Digital Engagement Research Articles

Unraveling the Effects of Voice Assistant Interactions on Digital Engagement: The Moderating Role of Adult Playfulness

The definition and dimensions of interaction are changing as artificial intelligence (AI) technologies advance. Drawing on the mind perception theory (MPT), the authors conducted an online survey to investigate the influential mechanism of the interactions with smart voice assistants (SVAs) on digital engagement via competence and warmth in the smart Internet of Things era. Firstly, they conceptualized and operationalized the seven sub-dimensions of voice assistant (VA) interaction, investigated their effects on competence and warmth perception of SVAs’ mind perceptions, and explored the psychological mechanisms of VA interaction on digital engagement in SVAs. Secondly, it was one of the first studies to unravel the moderating effects of adult playfulness in the field of VA interaction. The results showed that: (1) VA interaction is a multidimensional construct, and VA interactions positively affect competence perception; (2) personalization, responsiveness, humanness, and communication positively impact warmth perception; (3) VA interactions positively impact digital engagement via competence and warmth perception; (4) adult playfulness moderates the effects of VA interactions on digital engagement. The theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Association of Digital Engagement With Relaxation Tools and Stress Level Reduction: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Stress is an emotional response caused by external triggers and is a high-prevalence global problem affecting mental and physical health. Several different digital therapeutic solutions are effective for stress management. However, there is limited understanding of the association between relaxation components and stress levels when using a digital app. This study investigated the contribution of relaxation tools to stress levels over time. We hypothesized that participation in breathing exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy-based video sessions would be associated with a reduction in stress levels. We also hypothesized a significant reduction specifically in participants' perceived sense of burden and lack of productivity when engaged with breathing exercises and video sessions. Stress levels were evaluated in a real-world data cohort using a behavioral health app for digital intervention and monitoring change. This retrospective real-world analysis of users on a mobile platform-based treatment followed users (N=490) who started with moderate and above levels of stress and completed at least 2 stress assessments. The levels of stress were tracked throughout the first 10 weeks. A piecewise mixed effects model was applied to model the trajectories of weekly stress mean scores in 2 time segments (1-6 weeks and 6-10 weeks). Next, a simple slope analysis was used for interpreting interactions probing the moderators: breathing exercises and video sessions. Piecewise mixed-effects models were also used to model the trajectories of specific perceived stress item rates in the stress questionnaire in the 2 segments (1-6 weeks and 6-10 weeks) and whether they are moderated by the relaxation engagements. Simple slope analysis was also used here for the interpretation of the interactions. Analysis revealed a significant decrease in stress symptoms (β=-.25; 95% CI -0.32 to -0.17; P<.001) during the period of 1-6 weeks of app use that was maintained during the period of 6-10 weeks. Breathing exercises significantly moderated the reduction in stress symptoms during the period of 1-6 weeks (β=-.07; 95% CI -0.13 to -0.01; P=.03), while engagement in digital video sessions did not moderate stress scores. Engagement in digital video sessions, as well as breathing exercises, significantly moderated the reduction in perceived sense of burden and lack of productivity during weeks 1-6 and remained stable during weeks 6-10 on both items. This study sheds light on the association between stress level reduction and specific components of engagement in a digital health app, breathing exercises, and cognitive behavioral therapy-based video sessions. Our findings provide a basis for further investigation of current and moderating factors that contribute to the personalization of digital intervention. In addition, results may aid in developing a more comprehensive understanding of how digital intervention tools work for mental health and for whom they are most effective.

Empowering Critical Thinking: The Role of Digital Tools in Citizen Participation

The widespread use of digital technologies and the expansion of social networks has created new communication and meeting spaces where people and social and political actors connect with each other. This opens diverse spaces and possibilities for digital engagement in a more accessible, immediate, continuous, egalitarian, and personalized way. Digital technology facilitates learning, dissemination, and access to information, turning it into a means of communication and fueling the practice of critical thinking. In particular civic critical thinking practices improve the organization and effectiveness of civic networks and spaces for citizen participation, ultimately helping to produce responsible, conscious citizens. This study proposes a series of hypotheses based on the relationships between digital learning, critical thinking and civic participation, and tests them using the technique of structural equation modeling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS) applied to a sample of 191 primary and secondary school students. The results indicate that digital tools have a positive impact on the development of critical thinking, and this influences citizen participation, transforming people into more engaged citizens of the world with participatory attitudes and values.

