Digital information diversity and political engagement: The impact of website characteristics on browsing behavior and voting participation

Political conversation is at the heart of democratic societies, and it is an important precursor of political engagement. As society has become intertwined with the communication infrastructure of the Internet, we need to understand its uses and the implications of those uses for democracy. This chapter provides an overview of the core topics of scholarly concern around online citizen deliberation, focusing on three key areas of research: the standards of quality of communication and the normative stance on citizen deliberation online; the impact and importance of digital platforms in structuring political talk; and the differences between formal and informal political talk spaces. After providing a critical review of these three major areas of research, we outline directions for future research on online citizen deliberation.

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The Perceived Impact of Social Networking Sites and Apps on the Social Capital of Saudi Postgraduate Students: A Case Study

Future Internet ◽

10.3390/fi13010020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 20

Author(s):

Abdulelah A. Alghamdi ◽

Margaret Plunkett

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Social Networking ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Civic Participation ◽

Social Trust ◽

Political Engagement ◽

Postgraduate Students ◽

The Social ◽

The Impact

With the increased use of Social Networking Sites and Apps (SNSAs) in Saudi Arabia, it is important to consider the impact of this on the social lives of tertiary students, who are heavy users of such technology. A mixed methods study exploring the effect of SNSAs use on the social capital of Saudi postgraduate students was conducted using a multidimensional construct of social capital, which included the components of life satisfaction, social trust, civic participation, and political engagement. Data were collected through surveys and interviews involving 313 male and 293 female postgraduate students from Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) in Makkah. Findings show that male and female participants perceived SNSAs use impacting all components of social capital at a moderate and mainly positive level. Correlational analysis demonstrated medium to large positive correlations among components of social capital. Gender differences were not evident in the life satisfaction and social trust components; however, females reported more involvement with SNSAs for the purposes of political engagement while males reported more use for civic participation, which is an interesting finding, in light of the norms and traditional culture of Saudi society.

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COVID-19 and Beyond: Employee Perceptions of the Efficiency of Teleworking and Its Cybersecurity Implications

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13126750 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 6750

Author(s):

Andreja Mihailović ◽

Julija Cerović Smolović ◽

Ivan Radević ◽

Neli Rašović ◽

Nikola Martinović

Keyword(s):

Information Security ◽

Latent Variables ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Relevant Literature ◽

Cyber Attacks ◽

Employee Perceptions ◽

Organizational Efficiency ◽

Digital Information ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Impact

The main idea of this research is to examine how teleworking has affected employee perceptions of organizational efficiency and cybersecurity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is based on an analytical and empirical approach. The starting point of the research is a critical and comprehensive analysis of the relevant literature regarding the efficiency of organizations due to teleworking, digital information security, and cyber risk management. The quantitative approach is based on designing a structural equation model (SEM) on a sample of 1101 respondents from the category of employees in Montenegro. Within the model, we examine simultaneously the impact of their perceptions on the risks of teleworking, changes in cyber-attacks during teleworking, organizations’ capacity to respond to cyber-attacks, key challenges in achieving an adequate response to cyber-attacks, as well as perceptions of key challenges related to cybersecurity. The empirical aspects of our study involve constructing latent variables that correspond to different elements of employee perception; namely, their perception of organizational efficiency and the extent to which the digital information security of their organizations has been threatened during teleworking during the pandemic.

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Interoperability frameworks linking mHealth applications to electronic record systems

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06473-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kagiso Ndlovu ◽

Maurice Mars ◽

Richard E. Scott

Keyword(s):

