The proposed project is a smart parking reservation system that offers clients an easy way to reserve a parking space online. It overcomes the problem of Finding a parking area in industrial or commercial areas that is useful consumes time. As a result, this challenge provides an internet-based reservation machine where customers can view numerous parking regions and select the space to view whether an area is to be had or not. If the reserved space is available, he can book (...) it for a specific time slot. The booked area might be marked yellow and could no longer be available for all of us for the specified time. This gadget affords the additional characteristic of cancelling the bookings. Each time, the user can cancel their books area. Users can make payment online via Credit card, UPI, etc. Users are notified approximately after making the payment, the booking via email along with a particular parking number. Online Vehicle Leaving Framework, as portrayed above, can prompt mistake free, secure, solid and quick administration framework. (shrink)

Abstract—This paper proposes a new theoretical framework for understanding the aesthetic shifts in digital media: algorithmic affectography, which is defined as the aesthetic emerging from the affective resonance between users, algorithms, and the platform ecosystem. By integrating posthuman philosophy (Hayles, Braidotti), affect theory (Massumi, Paasonen), and new media theory (Manovich, Shaviro), this research argues that vertical video (9:16) is not a representation of aesthetic degradation, but an evolution towards a new paradigm: from representational aesthetics to affective-participatory aesthetics. Through (...) a qualitative- quantitative analysis of 50 viral videos (2024–2025) from TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, the findings demonstrate three fundamental transformations: (1) a shift from formal composition to emotional resonance; (2) mass participation as an aesthetic mechanism; and (3) the algorithm as a posthuman curator. This paper contributes to contemporary discussions on post-cinematic aesthetics by offering the concept of affectography as an analytical and practical framework for academics, content creators, and platform designers. (shrink)

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has intensified the global tension between digital inclusion, which advocates for equitable access to technology, and digital sovereignty, emphasizing national control over data and infrastructure. This article exam ines how Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) can reconcile these competing im peratives by embedding ethical principles, such as inclusivity, sustainability, precaution, and reflexivity, into technology governance. Through qualitative case studies in educa tion (e.g., Kenya’s eLimu and India’s DIKSHA platforms) and healthcare (e.g., (...) WHO’s pandemic data-sharing protocols), the study demonstrates that RRI fosters participatory design, balances sovereignty with global collaboration, and mitigates systemic biases. Findings reveal that rigid sovereignty policies often exacerbate inequalities, while RRI driven frameworks enable marginalized communities to co-create solutions, ensuring culturally relevant and ethically aligned technologies. The analysis highlights RRI’s po tential to transform geopolitical competition into equitable governance, advocating for its institutionalization through international mechanisms such as the UN’s Global Digital Compact. By prioritizing social justice, RRI redefines sovereignty as a stewardship obli gation, ensuring AI development uplifts, rather than undermines, vulnerable populations. The article concludes that integrating RRI principles into both global and local agendas is crucial for dismantling digital hierarchies and promoting inclusive innovation. (shrink)

In this chapter I consider a common refrain among critics of digital platforms: big tech "exploits" us. It gives voice to a shared sense that technology firms are somehow mistreating people—taking advantage of us, extracting from us—in a way that other data-driven harms, such as surveillance and algorithmic bias, fail to capture. Exploring several targets of this charge—gig work, algorithmic pricing, and surveillance advertising—I ask: What does exploitation entail, exactly, and how do platforms perpetrate it? Is exploitation in the (...) platform economy a new kind of exploitation, or are these old problems dressed up as new ones? What would a theory of digital exploitation add to our understanding of the platform age? First, I define exploitation and argue that critics are justified in describing many platform practices as wrongfully exploitative. Next, I focus on platforms themselves—both as businesses and technologies—in order to understand what is and isn’t new about the kinds of exploitation we are witnessing. In some cases, digital platforms perpetuate familiar forms of exploitation by extending the ability of exploiters to reach and control exploitees. In other cases, they enable new exploitative arrangements by creating or exposing vulnerabilities that powerful actors couldn't previously leverage. On the whole, I argue, the language of exploitation helps express forms of injustice overlooked or only partially captured by dominant concerns about, e.g., surveillance, discrimination, and related platform abuses, and it provides valuable conceptual and normative resources for challenging efforts by platforms to obscure or legitimate them. (shrink)

An ecosystem model of effective solution to the customer management quality issue based on the platforms’ (internal and external) interaction is proposed, which indicates that digital platforms are the main tool of digital corporate transformation and regeneration. The key elements of the digital leadership strategy based on the “business model-ecosystem” interaction were identified, allowing determining the main features of the digital leadership strategy and forming the deployment direction within the corporate structure. The “road map” model of (...) digital leadership strategy formation is introduced, the stages’ sequence of digital strategy formation is systematized, and its key elements are outlined. (shrink)