Exploring Digital Leadership, Technology Integration, and Teacher Task Performance in Higher Education Institutions: A Moderated-Mediation Study

This study investigates digital leadership and teacher task performance in Pakistani higher education institutions, employing the planned behavior theory and a moderated-mediation model of technology integration, digital literacy, and digital engagement. A cross-sectional field survey was conducted, involving 390 teachers from diverse backgrounds employed by higher education institutes in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that perceived digital leadership positively influenced teachers' technological integration. The results further demonstrated the relationship between teachers' digital literacy, their use of technology as a moderator, their perception of digital leadership, task performance, and online engagement. Instructors' effective utilization of available media and technologies to achieve educational objectives emerges as a crucial factor. Future research should delve deeper into understanding the causes and effects of technology integration to address the complexities surrounding teachers' digital engagement.

TikTok's Multifaceted Economic Impact on Pakistani Society: Analyzing the Interplay of Entertainment, Morality, and Market Dynamics

This study scrutinizes the intricate economic and sociological nexus between TikTok, a prevalent social media platform, and evolving societal norms, values, and identities in Pakistan. Through a qualitative analysis of 685 videos from six renowned Pakistani TikTokers, a rich tapestry of interactions between entertainment, morality, and market dynamics emerges. The investigation delineates TikTok's palpable influence on various facets including gender dynamics, ethics, and consumer behavior, thereby encapsulating the complex relationship between technology, market forces, and Pakistani society. Examining elements like attire, language, and messaging themes, the study unveils the existing tensions between individual expression and societal expectations, intermingled with commercial pursuits and ethical concerns. It accentuates TikTok's role as a harbinger of socio-economic opportunities, fostering empowerment amongst marginalized communities, notably the intersex population. This research navigates the nuanced moral landscape inhabited by TikTokers, where a blend of social and material characteristics fosters authenticity in self-expression, albeit occasionally at odds with established societal and market norms. The study acknowledges TikTok as a potent influencer in moulding cultural identities through linguistic diversity and thematic discourse, portraying it as a dynamic space that simultaneously mirrors and reshapes societal values and economic practices. It transcends the understanding of TikTok as merely a digital entertainment platform, highlighting its profound impact as a socio-cultural and economic entity that heralds a transformative era of digital engagement. By unravelling TikTok's multifaceted influence, this study provides profound insights into the transformative capabilities of digital platforms in crafting modern society and market trends, thus augmenting the academic discourse on the confluence of technology, culture, human behaviour, and market dynamics, and adding a vital dimension to the understanding of digital culture and the economics of social media.

Civic Life in the Digital Space of Pre-Service Teachers

This research investigates the profile and perceptions of respondents towards widely accessible social media platforms to identify key considerations in transforming online engagement into actual civic action. Quantitative in design, the survey of the descriptive method of research is used adopting the developed questions for the study of the United Nations Development Programme on young activists in 2021 to assess the digital engagement of 118 pre-service teachers randomly selected through the multistage sampling method. Utilizing descriptive statistics, social media platforms providing greater opportunities for self-expression such as Facebook and Tiktok are found frequently used for creating and sharing content related to education, and health. Respondents concurred on widespread disinformation online and the complementary nature of civic engagement. Despite the manifested lack of trust and reservations due to the risk of data surveillance and breach, the respondents consider social media platforms as enabling venues for civic engagement. Corresponding policies and programs that institute gender-inclusive, safe, and participatory venues in both digital and traditional forms are necessary means for supporting the youth as key players in nation-building.

1070-P: Blood Glucose Reduction and Long-Term Sustainability in High-Risk Patients with Type 2 Diabetes over Three Years of Using Digital Platform

Introduction: Long-term management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and sustaining glycemic control remains a challenge and crucial for reducing clinical complications and subsequent economic costs. This study followed glycemic outcomes, average blood glucose (BG avg) and high readings ratio, over 3 years in persons using a digital therapeutic platform. Objective: To investigate blood glucose (BG) levels in persons with T2D in high-risk who used a digital therapeutic platform to manage their BG levels over three years. Additionally, to compare outcomes between consistently engaged users over 3 years versus less consistent population. Method: A retrospective data analysis was performed on users with T2D in high-risk (baseline BG avg&amp;gt;169 mg/dL in month1; equivalent to A1C 7.5) who activated between 2017-2020 and measured their BG using Dario platform over 3 consecutive years (months 1,6,12,24 and 36). The ratios assessed were BG avg and high BG readings ratio (&amp;gt;180 mg/dL). Digital engagement was assessed by additional parameters including measurement type (fasting/premeal/post meal/bedtime), carbs intake, meal type, and physical activity alongside glucose measurement. Results: A group of 1,239 users significantly reduced their BG avg consistently over 3 years by 15.6% (179±55 vs. 212±42) (p&amp;lt;0.05) and high readings ratio by 39% (p&amp;lt;0.05). A subset of users completed at least one engagement type following months 12, 24, and 36 (N=433) demonstrated significantly greater reductions versus the complementary group (N=806): BG avg by 18.8% (172±51 vs. 212±45) and high readings ratio by 45% (p&amp;lt;0.05). Conclusion: A digital diabetes platform has the potential to affect and sustain glycemic control improvements over 3 years. Moreover, it appears highly likely that engagement to app features in chronic condition management may help users with T2D consistently pay attention to their life behaviors to maintain better clinical outcomes. Disclosure Y.Hershcovitz: Employee; DarioHealth Corp. N.Yaniv: Employee; DarioHealth Corp. S.Budman: Employee; DarioHealth Corp. O.Manejwala: Employee; DarioHealth Corp., Stock/Shareholder; DarioHealth Corp.

