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The current period of disruptive social change is inextricably bound up with new means and modes of communication, information, and media streams. The Communication, Information Technologies & Media Sociology section of the American Sociological Association (CITAMS) locates these factors at the center of our collective interests, investigating them through a plethora of methods, theories, and empirical cases. Each year, CITAMS runs a special issue in ICS showcasing select works presented at the previous year's American Sociological Association conference and the affiliated Media Sociology preconference. Papers in the 2022 CITAMS Special Issue reflect a social context defined by a prolonged global pandemic and wrought by democratic uncertainty. Across these social circumstances, technology and media loom large. Simultaneously, everyday life continues and classic CITAMS scholarship sustains relevance for the ways people interact, construct identity, consume, and mobilize. All of this and more are contained in the pages of this year's Special Issue, from which readers can get a sense of what CITAMS has to offer and consider how their own work may fit within the broad CITAMS umbrella. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Grandparents who were separated from their infant grandchildren during COVID-19 sought other ways to connect, including video chat. Video chat supports learning, and its features (e.g., contingent responsiveness) may allow for cultural exchange. However, technological problems may disrupt these exchanges. In a seminaturalistic, longitudinal study, 47 families submitted up to three video chats and surveys. Families were predominantly White/Caucasian, highly educated, and lived between 1 and 2,700 miles apart. Multilevel models were used to predict the proportion of the sessions devoted to exchanging culture (e.g., holidays, parenting advice) and managing tech problems. Culture exchange did not change as a function of infant age, video chat experience, or when encountering tech problems. Although only marginally statistically significant, culture exchange increased as distance increased. Tech problems changed as a function of tech talk. Qualitative analysis revealed that cultural transmission occurred via a culture of care and sharing of information across video chat, that families adapted their behaviors to the new technology, and that technology disruptions rarely interfered with the flow of information. These findings demonstrate the ability to share culture when physically separated and in the presence of tech disruptions. Further, this study supports previous work on the emerging culture of video chat. Families adapted to being separated, and grandparents and infants successfully communicated through a new modality. Because video chat supports family relationships, equitable access to high-speed internet should be a priority to enable more families to use it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement This study demonstrates that video chat allowed for familial culture exchanges to be maintained through a separation during COVID-19. Examining what and how cultural exchanges took place suggests that supports for using video chat, including access to high-speed internet, are necessary for families separated by other circumstances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Access and use of computer-based educational technology within K-12 schools have been steadily increasing since the 1980s (Cuban, 1993;Delgado et al., 2015;Penuel, 2006), including more school districts providing every student with a device (1:1) after the year 2000 (Gray & Lewis, 2021;Harper & Milman, 2016;Penuel, 2006;Zheng et al., 2016). Despite this steady increase in devices, information systems, and learning platforms within schools, growth of information technology (IT) staff positions has not grown proportionally with technology and has resulted in a staff capacity issue for district technology departments (CoSN, 2021;Gao & Murphy, 2016;Kentucky Department of Education, 2017). This issue was exacerbated by the emergency switch to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which relied on devices and online systems for learning to continue and further strained the technology departments (CoSN, 2022a, 2022b;Rauf, 2020;White, 2020).Since computers were introduced to these educational institutions, schools and districts have positioned students as technical and pedagogical supports for educational technology (National School Boards Association, 2002;Van Eck et al., 2001). Commonly known as student tech teams (STTs), this type of program is still frequent today within schools and there is a wealth of practitioner-created resources on the topic. Yet, studies on these programs are absent from the decades of research on technology integration within K-12 schools (Peterson & Scharber, 2017).This dissertation was designed to fill this void within the literature, provide a foundational understanding of STTs within K-12 educational technology initiatives, and identify practical strategies for school educators and leaders. Using a philosophically pragmatic lens and an ecological framework (Zhao & Frank, 2003), this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011) explored the following research questions:* How are student technology teams structured within K-12 school ecosystems?* What is the role of student technology teams within K-12 technology integration initiatives?Results from the study indicated that STTs are structured as work- and project-based courses, assistantships, and extracurriculars that can support the technical and instructional needs of staff and students within a school or district environment. STTs also provide opportunities for students to collaborate and create by tinkering with technologies and developing products that interest them while building their digital literacy skills. No two STTs are structured the same;however, staff and students' technical and instructional needs are common programmatic focus areas across STT environments.The role of STTs within K-12 technology integration initiatives is to give students autonomy, unique experiences, and opportunities to learn while serving the school and/or district community. The role of STT, as well as the benefit to its student members, is shaped by the coaches, tech department, and administrators' intentionality and mindset related to the capacity of students. Secondly, the STT's role is also shaped by the school and district's technology, schedules, and location. The findings of this study contribute to and extend the current understanding of educational technology initiatives, student tech teams, computing education in schools, and ecological framing of educational technologies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has helped businesses in hospitality and tourism industry to reduce costs, improve customer services as well as customer experience, enhance the efficiency of business operational and increase customer retention. The impact of Internet on tourism has been widely discussed and analyzed in tourism research. However, specific study on tourism fairs, festivals and events are less touched. During post COVID-19 pandemic, Internet and marketing are the main element of ICT that has powerful impact on tourism fairs, festivals and events. Tourism fairs, festivals and events make people united and social media become a perfect channel for participant to get their first experiences and share it to the Internet users. In addition, mobile communication technology such as mobile tablets and smartphones become significant where ease for individual to keep updated about changes on festivals and events or offer deals from businesses. Thus, essential for business in tourism fairs, festivals, and events to utilize the element of IT effectively for business continuity. In nutshell, the application of ICT in tourism fairs, festivals and events will be helping to speed up businesses' operation and make festivals and events more enjoyable and efficient. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.
