Use Of Digital Communication Technologies Research Articles

Use and Acceptance of Digital Communication Technology by Older Adults for Social Connectedness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study.

Older adults are at higher risk for health issues, including mental health problems. This was especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, where older adults were simultaneously more vulnerable to the disease and the mental health concerns created by social distancing. Subsequently, the use of digital communication technology (DCT) became a critical option for maintaining social connectedness in older adults. Prior to the pandemic, the low uptake and use of technology by older adults was an established problem, known as the digital divide. However, not much is known about how this may have changed as a result of the pandemic. This study aims to explore how older adults maintained social connectedness through DCT during the pandemic and to understand factors influencing the use and acceptance of DCT. A mixed methods explorative field study was set up, involving surveys and interviews of 25 community-dwelling older adults (65-88 years old) living in the United Kingdom. The surveys included the internet acceptance questionnaire (based on the Technology Acceptance Model [TAM]); COVID-19 dysfunctional anxiety was captured using the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CAS). Background information (demographics, use of technology) was gathered before conducting semistructured interviews. We hypothesized that CAS would affect constructs of TAM and that predictive constructs of TAM would have remained valid during the pandemic. We also posited that there would be unidentified themes outside TAM that impacted the acceptance and use of DCT. We used the quantitative data to guide the semistructured interviews, which were then analyzed through thematic analysis to identify additional themes. Correlational analysis showed that CAS influences all constructs of TAM. We also saw that the predictive constructs of TAM, especially the perceived ease of use (PEU) and perceived usefulness (PU), remained valid during the pandemic. Common acceptance-influencing themes were encountered in both quantitative and qualitative analyses, with 3 matching the known constructs of TAM (PU, PEU, and behavioral intention). We identified 2 additional themes affecting acceptance, namely influence of the pandemic (situational context) and privacy and security concerns. DCT use (especially email and videoconferencing use) increased during the pandemic, but the results related to social networking sites were mixed. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted technology acceptance and use by older adults, encouraging their use of certain DCT apps (email and videoconferencing apps, such as WhatsApp). These apps helped insulate them from adverse effects (social isolation and loneliness). Other social networking apps, however, exerted a negative influence, increasing anxiety and a general feeling of negativity. Future studies should maximize older adult agency related to design, privacy, security, and user requirements for development. We also recommend that when studying DCT acceptance for older adults, our additional identified themes should be considered alongside the existing TAM constructs.

Social Media as a Platform to Increase Participation of Extension Workers and Farmers in Achieving SDGs

The development of farming and agribusiness is a relevant and ideal choice considering the geographical structure of Indonesia as an agricultural country. However, there is a trend in society, particularly among the millennial generation, that prefers to focus on the mechanical industry, financial business, and entertainment. This situation is exacerbated by adolescents∧ widespread use of digital communication technologies and the occurrence of a pandemic, raising concerns that public participation in the agriculture sector may dwindle considerably. Based on several of these manifestations, an analysis was carried out that it was important to use internet-based digital communication tools as a medium of socialization while increasing community participation in agriculture. Social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram can be used to communicate and improve production and marketing through e-commerce in order to fulfill sustainable development goals (SDGs). Social media is not simply a means of contact between extension workers and farmersit can also be used to exchange information, innovate, build marketing networks, and obtain other farming supplies. This study aims to optimize the participation of extension workers and farmers in agricultural extension and communication activities. The study also intends to demonstrate the importance of using social media as a non-formal learning tool for farmers and the general public interested in agribusiness. This research applied the constructivist research paradigm with a systematical review method to explore and redefine social media as a medium of participatory extension and communication. As a result, the WhatsApp application provides a social media platform that extension workers and farmers can use for socialization, debate, and consulting to boost agricultural product output and marketing.
 Keywords: social media, participation, counseling, communication

Towards a unified typology of digital communication technologies in international business: a tool for management and research

