documents initial instructor discussion and study of student development of digital literacy as a result of use and/or curation of Fabric collections on emerging technologies and the discourses surrounding them. We are beginning to study the abilities that students draw upon when exploring the collections and when determining which artifacts might be included in current collections as well as new collections that might be developed. Collaborative interaction with the editorial team at Ontario Tech University not only enhanced the repository content and development of instructional resources, it also further evolved the metadata for Fabric for external users and the public. At its core, this research examines the potential development of digital literacy through the act of exploring and curating collections on emerging technologies. Critical to this core is the networked learning collaborative in place to foster and support this work.

Beyond Digital Literacy: Investigating Threshold Concepts to Foster Engagement with Digital Life in Technical Communication Pedagogy

ABSTRACT As digital technologies rapidly evolve, updating and enhancing models of digital literacy pedagogy in technical and professional communication (TPC) becomes more urgent. In this article, we use “digital life” to conceptualize the ever-changing ways of knowing and being in postinternet society. Using collaborative autoethnography, we investigate features of threshold concepts in TPC pedagogy that may support models of digital literacy that are resistant to tools-based definitions, foster student agency, and facilitate accessibility, equity, and justice.