This paper challenges the normative and conceptual foundations of current digital policies regarding adolescent smartphone use. It argues that the dominant "restriction-centered" approach reflects an analytical limitation, focusing on the "weakest link" (the minor user) while ignoring the structural power asymmetry of the platform economy. Drawing on identity theory and the concept of "freedom within a designed cage," the author redefines the smartphone not as a tool, but as a primary habitat for identity construction. The article further critiques (...) the legislative process through the lens of "least-resistance targeting" and "regulatory capture," highlighting a structural democratic deficit where adolescents—the primary subjects of these laws, are excluded from their authorship. By synthesizing 2025 global data with deliberative democracy frameworks (Habermas, Dryzek), the paper proposes a shift toward supply-side regulation and the inclusion of adolescent voices as policy partners. Note on Translation: The original version of this article was written in Persian and has been translated into English by the author. (shrink)

The online dating application has in recent years become a major avenue for meeting potential partners. But while the digital public sphere has gained the attention of political philosophers, a systematic normative evaluation of issues arising in the ‘digital sexual sphere’ is lacking. I provide a philosophical framework for assessing dating app corporation conduct, capturing why people use these apps and their experience so often is unsatisfactory. Identifying dating apps as agents intervening in a social institution necessary for (...) the reproduction of society, with immense power over people's lives, I ask if they exercise their power in line with individuals’ interests. Acknowledging that people have claims to non-interference, equal standing, and choice improvement relating to intimacy, I find that the traditional, non-digital, sexual sphere poses problems to their realisation, especially for sexual minorities. In this context, apps’ potential for justice in the sexual sphere is immense, but unfulfilled. (shrink)

As the multiple issues of the digital public sphere threaten our democracies and the cohesion of our societies, most attempts for a betterment of the digital networks and platforms revolve around a risk-response approach. This paper takes the opposite approach and develops a positive definition of the ideal ethical public sphere, combining normative features with original taxonomies. In view of defining common standards for a healthy digital public sphere, this paper offers an interdisciplinary literature review, and original (...) recommendations, before discussing potential leverages for implementing these changes. The suggested ethical normative features derive from a positive approach to the digital public sphere, as ideal common standards. Sustained by the underlying assumption that the composite landscape of the media ecosystem and its different layers (networks, platforms, users) cannot be steered by government regulations alone, the normative (deontological) approach serves to understand and justify the need for a normative approach, to help envision new pathways for an ethical transformation. (shrink)

Digital entrepreneurship, empowered by rapid technological advancements, has become a cornerstone of economic growth and innovation globally. In the United States, a pioneer in digital transformation, the integration of technologies such as e-commerce platforms, fintech, and artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped traditional business models and catalyzed economic development. This article explores the transformative role of technology in fostering digital entrepreneurship in emerging markets, with an emphasis on the lessons from the U.S. experience. Through detailed case studies, including (...) Amazon, Square, and Coursera, we analyze how digital platforms have driven job creation, market access, and financial inclusion. Furthermore, the paper addresses challenges such as digital infrastructure gaps, policy constraints, and unequal technology access, proposing actionable strategies to replicate the U.S. success in emerging markets. (shrink)

This paper argues that social media companies’ power to regulate communication in the public sphere illustrates a novel type of domination. The idea is that, since social media companies can partially dictate the terms of citizens’ political participation in the public sphere, they can arbitrarily interfere with the choices individuals make qua citizens. I contend that social media companies dominate citizens in two different ways. First, I focus on the cases in which social media companies exercise direct control over political (...) speech. They exercise quasi-public power over citizens because their regulation of speech on social media platforms implies the capacity to arbitrarily interfere with citizens’ democratic contestation in the political system. Second, companies’ algorithmic governance entails the capacity to interfere with citizens’ choices about what mode of discursive engagement they endorse in their relationships with fellow citizens. By raising the cost of deliberative engagement, companies narrow citizens’ choice menu. (shrink)

The digital transformation of the insurance industry is unprecedented, urged by the changing expectations of customers, the necessity to embrace regulatory requirements and the necessity to enhance operational efficiency. This paper examines the convergence of three leading-edge technologies, Guidewire, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Snowflake, to enable scalable, resilient and data-driven solutions for insurers. AWS and Snowflake provide unmatched cloud infrastructure in terms of security and scalability. They also provide industry-specific applications and frameworks for modernizing core systems for Guidewire, (...) such as Snowflake data warehousing and analytics. By working together, these platforms allow insurers to leverage the combined power of integrated ecosystems, real-time insights, and automation to meet current challenges and adapt to future disruptions. A key focus of this study is providing a roadmap for insurance would-be insurgents looking to capitalize on agility, customer-centricity, or both in one of the most rapidly changing industries in terms of distribution. (shrink)

The notion of authorship has been widely discussed since the proclamation of the Death of the Author in mid 20th century. Authors are still writing, but a variety of new forms of authorship and new kinds of relations between authors, texts and readers have emerged. Many new forms of authorship are enabled by the use of digital media, which provide a new layer of hypertextual and interactive software in between the ‘author’ as a representation of the human creator and (...) the author as an indexical reference to a text. The paper present a number of these forms which are based on the use of ‘avatars’ as intermediaries between the human individuals and the stories told. It is argued that the use of digital media opens for new trajectories in the development of authorship forms, and that such new trajectories calls for new sorts of research questions and development of new methods. (shrink)