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PurposeWork-from-home (WFH) gained ground with COVID and will now continue to be a part of India's future of work. Under WFH information and communication technologies (ICT) media become the primary/sole mode of communication for employees, which holds several implications for employers and employees. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of ICT media characteristics and usage frequency on multiple WFH outcomes. Specifically studied was ICT media's ability to support synchronicity or coordinated behaviours of individuals working together.Design/methodology/approachThis work examined the effect of ICT media's synchronicity-supporting ability and usage frequency on WFH employees' need for competence and relatedness satisfaction, thereby wellbeing and preference to WFH. Data from 301 white-collar employees of varied manufacturing and services organizations of India was analysed via partial least squares structural equation modelling.FindingsAchieving more synchronicity by frequently using ICT media that can better facilitate coordinated behaviours did not directly influence WFH employees' feeling of belongingness (need for relatedness) or wellbeing. It did, however, positively affect their feeling of effectance (need for competence) and thereby wellbeing. However, unexpectedly, it negatively influenced preference to WFH more often.Originality/valueThis study has uniquely combined media synchronicity and self-determination theories to investigate the implications of a work practice on employee wellbeing and preferences. Also, an extensible media evaluation parameter was created that encompasses the characteristics and usage frequency of a set of ICT media.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift from traditional office setups to remote working, driven by information and communication technology advancements. As a result, the metaverse concept is gaining popularity in modern organizations, allowing users to create avatars for virtual work, socializing, and other activities. While its corporate adoption is rising, managers must acquire the necessary skills to integrate and utilize the technology successfully. However, technological progress can be disruptive, making it essential to weigh the benefits and drawbacks.Methodology: This proposal aims to investigate metaverse skills that managers require for remote working using virtual realities, assessing the positive and negative risks for employees and management within business organizations. Using secondary data from reliable online databases, a qualitative research approach was used to understand the pros and cons of the metaverse and remote work.Purpose: The study examines the essential skills managers need to adopt metaverse virtual realities for remote working and how employees and organizations can implement it while maintaining a positive work environment. Keywords such as metaverse, remote working, virtual reality, and information and communication technology are critical. As technology evolves, managers and organizations must consider the metaverse's inherent advantages and disadvantages to ensure a successful transition to remote.Research Questions: What are the necessary skills needed by managers towards the adoption of metaverse virtual realities for remote working? How can employees and organizations adapt to implementing metaverse for remote work and sustain a positive work environment? © 2023 IEEE.
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Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of teledentistry during COVID-19 among dentists in Southern Saudi Arabia. Material(s) and Method(s): A questionnaire with 27 questions was constructed, validated and circulated electronically via social media channels like WhatsApp and by email to dentists from various fields in Southern Saudi Arabia. Data were collected and analyzed using the statistical software SPSS 23.0. Result(s): Most of the respondents showed a positive behavior towards all domains of the questionnaire, including knowledge, attitude and practice of teledentistry. Out of 839 participants, 532 participants were familiar with this term, most of them (64.4%) were practicing it during the pandemic of COVID-19. Discussion(s): It is an emerging technique that has the ability to improve the delivery of dental care diagnosis to communities with limited access or no access to specialists. As of today, there is a need for improvement in practicing it among the Saudi dental community.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak many countries around the world were forced to turn to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) and upscale the use of digital technologies for learning, teaching and assessment. The current study analysed field reports from 89 elementary and secondary Hebrew-speaking and Arabic-speaking information and communication technology schools in Israel, representing the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity of the education system. The qualitative analysis of the collected data was based on three well established contemporary models of technology integration and Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu): the International Society for Technology in Education, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and DigCompEdu. The analysis (n = 872 statements) yielded aspects in the teachers' reports that correspond with the theoretical models, along-side aspects that extend these models to ERT and aspects that were missing from the reports. Finally, based on our findings and previous work we suggested a comprehensive framework for ERT that can be used to design teachers' professional development necessary for effective remote teaching in both emergency and routine times. © 2023, Association for Learning Technology. All rights reserved.