Primary Healthcare ◽

Developing World ◽

Healthcare Delivery ◽

Implementation Strategies ◽

Electronic Record ◽

Digital Information ◽

Patient Centered ◽

Health Records ◽

Healthcare Needs ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background mHealth presents innovative approaches to enhance primary healthcare delivery in developing countries like Botswana. The impact of mHealth solutions can be improved if they are interoperable with eRecord systems such as electronic health records, electronic medical records and patient health records. eHealth interoperability frameworks exist but their availability and utility for linking mHealth solutions to eRecords in developing world settings like Botswana is unknown. The recently adopted eHealth Strategy for Botswana recognises interoperability as an issue and mHealth as a potential solution for some healthcare needs, but does not address linking the two. Aim This study reviewed published reviews of eHealth interoperability frameworks for linking mHealth solutions with eRecords, and assessed their relevance to informing interoperability efforts with respect to Botswana’s eHealth Strategy. Methods A structured literature review and analysis of published reviews of eHealth interoperability frameworks was performed to determine if any are relevant to linking mHealth with eRecords. The Botswanan eHealth Strategy was reviewed. Results Four articles presented and reviewed eHealth interoperability frameworks that support linking of mHealth interventions to eRecords and associated implementation strategies. While the frameworks were developed for specific circumstances and therefore were based upon varying assumptions and perspectives, they entailed aspects that are relevant and could be drawn upon when developing an mHealth interoperability framework for Botswana. Common emerging themes of infrastructure, interoperability standards, data security and usability were identified and discussed; all of which are important in the developing world context such as in Botswana. The Botswana eHealth Strategy recognises interoperability, mHealth, and eRecords as distinct issues, but not linking of mHealth solutions with eRecords. Conclusions Delivery of healthcare is shifting from hospital-based to patient-centered primary healthcare and community-based settings, using mHealth interventions. The impact of mHealth solutions can be improved if data generated from them are converted into digital information ready for transmission and incorporation into eRecord systems. The Botswana eHealth Strategy stresses the need to have interoperable eRecords, but mHealth solutions must not be left out. Literature insight about mHealth interoperability with eRecords can inform implementation strategies for Botswana and elsewhere.

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Exploring Impact of Age and Gender on Sentiment Analysis Using Machine Learning

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics9020374 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 374 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sudhanshu Kumar ◽

Monika Gahalawat ◽

Partha Pratim Roy ◽

Debi Prosad Dogra ◽

Byung-Gyu Kim

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Sentiment Analysis ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Age Groups ◽

Modern World ◽

Support Vector ◽

Digital Information ◽

Age And Gender ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

Sentiment analysis is a rapidly growing field of research due to the explosive growth in digital information. In the modern world of artificial intelligence, sentiment analysis is one of the essential tools to extract emotion information from massive data. Sentiment analysis is applied to a variety of user data from customer reviews to social network posts. To the best of our knowledge, there is less work on sentiment analysis based on the categorization of users by demographics. Demographics play an important role in deciding the marketing strategies for different products. In this study, we explore the impact of age and gender in sentiment analysis, as this can help e-commerce retailers to market their products based on specific demographics. The dataset is created by collecting reviews on books from Facebook users by asking them to answer a questionnaire containing questions about their preferences in books, along with their age groups and gender information. Next, the paper analyzes the segmented data for sentiments based on each age group and gender. Finally, sentiment analysis is done using different Machine Learning (ML) approaches including maximum entropy, support vector machine, convolutional neural network, and long short term memory to study the impact of age and gender on user reviews. Experiments have been conducted to identify new insights into the effect of age and gender for sentiment analysis.

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The Impact of an Action Civics Program on the Community & Political Engagement of Youth

The Social Studies ◽

10.1080/00377996.2020.1854163 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Brooke Blevins ◽

Karon N. LeCompte ◽

Tiffani Riggers-Piehl ◽

Nate Scholten ◽

Kevin R. Magill

Keyword(s):

Political Engagement ◽

The Impact

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Seeing Women, Strengthening Democracy

10.1093/oso/9780197526941.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Magda Hinojosa ◽

Miki Caul Kittilson

Keyword(s):