PurposeDigital communication technologies have become ubiquitous for various firm processes related to international business (IB) and global strategy. However, IB and strategy scholars lack an encompassing and theory-based typology of these technologies that facilitates analysis and discussion of their uses and effects. Likewise, managers have a large choice of technologies at their disposal making it difficult to determine what technology to use in different IB areas. This paper aims to develop a typology of digital communication technologies based on the synchronicity and interactivity of these technologies and capture their fundamental social and temporal dimensions. This results in four ideal types: broadcasting, corresponding, aggregating and collaborating technologies.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper incorporating theoretical perspectives to theorize about four ideal types of digital communication technologies. A subsequent empirical test of this typology has been provided in the appendix.FindingsThe authors discuss how the typology might be applied in IB decisions and some of the contingencies that impact this choice. Building on that, the authors develop directions for future research to increase their understanding of the use of digital communication technologies to help improve IB functions. Overall, the authors suggest future research explores contingencies about where and when different types of digital communication technologies should be used. Finally, the authors provide implication of having a unified typology for both academics and managers.Originality/valueThe authors offer a robust framework for thinking about and capturing different types of digital communication technologies that can be applied by researchers and used by managers when making decisions related to IB. The authors also provide some initial testing of the typology with a three-country study design helping to determine its validity.

Predicting telephone anxiety: use of digital communication technologies, language and cultural barriers, and preference for phone calls

ABSTRACT This study examines telephone anxiety, a form of communication apprehension associated with making and taking a phone call. We theorize that the use of digital communication technologies can influence how anxious one feels about speaking on the phone. Supporting our theorization, we found a positive correlation between using digital technologies and telephone anxiety. Also, such a correlation was greater among non-native English speakers, indicating that the effect of using digital communications could be greater among people with a language barrier. Lastly, findings demonstrated that telephone anxiety might lead to preferring other forms of communication over a phone conversation.

Evaluation of Learners’ Academic Performance in Teaching and Learning Civil Engineering During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Panic due to COVID-19 has disrupted teaching and learning session all over the world—refraining teachers and students from primary, secondary and tertiary education levels from attending physical classes in the traditional way. However with emergency circumstance without proper planning and action in delivering their subject matter, has given huge impacts on academic performance to educators and learners in identifying teaching and learning methods during the time. This study evaluates the academic performance of learners for specific course at the school department of university XXXX during COVID-19 pandemic using open and distance learning. The impacts of delivering in teaching and learning of the course contents through preference approach and use of digital communication technologies on learners’ academic performance during the time were studied. Case study method was used to evaluate the learners’ academic performance. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was used to evaluate the qualitative data. Results of the analysis revealed that during open and distance learning, the learners’ preferred asynchronous method with WhatsApp social media platform chosen as the medium for communication between educators and learners. The findings show the learners are able to perform well in the course assessments despite the pandemic.

Цифровая инфраструктура маркетинга сельских территорий

Abstract. Digital technological means are developing, the number of Internet users is growing, so marketing activities play a key role for every organization, companies in the agricultural economic sphere are not developing either. Marketing activity has the character of an opportunity to attract new consumers and build communications with old customers. If such activities are not used, then at present it is fraught with economic losses, and the loss of all business activities as a whole. A number of scientific and technological revolutions have changed a lot, the activity and features of the agro-industrial complex. Currently, a large number of specialists use the fact of implementation in the digital sector of the agricultural industry. This problem is becoming increasingly important in the formation and dissemination of projects aimed at the development of digital technologies in the industry. The purpose of this article is a study that draws attention to the activity of representatives of the agricultural type, and a proposal based on its assumption. Objectives: to conduct a bibliographic analysis of approaches to marketing the agricultural sector; to consider the key categories of digital technologies for agricultural enterprises; to analyze the use and wider application of marketing tools in the agricultural sector. Methods. When monitoring the sensors of socio-economic analysis, graphic and analytical methods, a systematic approach. Results. A study and description of the most common area of activity has been carried out, which allows expanding communication with users of agricultural products and increasing their number. The features of the use of digital technologies in the agricultural economy are revealed. Certain main reasons arising from the use of technological tools in the agricultural industry. Scientific novelty. It was revealed that enterprises in sectoral management often do not have the opportunity to purchase goods and sell the market. Solving the problem of wider use of digital communication technologies in the industry, the possible implementation of separate and distributed software products aimed at the development of the agricultural industry.