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PurposeThe study assessed the impact of technostress creators, work–family conflict and perceived organisational support (POS) on work engagement for employees operating within the virtual and hybrid work settings. The idea is to redefine the antecedents of work engagement in work settings that are characterised by excessive technology and work–family conflict.Design/methodology/approachData gathered from 302 academics and support staff employees at a selected university in South Africa were utilised to assess the abovementioned relationships via variance-based structural equation modelling.FindingsThe combined effect of technostress, work–family conflict and POS on work engagement indicates that work–family conflict is a critical component in the relationship between technostress and work engagement. Although POS is seen as a job resource that lessens stress, the study found that the influence of work–family conflict is stronger than that of POS;hence, a negative influence is reported on work engagement. Despite the presence of support, overwhelming technostress creators and work–family conflict issues increase demands and influence work engagement negatively.Research limitations/implicationsThe results noted that, in hybrid and virtual work settings, managers can drive employee engagement by focussing on designing more favourable work–life balance (WLB) policies, providing adequate information communication technology (ICT) support, fostering aspects of positive technology and defining the boundaries between work life and family time.Practical implicationsThe managers need to realise the detrimental effects of both technostress and work–family conflict on work engagement in virtual and hybrid work settings. Expanding the personal and job resources of individuals in hybrid and virtual settings is critical to enable them to meet the additional work demands and to manage the strain imposed by technostress. Instituting relevant organisation support has proved to be inadequate to address the challenges relating to technostress and work–family conflict. Therefore, introducing WLB policies that assist employees to set clear boundaries between work and family time to avoid burn out and spillover is critical. This is especially important when dealing with technostress creators in the remote work setting. Additionally, providing adequate ICT support as well as training related to use of different devices and software should be part of the organisational culture.Social implicationsA manageable and reasonable workload should be maintained bearing in mind the complexity and ambiguity associated with the hybrid work setting. Managers should make allowances for employees to adjust managers' schedules to accommodate personal obligations, as well as adjust employees' workloads to accommodate family responsibilities. As for the coping strategy of technostress and work–family conflict, considering the positive effects of the supportive work environment is important.Originality/valueThis study provides a model on the interaction of the redefined antecedents (technostress and work–family conflict) of work engagement in high-tech environments such as virtual and hybrid work settings.
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The pandemic situation is affected in various ways in the education domain. The sudden transformation from offline to online teaching-learning process made students and teachers use different tools like WhatsApp for communication. The reason for this consideration is to investigate the impacts of WhatsApp utilized for instruction and decide the suppositions of understudies towards the method. The study is designed, keeping in mind the current COVID-19 situation and how it affected the education system turning it into online mode. On different questionnaires, regression and heatmap analysis is performed. The investigation showed that both learning situations have diverse impacts on the victory of understudies while supporting the conventional environment by utilizing WhatsApp is more successful for the increment of victory. The assessment moreover showed that students had superior pleasant reviews closer to the usage of WhatsApp in their courses. They requested the same workout in their one-of-a-kind courses as well. They expressed that picking up information can moreover take out unwittingly and the messages with pics were more prominent and viable for their picking up information. Be that as it may, some college understudies have communicated harming audits approximately the timing of a few posts and the repetitive posts within the bunch. At long last, it is supported that the utilization of WhatsApp within the preparing framework is to be energized as a steady innovation. . © 2023 IEEE.