A Rapid Feedback App: Possibilities and Pitfalls for Extended Democracy

Recently, a democratic deficit has called for new forms of e-participation to increase or deepen citizens’ political participation. A new solution for rapid feedback, GiMening, is undergoing development and implementation in Norway. This article contributes to the understanding of the implementation of quick-response tools by suggesting which key points of awareness must be considered to enhance associated possibilities and avoid pitfalls. The research questions under examination are: How do municipal political leadership, school leadership and youth perceive the need for extended digital citizen participation? What are their thoughts on the possibilities and pitfalls that GiMening may trigger during its implementation and use in different contexts? Research on digital engagement and political participation among Scandinavian youth is used to theorise about the concept of democratic innovation. The data material consists of semi-structured interviews with actors from five Norwegian municipalities. The main findings of the analysis show that the use of GiMening could lower the threshold for participation, lead to better-informed decisions, increase citizens’ level of trust and improve awareness of people’s opinions; however, there are pitfalls related to the risk that GiMening might be used only as a one-way information sharing tool or that decision-makers will not apply input data.

Empowerment of human brands: Brand meaning co-creation on digital engagement platforms

Digital engagement platforms empower human brands by enabling them to directly interact with various actors. Human brands, especially athlete brands, are about to outperform traditional brands on digital platforms. Drawing on literature from human branding, integrative branding, and performativity theory, this study identifies actors and analyzes their performances based on a case study of a professional athlete brand. We apply a multi-method approach using netnography and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of brand meaning co-creation. We contribute to existing literature by introducing the concept of integrative branding to the management of human brands. Additionally, we reveal three novel performance categories for the co-creation of human brands on digital engagement platforms. Our findings extend the literature by delivering in-depth insights into the brand meaning co-creation of athlete brands as a specific type of human brands. This study marks a starting point for further research on human brands.

Towards a Black Cultural Memory

Abstract The article explores how Black people in Belgium have sought meaningful engagement with their history, culture, and identity to create a shared cultural memory, and vice versa: how Black people’s engagement with a shared cultural memory has formed a collective, Afro-diasporic identity and culture. To illustrate how Black identities take shape beyond personal histories, cultures, and memories, I conceptualize a memory framework called Black Cultural Memory (BCM), giving insight into Black people’s interconnected identity constructing/maintaining embodied culture, and shed light on how social media, memory and Black people’s lives interact by discussing how cultural memory is shaped, sharpened and inquired through Black people’s contemporary digital engagement. Examining the memory practices and discoursers of Belgian Renaissance, New Awoken African Generation, and #BLMbelgium, I illustrate how digital platforms helped these initiatives to shape and distribute notions of collective blackness, which ultimately connects them to a global Afro-diaspora culture.

Linking citizens’ anti-immigration attitudes to their digital user engagement and voting behavior

Abstract Societally salient issues, like migration, stimulate user engagement with political parties on social media. This user engagement, in turn, is associated with political behavior, such as voting. Nonetheless, few studies so far have investigated the interaction between these factors. We examine how anti-immigration attitudes are associated with user engagement with political parties on social media. In this study, user engagement is understood as following political parties on social media. Through online data that were collected in October 2019 among adults (N= 1,000) in Belgium, we investigate how attitudes and user engagement are associated with voting behavior. Results suggest that attitudes towards migration are associated with user engagement with both left and right-wing parties on social media. Moreover, these attitudes and user engagement – and the interaction between the two – are related to voting behavior: being against (being in favor of) migration and following right-wing (left-wing) parties on social media is associated with a higher likelihood of voting for a right-wing (left-wing) party.

Digital use and socioeconomic inequalities in adolescent well-being: Longitudinal evidence on socioemotional and educational outcomes.