Exploring the use of WeChat for qualitative social research: The case of Italian digital diaspora in Shanghai.

The widespread use of digital communication technologies has created new opportunities for social research. In this paper, we explore the limits and potentials of using messaging and social media apps as tools for qualitative research. Building upon our research on Italian migration to Shanghai, we discuss in detail the methodological choice of using WeChat for teamwork, remote sampling strategies, and conducting interviews. The paper highlights the benefits that researchers may have from employing the same technology that the studied community uses in their daily life as a research tool, and advocates for a flexible approach to research that adapts its tools and methods to the specific requirements and characteristics of the fieldwork. In our case, this strategy allowed us to emphasize that WeChat represents a digital migratory space which played a crucial role in understanding and making of the Italian digital diaspora in China.

Has COVID-19 Been the Great Leveler? The Changing Use of Intergenerational Digital Communications Amongst Older People in England During the Pandemic.

This research examines patterns of intergenerational digital contact before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in England, using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Wave nine and the first Wave of the ELSA COVID-19 Sub-study. Multivariate binary logistic regressions were applied to assess the determinants of frequent intergenerational digital communication. The findings indicate that when the pandemic began, many older persons shifted towards more frequent intergenerational digital contact, but a small minority shifted away. As a result, the pre-existing gender gap amongst older people in the use of digital communication technology narrowed, as did the disparity associated with family relationship closeness. However, pre-pandemic gaps in the intergenerational digital connection between internet users and non-users widened during the pandemic. Overall, the results suggest that the pandemic resulted in more frequent digitally-mediated social interactions within the family, which may strengthen ties between older and younger family members.

Co-producing Research with Disabled Lay Researchers: Lessons from a Project Exploring Social Workers’ Use of Digital Communication Technologies with Disabled Users of Social Work Services

Abstract The value of co-produced research is increasingly recognised. This is a case study of a lay conducted, co-produced qualitative research study on the experiences of social workers and Disabled users of their services of using (or not) digital technologies when communicating with each other. We describe the co-production process from inception to dissemination and draw out lessons for future studies. Disabled lay researchers developed interview topic guides, conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers and Disabled users of social work services, analysed the data and led or contributed to study outputs. Several factors contributed to the success of this study. It was co-produced using service user, practitioner and academic knowledge. It is built on existing trusted relationships. Training and support were targeted and relevant, and delivered using a variety of learning methods, including peer support. Disabled lay researchers drew on their lived experiences to develop topic guides and interpret data. The study team was committed to inclusion, capacity building and an assets-based approach, and to carefully managing power relationships. Challenges were the time required to setup the study and to train and support lay researchers, and the bureaucratic and governance systems that were not ideally suited to root and branch co-production.

Is the Structure of “Regular Working Days” about to Dissolve? Changes in Employees’ Time-Use Patterns Working in Enterprise Collaboration Systems During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic have strengthened Work from Home and the use of digital communication technologies and digital collaboration. The resulting flexibility in terms of control over time and place of work can support workers in improving their work-life balance. In this paper, we investigate whether workers using digital communication technologies made use of this flexibility and changed the distribution of their work hours across the week and day. To answer this question, we investigate the use of an Enterprise Collaboration System in 2019-2022. Using real-world data, a MS Power BI dashboard was created following the steps suggested by the Social Collaboration Analytics Framework (SCAF). The dashboard shows that the system use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, an expansion of work on weekends and outside of regular working hours can be observed. Although, timely adjustments of use-patterns were highest in the beginning of the pandemic, long-term trends could be observed as well. The results indicate that knowledge workers used digital collaboration technologies to restructure working days, according to their specific personal and business needs while working from home. The paper is a valuable starting point in the context of a long-term interdisciplinary research project on the digitalisation of the workplace.