Latin American ◽

Political Institutions ◽

Political Engagement ◽

Political Support ◽

Democratic Process ◽

Gender Gaps ◽

Women's Representation ◽

Representation Of Women ◽

Women’S Representation ◽

The Impact

How does the more equitable representation of women in positions of power affect male and female citizens? We argue that the election of women to political office—particularly where women’s presence is highly visible to the public—strengthens the connections between women and the democratic process. For women, seeing more “people like me” in politics changes attitudes and orientations toward the democratic process. Substantial variation persists across Latin America in gender gaps in political engagement and political support. To assess the effects that women’s officeholding has on these, we pair comparative survey data from Latin American countries with case study evidence from Uruguay. The Uruguayan case offers a unique laboratory for testing the impact of women’s representation in elected positions of power on political engagement and support. Our panel survey of Uruguayan citizens reveals that the expected gender gaps in political knowledge, political interest, and other forms of political engagement were alive and well six weeks before the elections. Yet, just six weeks following the election—after the use of a gender quota had led to a doubling of women’s representation in the Senate—those gender gaps had largely disappeared or had significantly waned. Our findings indicate that far-reaching gender gaps can be overcome by more equitable representation in our political institutions.

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Does Exposure to the Refugee Crisis Make Natives More Hostile?

American Political Science Review ◽

10.1017/s0003055418000813 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 113 (2) ◽

pp. 442-455 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

DOMINIK HANGARTNER ◽

ELIAS DINAS ◽

MORITZ MARBACH ◽

KONSTANTINOS MATAKOS ◽

DIMITRIOS XEFTERIS

Keyword(s):

Natural Experiment ◽

Aegean Sea ◽

Political Engagement ◽

Policy Preferences ◽

Immigration Policies ◽

Refugee Crisis ◽

Direct Exposure ◽

Exclusionary Policies ◽

Muslim Minorities ◽

The Impact

Although Europe has experienced unprecedented numbers of refugee arrivals in recent years, there exists almost no causal evidence regarding the impact of the refugee crisis on natives’ attitudes, policy preferences, and political engagement. We exploit a natural experiment in the Aegean Sea, where Greek islands close to the Turkish coast experienced a sudden and massive increase in refugee arrivals, while similar islands slightly farther away did not. Leveraging a targeted survey of 2,070 island residents and distance to Turkey as an instrument, we find that direct exposure to refugee arrivals induces sizable and lasting increases in natives’ hostility toward refugees, immigrants, and Muslim minorities; support for restrictive asylum and immigration policies; and political engagement to effect such exclusionary policies. Since refugees only passed through these islands, our findings challenge both standard economic and cultural explanations of anti-immigrant sentiment and show that mere exposure suffices in generating lasting increases in hostility.

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Training in Cybersecurity in Interaction with Parents in Kindergarten

10.35853/ufh-rmp-2019-sp03 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 246-253

Author(s):

Svetlana Shabas

Keyword(s):

Digital Literacy ◽

Information Technologies ◽

Preschool Education ◽

Digital Technologies ◽

Main Task ◽

School Age ◽

Digital Information ◽

Digital Environment ◽

Digital Competence ◽

The Impact

In modern conditions of overall informatization, the majorities of children of older pre-school age actively use gadgets and have access to the Internet. However, just one-fourth of parents demonstrate concerns about digital security. That is why the issues associated with cybersecurity training in preschool education, legislative regulation in ensuring the security and development of children in a digital environment are relevant for present-day pre-school education. The study was based on the activities carried out by teachers and psychologists of the methodology association of the Leninsky district of Yekaterinburg. The methods used in the study involved observations, the analysis of information obtained through counseling and psychological checks, interviews, surveys of instructors and specialists dealing with parents in kindergarten. As a result, we revealed the problems with digital competence among all the participants of the process of upbringing and education and defined the impact of parents on the formation of digital literacy. Of special interest is a new position when the modern parent is given a “relief” from a child with the help of gadgets, which calls for family psychological support on pre-schoolers’ secure use of digital technologies. The main task of working with parents is to shape perceptions of the problems associated with free contacts of the child with information technologies and the necessity to control digital information received by the child.

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