Despite a growing body of research on associations between adolescent digital use and well-being, few studies have investigated these associations a) longitudinally and b) across socioeconomic status. The present study uses high-quality longitudinal data to examine how digital engagement shapes socioemotional and educational outcomes from early to late adolescence across socioeconomic status (SES). Participants are 7685 individuals (49.0% female) from the 1998 birth cohort of the longitudinal Growing Up In Ireland (GUI) survey. The survey was administered to Irish parents and children between 2007 and 2016 (at ages 9, 13, and 17/18). Fixed-effects regression modeling was used to establish associations between digital engagement and socioemotional and educational outcomes. Further Fixed-Effects models were analyzed separately by SES, to assess how associations between digital use and adolescent outcomes differ by socioeconomic groups. Results show that digital screen time increases markedly from early to late adolescence, but to a higher extent among low-SES versus high-SES groups. Heavy levels of digital screen time (i.e., 3+ hours daily) are associated with declines in well-being, particularly for external and prosocial functioning, while engagement in learning-oriented digital activities and gaming is associated with better adolescent outcomes. Yet, low-SES adolescents are globally more harmed than high-SES adolescents by their digital engagement, and high-SES adolescents benefit more from moderate levels of digital use and from engaging in learning-oriented digital activities. This study suggests that digital engagement is associated with socioeconomic inequalities in adolescents' socioemotional well-being and, to a lesser extent, educational outcomes.

Online Learning and Its Short-term Impact on Digital Engagement and Digital-related Health Symptoms Amongst University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated a rapid shift of learning and education from traditional means to digital platforms. This paper aims to examine the impact of online learning on digital engagement and digital-related health symptoms among university students one year into the coronavirus pandemic. Methods: Data was collected through a self-administered online questionnaire after ethical approval. The questionnaire was adapted from the previously published Lifestyle Study in Youth Questionnaire. Through the questionnaire, the perception of students toward online learning was probed and recorded. Digital engagement and digital-related health symptoms were compared before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Results: The majority (97.5%) of respondents preferred face-to-face learning. The time spent on digital devices was 1.8 times higher during COVID-19 than before the COVID-19 lockdown (t-test = -18.86, p&lt;0.0001). The total hours of sleep were reduced during COVID-19 lockdown (0.6 hours lesser) (t-test = -3.92, p&lt;0.0001). The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test revealed significant changes in digital-related health symptoms (15 out of 17) due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Digital eye strain, dry eye syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, and upper quadrant postural and muscle strain emerged (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: Most university students favoured face-to-face learning compared to online learning. There was a two-fold rise in digital engagement during the COVID-19 lockdown. As a result, it has seemed to translate into reduced sleeping hours. The short-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on digital-related health symptoms amongst university students was apparent. The long-term effects require further investigations to facilitate fact-based decision-making.

Measuring provider well-being: initial validation of a brief engagement survey

BackgroundMeasurement is one of the critical ingredients to addressing the well-being of health care professionals. However, administering an organization-wide well-being survey can be challenging due to constraints like survey fatigue, financial limitations, and other system priorities. One way to address these issues is to embed well-being items into already existing assessment tools that are administered on a regular basis, such as an employee engagement survey. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of a brief engagement survey, that included a small subset of well-being items, among health care providers working in an academic medical center.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, health care providers, including physicians and advanced clinical practitioners, employed at an academic medical center completed a brief, digital engagement survey consisting of 11 quantitative items and 1 qualitative item administered by Dialogue™. The emphasis of this study was on the quantitative responses. Item responses were compared by sex and degree, domains were identified via exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and internal consistency of item responses was assessed via McDonald’s omega. Sample burnout was compared against national burnout.ResultsOf the 791 respondents, 158 (20.0%) were Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs), and 633 (80.0%) were Medical Doctors (MDs). The engagement survey, with 11 items, had a high internal consistency with an omega ranging from 0.80–0.93 and was shown, via EFA, to have three domains including communication, well-being, and engagement. Significant differences for some of the 11 items, by sex and degree, in the odds of their agreement responses were found. In this study, 31.5% reported experiencing burnout, which was significantly lower than the national average of 38.2%.ConclusionOur findings indicate initial reliability, validity, and utility of a brief, digital engagement survey among health care professionals. This may be particularly useful for medical groups or health care organizations who are unable to administer their own discrete well-being survey to employees.