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What should the post-COVID conference look like? In our attempt to answer this question, we first describe the primary functions and affordances of conferences. Our frank appraisal reveals the breadth of reasons why academics attend conferences, and how conference attendance often blends personal and professional motivations. We also elaborate some of the shortcomings of in-person conferences, spanning personal, professional, and societal concerns. Recent alternative (virtual) formats for convening scholars provide means for alleviating some of these shortcomings, but do not seem entirely up to the task of providing a fully satisfactory solution to all that conferencing can be. Moreover, we extrapolate from prior history and ongoing trends to predict that technological solutionism to conferencing is likely to unleash both positive and negative dynamics, some of which will exacerbate current ills in our profession. We then sketch out a values-based approach that can serve as a basis for reimagining academic conferences. This vision promotes a federated model of conferencing, grounded in principles of inclusion, diversity, community, and environmental stewardship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Since the pandemic, remote medical consultations have become a routine part of healthcare provision. But the concept of remote consultations mediated via communication technology is not as new as we might expect, and was in fact predicted a century ago.Copyright © 2023 Wiley Interface Ltd.
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Before the influx of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Africa was seen as a dark continent (Agwe-Mbarika et al., 2011). In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution declaring Internet access a human right and the intentional Internet disruption a human rights violation. This is contained in resolution A/HRC/32/L.20 of 2016. Recent reports also declare that Internet access falls under the freedom of expression (La Rue, 2011). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Construction courses are characterized by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge;however, the teaching of practical knowledge is often absent due to safety and cost considerations. VR can improve the teaching of practical knowledge by facilitating interactions between teachers and students through virtual means, regardless of location, which is a weakness of current lecture-based teaching, especially in the COVID-19 era. Therefore, this paper aims to evaluate the effect and discuss the prospect of VR in construction teaching, with a comparative study of 50 students who were evenly divided into two groups and taught using traditional teaching and VR teaching, respectively. This experiment shows that VR teaching improves the students' learning enthusiasm and satisfaction, especially in terms of practical knowledge. Additionally, students believe the combination of traditional and VR teachings can be more helpful in construction teaching. The findings of this research strengthened the advantages of VR in delivering practical knowledge in construction teaching.
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Introduction: The shift from in-person therapy to telepsychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic was unprepared for, sudden, and inevitable. This study explored patients' long-term experiences of transitions to telepsychotherapy and back to the office. Methods: Data were collected approximately two years after the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic. Eleven patients were interviewed (nine women and two men, aged 28 to 56, six in psychodynamic psychotherapy, five in CBT). Treatments switched between in-person and video/telephone sessions. Interview transcripts were analyzed applying the qualitative methodology of inductive thematic analysis. Results: (1) The patients experienced the process in telepsychotherapy as impeded. Interventions were difficult to understand and lost impact. Routines surrounding the therapy sessions were lost. Conversations were less serious and lost direction. (2) Understanding was made more difficult when the nuances of non-verbal communication were lost. (3) The emotional relationship was altered. Remote therapy was perceived as something different from regular therapy, and once back in the therapy room, the patients felt that therapy started anew. The emotional presence was experienced as weakened, but some of the patients found expressing their feelings easier in the absence of bodily co-presence. According to the patients, in-person presence contributed to their security and trust, whereas they felt that the therapists were different when working remotely, behaving in a more easygoing and familiar way, as well as more solution-focused, supportive and unprofessional, less understanding and less therapeutic. Despite this, (4) telepsychotherapy also gave the patients an opportunity to take therapy with them into their everyday lives. Discussion: The results suggest that in the long run, remote psychotherapy was seen as a good enough alternative when needed. The present study indicates that format alternations have an impact on which interventions can be implemented, which can have important implications for psychotherapy training and supervision in an era when telepsychotherapy is becoming increasingly common.
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INTRODUCTION: Delaying the onset of disability is important for maintaining independence and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Given that social isolation is a significant risk factor for disability, effective means associated with social isolation are needed to alleviate disability. Although information and communication technology (ICT) may be a reasonable measure considering the recent social contexts due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, further insights are required. This study aimed to investigate whether ICT use can alleviate the onset of disability in community-dwelling older adults with and without social isolation. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study on 4,346 community-dwelling independent Japanese older adults (mean age, 73.5 ± 5.3 years) was conducted between 2017 and 2018. Participants were classified into four groups based on social isolation (the condition where two or more of the following measures were met: domestic isolation, less social contact, and social disengagement) and ICT users (those who had recently used a computer or a smartphone) and followed up to assess disability incidence for 24 months after baseline assessments. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to identify the effect of social isolation and ICT use on the risk of disability onset by adjusting for age, sex, education history, number of medications, eye disease, level of annual income, Mini-Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale 15, and gait speed. RESULTS: The group comprised nonsocial isolation and ICT users (44.7%), social isolation and ICT users (5.4%), nonsocial isolation and ICT nonusers (41.7%), and social isolation and ICT nonusers (8.2%). At the follow-up, 2.2%, 2.4%, 5.5%, and 12.4% of the participants in the above order developed disability (p < 0.01). Cox regression models revealed a significantly higher risk of disability onset in the social isolation and ICT nonusers group than in the social isolation and ICT users group (HR = 2.939; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.029-8.397; p = 0.044). In the subgroup analysis stratified by social isolation, ICT use significantly reduced the risk of disability onset in the socially isolated group (HR = 0.320; 95% CI 0.109-0.943; p = 0.039), although the same association was not observed in the nonsocially isolated group (HR = 0.845; 95% CI 0.565-1.264; p = 0.411). CONCLUSION: ICT use can alleviate the onset of disability in socially isolated older adults in a community setting. Considering ICT-applied methods for alleviating disability is beneficial for older adults in social isolation.