Menadžment komunikacijom upotrebom digitalnog softvera za povećanje prodaje

Digital marketing is the practice of using digital platforms and technologies to advertise a good, service, or brand to make influence on a target market. To attain company objectives, this type of marketing uses a variety of methods and tactics. When the emphasis is on product promotion and communication with potential customers, email marketing is one of the most significant aspects of digital marketing and continues to score highly in communication channels. To rank the digital platforms, or software, that are most frequently available on the Serbian market and used to advertise a variety of goods and services, the paper will research the opinions of senior managers of enterprises and firms in Serbia. The analysis was conducted using the multilinear regression technique. The study's findings may have an impact on Serbia's efforts to manage digital platform services better. The project makes a minor contribution to the use of digital communication technologies for enhancing the current digital platform offerings, particularly in the central part of the country. As a representative example, the study includes the city of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, where various firms and companies that use various digital software for their needs operate.

ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ЦИФРОВЫХ КОММУНИКАЦИЙ ДЛЯ ИНТЕГРАЦИИ ЖИТЕЛЕЙ ЛНР И ДНР В СОЦИОКУЛЬТУРНОЕ ПРОСТРАНСТВО СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИИ

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the system of recommendations for the relevant federal executive authorities and the leadership of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation on the use of digital communication technologies for the integration of residents of the LPR and DPR into the socio-cultural space of modern Russia. These technologies were developed on the basis of a series of studies conducted using projective techniques (associative modeling, foresight session) with residents of the LPR and DPR. The value core of the citizens of these new territories of Russia, their cognitive scenarios were revealed, which were compared with similar semantic structures reflected in the documents regulating the policy of the Russian Federation in the field of forming a value consensus of Russian citizens. Sociocultural space is considered as the meanings of social and cultural organization, forming a single whole. The author indicated that communication processes and digital communication technologies in modern conditions will play a big role in the formation of a new socio-cultural space. The identification of the cognitive scenarios of the inhabitants of the LPR and DPR made it possible to identify key problems that impede their socio-cultural integration into Russian society. As a result of the systematization of the listed indicators, a number of digital communication technologies are identified, aimed at creating conditions for the inhabitants of the new territories of the Russian Federation for successful integration into the socio-cultural space of Russia. The article was prepared based on the results of research carried out at the expense of budgetary funds under the state assignment of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Penyuluhan Manajemen, Komunikasi Digital, dan Branding Usaha Pertanian, Peternakan, dan UMKM Desa Pringkasap Kabupaten Subang

Knowledge and understanding of agricultural management and the use of digital communicationtechnology are essential in agriculture and village MSMEs. Lecturers from the University of PersadaIndonesia YAI conduct training on agricultural management, digital communication, and branding to enablefarmers and MSME stakeholders to expand their business to local, national, or international markets.Farmers and MSME actors are motivated to use digital communication media such as social media, websites,smartphone applications and others. The method used in this community service activity is to provideextension services to 31 farmers and MSME actors in Pringkasap village, Pabuaran district, Subang regency,West Java province, Indonesia. The result of this community service activity is an increase in knowledge aboutthe importance of agricultural management, digital communication, and branding for sustainablecommunication of products and brands. The results of this activity indicate that further training onagricultural management, digital communication, and branding is needed, not only with the extensionmethod, but also with the simulation method using complete materials and tools that can be applied directlyat the business site. MSME actors need to be trained in the use of computer and smartphone applications,and it is necessary to establish a special forum for business development.

