Social Research Methods in Cybersecurity

The application of social research methods in cybersecurity requires a multidisciplinary combination since the security of technologies and communication networks is made up of a set of uses, techniques, and results directly conditioned by the parameters of confidentiality, data availability, integrity, and privacy. However, each of these technological concepts is prepared and subject to conditions of use that involve ethical, sociological, economic, and legal aspects. Firstly, social engineering techniques in cybercrime tend to combine social investigation techniques with computational engineering and telecommunications elements. Secondly, research on cybersecurity phenomena in industrial environments implies the adaptation to the organizational specificity of each sector. In this chapter, the social research topics commonly addressed by leading companies and researchers in cybersecurity at a global level are analyzed from a comparative point of view, extracting a taxonomy of social research on cybersecurity.

From technology speculation to value creation: The changing discourse and actants in the construction of IoT on Twitter

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly becoming an important technology, affecting our everyday lives, and is predicted to do so even more extensively in the coming years. Still, the concept remains somewhat fuzzy. As IoT continues to grow in importance and scope, so does the need to understand how the concept is used and what it represents. This study analyzes over nine million tweets over an extended sample period, applying a mixed methods approach to investigate how IoT is understood on Twitter over time, and importantly, the human and non-human actors that were prolific in shaping the discourse. The findings reveal a changing focus within the IoT discourse over time — from a primary technological, engineering perspective to one which highlighted practical implementations and particularly ways of leveraging IoT solutions to cultivate service innovation and generate novel forms of value creation. The scholarly community is not keeping up with this change. Furthermore, the analysis shows that over time, bots become increasingly prominent in tweeting IoT-related content, at the expense of individual Twitter users. This finding puts into new light the question of who shapes emerging technological concepts and the accountability and agency of bots.

Digital literacy is associated with more discerning accuracy judgments but not sharing intentions

It has been widely argued that social media users with low digital literacy—who lack fluency with basic technological concepts related to the internet—are more likely to fall for online misinformation, but surprisingly little research has examined this association empirically. In a large survey experiment involving true and false news posts about politics and COVID-19, we found that digital literacy is indeed an important predictor of the ability to tell truth from falsehood when judging headline accuracy. However, digital literacy is not a robust predictor of users’ intentions to share true versus false headlines. This observation resonates with recent observations of a substantial disconnect between accuracy judgments and sharing intentions. Furthermore, our results suggest that lack of digital literacy may be useful for helping to identify people with inaccurate beliefs, but not for identifying those who are more likely to spread misinformation online.

Managing Non-Sewered Human Waste Using Thermochemical Waste Treatment Technologies: A Review

The utilisation of micro-scale thermal treatment technologies for non-sewered applications has been emerging as a prominent route for the safe treatment and disposal of high water content hazardous feedstock. This study provides a comprehensive review of the technological concepts practiced up to date in commercial/pilot and small scales for various types of solid fuels. The respective challenges are critically described and discussed to aid in the selection of promising technology for on-site sanitary applications. Furthermore, the challenges observed with the nominated (pyrolysis) technology are discussed in detail and addressed. This study suggests rapid energy recovery from by-products primarily made up of the highest yield of syngas with a desirable calorific value. The optimum operating ranges are discussed to ensure a reliable thermal conversion of sludge materials considering the application constraints and technology drawbacks. However, further studies are needed to investigate the uncertainties regarding emissions, energy consumption and overall associated costs.

Digital literacy and susceptibility to misinformation

It has been widely argued that social media users with low digital literacy – who lack fluency with basic technological concepts related to the internet – are more likely to fall for online misinformation, but surprisingly little research has examined this association empirically. In a large survey experiment involving true and false news posts about politics and COVID-19, we find that digital literacy is indeed an important predictor of the ability to tell truth from falsehood when judging headline accuracy. However, digital literacy is not a significant predictor of users’ intentions to share true versus false headlines. This observation reinforces the disconnect between accuracy judgments and sharing intentions, and suggests that interventions beyond merely improving digital literacy are likely needed to reduce the spread of misinformation online.