Implementing the "government as a platform" concept: the assessment method and an optimal human-centered structure to address technological challenges

The object of this study is the factors of implementation of the concept of government as a platform. The study solved the problem of identifying factors and choosing a model for analyzing the conditions for building a socio-technological model of interaction between society and the state. The concept of government as a platform is presented in the form of interrelated entities, components of technological infrastructure and digital assets. A feature of the described structure is the consideration of social value, which is explained by the principles of the concept under study. The factors of implementation of the concept include professional and personal characteristics of civil servants; organizational structure of the government; legal regulation; financial mechanisms; use of digital technologies of Industry 4.0; digital opportunities of the population and businesses; digital engagement. The identified factors take into account the need to take into account the needs and requirements of citizens, technological readiness, and competence of the government. It has been established that during 2022 there was a global trend towards an increase in the level of development of e-government. The results of the analysis of user experience on interaction with electronic public services confirm the need to focus on consumers. A theoretical model for adopting the state digital platform has been developed. The model consists of six independent variables, three intermediate variables, and one dependent variable. In the model, independent variables include tangible ease of use, uncertainty in technology, social pressure, efficiency of work with computer equipment, technical capabilities. Intermediate variables include attitude to use, tangible utility, user satisfaction, and intent to use. The dependent variable is the actual use of technology.

Digital engagement and adolescent depression: A longitudinal mediation analysis adjusting for selection

ObjectivesTo quantify the association between high digital engagement at age 17/8 and subsequent depressive symptoms at age 20 adjusting for selection into high digital engagement. To examine the role of social comparison, displacement and online harassment in mediating the relationship between digital engagement and depressive symptoms. MethodsUsing four waves of longitudinal data on the same individuals from the Growing Up in Ireland Cohort98 at ages 9, 13, 17/8 and 20, we apply propensity score methods (PSM) with matching to estimate selection into high digital engagement at age 17/8. Poisson regression is applied to individuals matched according to their propensity to high digital engagement to quantify the role of self-esteem, body weight satisfaction, quality and duration of sleep and online harassment in mediating the association between high digital engagement at 17/8 and depression risk at age 20. ResultsEstimates within matched strata suggest a 9.7% increase in depressive symptoms for high digital engagement, over moderate engagement for females. No significant association with high engagement was found for males. Adjustment for self-esteem at 17/8 reduces the association by 26%; adjustment for sleep duration and quality leads to a 23% reduction. Online harassment and body weight satisfaction reduce the association by <2% individually. Our fully adjusted model reduced the association by 41% overall. ConclusionsHigh digital engagement is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms compared to moderate engagement, but only among young women. Reductions in self-esteem and sleep duration and quality appear to be more important mediators of the association of high engagement with depressive symptoms than online harassment or body weight satisfaction, but more research is needed on the precise mediating processes.

Digital necromancy: users’ perceptions of digital afterlife and posthumous communication technologies

ABSTRACT Technologies of digital afterlife and posthumous communication are more developed than ever, and the possibilities for communicating with digital representations of people who perished are coming to fruition. Studies about digital engagement with death reveals contradicting trends. Whereas technologies designed for interacting with the dead have thus far failed, users reappropriate means of online communication that were not intended to facilitate communication with the dead – to facilitate precisely this practice. This article searches for a fuller understanding of the changing attitudes toward death in light of emerging intentional posthumous communication technologies (PCTs). Drawing on a national survey of Israeli Internet users, the study explores contemporary attitudes toward death and digital afterlife, and analyzes users’ perceptions of emerging PCTs. Findings indicate that whereas the general public is still reluctant to adopt such technologies, online activity and willingness to access digital remains are significant predictors for considering digital interactions with the dead.

“The &lt;em&gt;Internet of Life&lt;/em&gt;”

“The &lt;em&gt;Internet of Life&lt;/em&gt;”

Redefining crisis in museums: Insiders perspectives on digital engagement

AbstractCOVID‐19 has highlighted the need for museums to develop policies and practices that allow them to be more responsive to audiences' during a crisis, in many cases pushing them to explore new technologies and approaches. Based on an analysis of the National Museum of Australia and its digital engagement throughout the 2019/2020 bushfire season and the COVID‐19 pandemic, this paper identifies a lack of literature to support the need for digital channels to be incorporated in institutional crisis planning. Referencing “Momentous”, a purpose‐built website, and two Facebook groups, “Fridge Door Fire Stories” and “Bridging the Distance,” we explore the content shared on these platforms by users and place this in conversation with the reflections of the cultural workers who created and maintained these online platforms. We suggest digital technologies help communities to take a more active role in negotiating how the museum represents their experiences.

Exploring predictors of consumer digital engagement and political consumerism in corporate political advocacy

Exploring predictors of consumer digital engagement and political consumerism in corporate political advocacy