Interpersonal Communication And Impression Management In Digital Environments: An Examination On Tiktok

Interpersonal communication and communication processes have evolved as a result of the widespread use of digital communication technology. In these situations, people display how they present themselves and engage with others by employing a variety of impression management techniques. Interpersonal communication, which is defined as the capacity to convey one's feelings and ideas to individuals or groups of people, is one of the core communication skills. Impression management refers to the deliberate control of behavior to shape the views of others. Concerned with how people are regarded by others or would like to be perceived by others, impression management tactics fall under this category. This study examines how user comments and Instagram shares for Tiktok Turkey relate to techniques for handling public perception and interpersonal communication. It is advantageous to use Jones and Pittman's impression management taxonomy. Tiktok Turkey’s Instagram account served as the study's sample. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the interpersonal communication tools and impression management tactics that Tiktok uses when sharing Instagram pages with interpersonal communication skills and components in the context of Jones and Pittman's Impression Management Classifications and content analysis techniques. Emojis, hashtags, videos, photographs, text sharing, user comments, expert opinions, and tagging were among the interpersonal communication tools that were discovered when the share-outs of the Tiktok Instagram account were taken into account. Considering the share-outs; it turns out that Intimidation and Supplication are not used as impression management tactics, however, Self-promotion, Ingratiation, and Exemplification are commonly used as impression management tactics. Self-promotion has proven to be the most commonly used impression management tactic. This research is expected to contribute to the topics of interpersonal communication, impression management, digital impression management, and new communication technologies in the digital environment.

ОПЫТ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ ЦИФРОВЫХ КОММУНИКАЦИОННЫХ ИНСТРУМЕНТОВ ДЛЯ ПОСТРОЕНИЯ КЛИЕНТСКОЙ БАЗЫ КАФЕДРЫ

The article discusses the possibilities and prospects for the use of digital communication technologies in the educational process. The possibilities of podcasting as a tool for professional communication and the formation of familiarity with authors’ professional competencies are described. Also discussed the usage of videohosting to create and distribute educational materials for professionals. The possibilities of using special software for digital online education are described

Digital Relationality, Rights, Resilience: Conceptualising a Digital Social Ecology for Children’s Birth Family Relationships When in Care or Adopted

Abstract The use of digital communication technology by children residing in out-of-home care or adopted from foster care has mainly been approached hesitantly and from a risk paradigm. The Covid-19 pandemic catalysed many digital and social work intersections, including practices used for birth family contact where in-person visits were supplemented or replaced with ‘virtual’ contact via digital devices. Whilst technology-mediated contact is characterised as ‘virtual’, the relationships it facilitates and emotions it generates are very real within children’s social ecology. Digital ubiquity in social life and the rapid pace of technological change presents significant ethical and practical tensions. To help social workers navigate this complexity of ‘contact-in-reality’ and facilitate safe, ethical use of digital communication technology for birth family contact, we connect an understanding of the dynamics of birth family contact with literature on children’s use of digital technology and ecological concepts of person-in-environment to offer a digital social ecology heuristic for social work practice. Three key aspects cut across all systems and levels, referred to here as the three Digital R’s: digital relationality; digital rights; and digital resilience. Future research is needed to understand how these dynamics play out.

At-distance neurocognitive rehabilitation during COVID-19 pandemic: A first glance of patients’ perspectives about the process and an online platform

Despite the use of digital communication technologies in neurocognitive rehabilitation has been widely used in face-to-face interventions, the difficulties of using ICT-based tools to provide rehabilitation services and the unfamiliarity of the neuropsychologists with internet interventions limited the use of these kinds of interventions in their clinical practices. The lockdown and mitigating measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, forced the use of at-distance and online interventions as a means to mitigate the impact of those measures on the mental health and rehabilitation processes of people with neurological disorders. Overall, little is known about the perspectives of patients with acquired neurological conditions about rehabilitation services delivered at distance. Therefore, the main goal of this study was to explore the perceptions that patients with neurological disorders have on at-distance online neurocognitive rehabilitation, namely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen patients with acquired neurological conditions attending an online neurocognitive rehabilitation program in a Portuguese rehabilitation center filled in an online questionnaire during the mandatory lockdown. The results of this study highlight the potential of delivering rehabilitation services at distance, presenting its advantages and limitations from patients’ perspectives, as well as suggestions for improving both neurorehabilitation processes and the online rehabilitation platform used.