PDCA 4.0: A New Conceptual Approach for Continuous Improvement in the Industry 4.0 Paradigm

Continuous improvement (CI) is a key component of lean manufacturing (LM), which is fundamental for organizations to remain competitive in an ever more challenging market. At present, the new industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 (I4.0), is taking place in the manufacturing and service markets, allowing more intelligent and automated processes to become a reality through innovative technologies. Not much research was found regarding a holistic application of I4.0′s technological concepts towards CI, which clarifies the potential for improving its effectiveness. This clearly indicates that research is needed regarding this subject. The present publication intends to close this research gap by studying the main I4.0 technological concepts and their possible application towards a typical CI process, establishing the requirements for such an approach. Based on that study, a conceptual approach is proposed (PDCA 4.0), depicting how I4.0 technological concepts should be used for CI enhancement, while aiming to satisfy the identified requirements. By outlining the PDCA 4.0 approach, this paper contributes to increasing the knowledge available regarding the CI realm on how to support the CI shift towards a I4.0 industrial paradigm.

Development of A Computer Aided Real-Time Interpretation System for Indigenous Sign Language in Nigeria Using Convolutional Neural Network

Sign language is the primary method of communication adopted by deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. The indigenous sign language in Nigeria is one area receiving growing interest, with the major challenge faced is communication between signers and non-signers. Recent advancements in computer vision and deep learning neural networks (DLNN) have led to the exploration of necessary technological concepts towards tackling existing challenges. One area with extensive impact from the use of DLNN is the interpretation of hand signs. This study presents an interpretation system for the indigenous sign language in Nigeria. The methodology comprises three key phases: dataset creation, computer vision techniques, and deep learning model development. A multi-class Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is designed to train and interpret the indigenous signs in Nigeria. The model is evaluated using a custom-built dataset of some selected indigenous words comprising of 15000 image samples. The experimental outcome shows excellent performance from the interpretation system, with accuracy attaining 95.67%.

Sustainable Learning Environment by Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Methods on the Improvement of Productive and Receptive Foreign Language Skills: A Comparative Study for Asian Universities

In this comparative study, we investigated different influential factors of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) for improving productive and receptive language learning skills. To do this, 100 scientific research papers were selected from the top and high-quality journals based on the implications of MALL in higher education language learning. Eight papers were selected according to the specific criteria to categorize the results based on language skills interpretation and technological concepts. Therefore, after thoroughly understanding proposed methodologies and comparing them properly, underlying assumptions about this phenomenon are elaborated, and holistic and sustainable solutions are provided to address this idea. The results of this analysis indicated that Mobile devices are being utilized extensively in developing countries, with vocabulary being the primary language learning area assisted by technology and yielding satisfactory results. According to the findings of this comparative study, LINE and WhatsApp would be of interest among university students to improve receptively (listening and reading) and productivity (writing and speaking), respectively. Moreover, the technology acceptance model (TAM) would be a prominent option for teachers to adapt their current and future educational programs instead of only in-person teaching to improve students’ learning quality.

Representación de mujeres en noticias sobre violencia de género difundidas por televisión en Bolivia frente a las competencias mediáticas

The study analyzes the news content of three national television channels in Bolivia (one public and two private), where the treatment of news on gender violence is observed. The methodology proposed by Monitoreo Global de Medios, which addresses gender and media issues, is applied. At the same time, the dimensions of media literacy proposed by Ferrés and Piscitelli (2012) are analyzed in university women who observed the news broadcast on television. The findings show that there are more women (59.05%) than men (40.95%) as protagonists of the articles on gender violence, and that sexist stereotypes are reinforced in the presentation of the news. After applying the questionnaire to 200 university women, the technology dimension reached an advanced level (46.7%) based on knowledge of technological concepts and image processing software. However, the dimension of interaction processes has a high percentage of 59.5% at the basic level, as there is a lack of knowledge of the possibilities of acting critically in the face of violent content presented in the media.

Pelatihan Topologi Jaringan Menggunakan Cisco Packet Tracer untuk Meningkatkan Kompetensi Mahasiswa Politeknik Angkatan Darat Malang

The positive value of the internet is that the information generated can facilitate everyday human work. One of the negative impacts caused by the internet is cyber crime. As the Indonesian Army who is conducting studies at the Politeknik Angkatan Darat, it is not only required to be professional and proficient in physical warfare strategies. But it also has to be sophisticated and not technologically illiterate in dealing with all threats in cyberspace, including cyber crime. One of the basic sciences for dealing with cyber crime is computer networks by implementing the concept of network topology. Network topology simulation training using packet tracer software in the context of community service activities has the aim of providing technological concepts about the use of packet tracers along with network topology simulations. This training begins with an introduction to network topology which discusses implementation in military life and its strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, the implementation of this knowledge into a packet tracer and simulating the network topology. From the participants consisting of telkommil, it is hoped that all of them can take part in the training in order to understand how to design a good computer network using packet tracer software.