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COVID-19 , Quality of Life , Humans , Aged , Longitudinal Studies , COVID-19/epidemiology , Social Isolation , Cohort Studies , Independent Living , Communication , TechnologyABSTRACT
significant recommender systems (RS) development has occurred along with the Internet of Things (IoT) development in recent years. Recommender systems have been widely spread across diverse fields, including environmental preservation, e-commerce, healthcare, social and governance systems. There has been a growing focus on e-government as part of smart city initiatives in today's world of connected devices and infrastructure, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. With the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the government can enhance the delivery of public services, increase transparency, accountability, and credibility, as well as engage citizens in the decision-making process. To facilitate 'smart' governance, one of a smart city initiative's objectives is integrating e-government into the city's governance framework. The lack of personalized services for particular stakeholders is one of the most significant limitations of e-governance. There are a number of open challenges coupled with interesting opportunities, making this a very promising and exciting area for research to shape recommendation systems for urban environments. Considering the overwhelming amount of information, services, and tasks available through smart government applications, it is a greater chance of providing personalized recommendations for different stakeholders and tasks within multi-faceted and multi-dimension. There is still a lot of research to be done on recommendation systems in the context of smart cities or smart government. This paper survey the existing studies on recommendation systems for smart governance. The study aims to address smart city challenges to considered when designing and implementing recommendations for e-governance and the target stakeholder's interests. © 2022 IEEE.
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The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated infection control measures imposed by governments caused a major disruption to traditional workflows, leading to an immense increase in remote work. At the same time, innovation activities became more collaborative and digitalized than ever before, as firms worldwide were forced to shift from physical to virtual innovation spaces literally overnight and suddenly had to adapt and practice "remote innovation”. By means of a systematic literature review based on 80 selected articles, this paper contributes to the academic discussion in three ways: First, the paper explores the synthesis between open innovation and remote work and uncovers a set of necessary determinants that form the basis for practicing remote innovation. Second, the paper offers a conceptual framework based on Chesbrough's open innovation model and extended by various determinants of open innovation in a remote work environment to provide initial advice to managers on how to innovate in times of social distancing. Third, the study concludes by identifying several promising areas for future research in the field of remote innovation management, a hitherto under-researched but highly topical field.
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COVID-19 pandemic has placed a huge burden on the healthcare system, and mainly on healthcare workers who have faced the biggest challenges and concerns in their health profession toward the unprecedented outbreak of coronavirus worldwide. Science and technology for handling a pandemic has always been there in some form in different countries. This chapter presents key lessons from various community-based activities where technologies have been widely used and emphasizes the importance of interfacing science policy practice to sustainable development. Relative importance and emphasis of science and technology for human security gets mentioned as well. Further, case studies of a few nations illustrate the existence of a good partnership of science technology groups and different other stakeholders. However, the need to strengthen this partnership with a clearer direction and strategy for implementation as a mechanism to foster collaboration across global and regional mechanisms and institutions for the implementation and coherence of instruments and tools relevant to Human Security and Health for all. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer 2022.
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Based on a broad definition of the digital economy, this study constructs a digital technology capital measure-ment framework and measures China's digital technology capital services from 2002 to 2018 to illustrate the growth of digital technology. In addition, the relationship between digital technology and economic growth is examined using the growth accounting method and econometric panel models from the perspective of the substitution and penetration effects of information and communication technologies. The measurement results show that China's digital technology capital services grew faster than non-digital ones from 2002 to 2018. In terms of the substitution effect, the contribution of traditional capital to economic growth is diminishing, whereas digital technology capital's contribution is expanding. Regarding the penetration effect, the contribution of digital technology capital to labor productivity is gradually overtaking that of traditional capital, with the impact varying by sector. These results may provide developing countries with a strategy to seek new devel-opment drivers and sustain economic growth in the post-pandemic era.