The effects of digital transformation on innovation and productivity: Firm-level evidence of South African manufacturing micro and small enterprises

This paper studies the relationships among the use of digital communication technologies, innovation performance and productivity, using an extended version of the Crepon-Duguet-Mairesse (1998) model, for a sample of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in a middle-income country, South Africa. Based on the results of an original survey carried out in 2019, we investigate these links for a sample of 711 manufacturing MSEs located in Johannesburg. We estimate the relationships sequentially, firstly estimating the relationship between digitalization and innovation, and secondly the relationship between innovation and productivity. Our results show that selected digital communication technologies including the use of social media and of a business mobile phone for surfing the internet have a positive effect on innovation, and that innovation conditional on the use of these technologies has a positive effect on labor productivity. The findings suggest that public programs aimed at fostering inclusive digitalization must consider the types of digital technologies that are most accessible and beneficial to small firms, including those operating informally.

Protocol for a scoping review of the use of information and communication technology platforms for the delivery and utilisation of transgender healthcare.

IntroductionIn recent years, there has been strong interest in making digital health and social tools more accessible, particularly among vulnerable and stigmatised groups such as transgender people. While transgender people experience unique physical, mental and sexual health needs, not much is currently known about the extent to which they use information and communication technologies such as short messaging service and videoconferencing to access health services. In this paper, we discuss our protocol for a scoping review of the literature about the delivery and utilisation of digitally mediated health services for transgender populations.Methods and analysisThis scoping review of the provision and experience of telemedicine among transgender people will follow the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. The search will be conducted using three online databases, namely PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus, with additional literature explored using Google Scholar to identify grey literature. Relevant English-language studies will be shortlisted after completing a title and abstract review based on defined inclusion criteria. Following that, a final list of included studies will be compiled after a full-text review of the shortlisted articles has been completed. To enable the screening process, a team of researchers will be assigned refereed publications explicitly referring to the provision and experience of transgender healthcare through telemedicine. Screening performed independently will then collaboratively be reviewed to maintain consistency.Ethics and disseminationThe research is exempt from ethics approval since our analysis is based on extant research into the use of digital technologies in providing healthcare to transgender people. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed academic publications and presentations. Our analysis will guide the design of further research and practice relating to the use of digital communication technologies to deliver healthcare services to transgender people.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on World Politics

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, affecting all socio-economic and political spheres. Over two years of the pandemic, numerous studies have examined many of its aspects. However, there is no comprehensive understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and will still affect world politics.The article's research question is: how has the COVID-19 pandemic affected world politics in general? The article To understand the world political consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the following parameters were analyzed: 1) the impact of the pandemic on the (mega)trends of world political development globalization / de-globalization, integration/ disintegration, democratization / de-democratization, 2) the political organization of the world, which includes three primary levels: a) the principles of the Westphalian system, the main of which is the principle of sovereignty; b) the system of interstate relations; c) the political systems of individual states. The choice of these analysis parameters is explained in the article.States have used various strategies to deal with the pandemic, directed towards isolationism. At the same time, the polarization of the population increased. The system of interstate interaction has not fundamentally changed despite the difficulties that have arisen. The processes of de-globalization have intensified due to the policy of states towards isolationism. At the same time, globalization understood as transnationalization, manifested itself in the active use of digital communication technologies in various fields, including at the international (transnational) level. In turn, the megatrend of democratization was expressed in the activities of volunteers, the opening of access to performances, lectures, museum exhibits on online platforms.In general, it is shown that the world's political organization has not undergone significant changes as a result of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic, the trends that emerged even before it began have continued and intensified. At the same time, the rapid development of previously formed processes has led to a sharp increase in social, economic, and political contradictions, and as a result – polarization on many grounds in world politics, which creates a potential danger of conflict development.