The digital age has profoundly transformed Holocaust remembrance through the influence of digital archives, connectivity, and emerging technologies. This research investigates the transformation of personal memories into connective memory shaped by online social platforms, Internet search tools, and artificial intelligence. It employs an analysis of digital memory platforms and conducts interviews centered on a specific case study examining the memory patterns of a Holocaust survivor. The increasing reliance on algorithmic mediation raises concerns about the potential distortion and (...) manipulation of historical narratives. This study highlights the need for human agency in memory construction and the challenges of technologically mediated memory. It suggests that collaborative efforts involving scholars, survivors, and community members should continue to play a central role in developing technological tools for remembrance. The implications extend beyond Holocaust memory, informing discussions on the digitization, preservation, and ethical dissemination of technologically mediated historical knowledge in the twenty-first century. (shrink)

Digital innovation has become a most forwarded proposition of economic policies aiming for economic diversification and technological innovation. Moreover, it appears to be a feasible solution to the problem for Luxembourg that lacks the physical space to foster the development of an industrial sector that would require large areas. Also, diversifying from the well-established large steel industry complex is a plus. However, many obstacles can hinder the effective implementation of sharing economy principles in the digital world. This study (...) underlines the most active industry sector, transportation, which adopts the sharing economy principles. Moreover, it provides the status of sharing economy by the figures showing participation and motivation of people living in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This study also highlights its challenges and related issues in terms of citizen participation and sharing economy based on digital platforms. (shrink)

New technological developments have fundamentally transformed human life. Throughout this process, fundamental questions about human beings have once again been posed. The paper examines how technological change affects understandings of human beings and their bodies, thereby requiring new approaches to anthropology. First, Section 2 illustrates how the use of technology has changed the understanding of human beings and their bodies. A new connection between the human being or the body and technology has emerged. Section 3 then moves onto considering the (...) increasing blurring of the boundaries between organisms and machines, showing how the understanding of humans and bodies is constantly being renegotiated in relation to machines. Based on this, Section 4 explores how the understanding of the human being and the body can be redesigned in the context of modern technology. To this end, approaches for a contemporary anthropology can be derived from critical posthumanism. Section 5 addresses concrete practice and examines the construction of identity in social media platforms such as Instagram. The paper argues that technological processes and social media are places where theology is constructed and appeals for a responsible theological co-creation of these places. It advocates that technology offers the opportunity to question traditional anthropological concepts and to renegotiate understandings of the human being and the body. -- Puzio, Anna: Digital and Technological Identities – In Whose Image? A philosophical-theological approach to identity construction in social media and technology. In: Cursor (2021). (shrink)

Digital media can shape people’s political perspectives as it is used as a medium for communication and information. In the Philippines, the use of Facebook has become an avenue not just for socialization but also, for political discourse. Being considered as one of the world’s top Facebook users, Facebook is used by individuals to serve as a platform to construct propaganda networks. Diehard Duterte Supporters (also known as the “DDS”) use this digital media platform to rally (...) behind President Duterte, promote his achievements, and also, to defend him against criticisms. On the other hand, Jean Baudrillard believes that media plays a pivotal role in constituting a new realm of experience. Baudrillard’s central thesis is that the media serves as a key simulation machine that constitutes a hyperreality. In this paper, the researchers examined how political propagandas is conveyed by selected Die-hard Duterte Supporters (DDS) through Facebook. In light of Jean Baudrillard’s notion of hyperreality, the have elucidated the serious concerns regarding the proliferation of political propaganda in social media. As a result, the researchers claim that Facebook pages are used by the DDS as key simulation tools for framing the contents of their political propaganda to match their political objectives and it is therefore described as, “political framing”. Political framing of information and content is comparable to Baudrillard’s notion of simulation, wherein it involves a judicious process of creating political propaganda which involves filtering, recycling, editing information, selecting content and arguments that ultimately, blurs the distinction between the true information and disinformation, thus, creates hyperreality. (shrink)

The article entitled “Post-COVID-19: Education and Thai Society in Digital Era” has two objectives: 1) to study digital technology 2) to study the living life in Thailand in the digital era after COVID-19 pandemics. According to the study, it was found that the new digitized service is a service process on digital platforms such as ordering food, hailing a taxi, and online trading. It is a service called via smartphone. The information is used digitally. Public relations, (...) digital marketing, and living in cyberspace play an increasingly digital role. People have communication skills, use Line, Facebook, social media, have tools to search for knowledge, learn and improve themselves. People in the new era of life have a new way of life therefore there is social life in the cyber world. There should be ethics, attitudes, values, and click-on images that are linked to digital use. For a good time life, It is important to have digital intelligence (Digital Quotient) to live after post-COVID19, the digital era. (shrink)

Democracy has long been celebrated as the most legitimate form of governance, yet it rests on a foundational tension that remains unresolved: should democratic authority derive from the will of the majority, or from the quality of the decisions it produces? This paper examines the classical debate between popular sovereignty and epistemic governance through the lens of con-temporary digital media, arguing that platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have introduced unprecedented challenges to the epistemic foundations of democratic decision-making. Drawing (...) on democratic theory from Plato to Habermas, and engaging with contemporary scholars inclu-ding Jason Brennan, David Estlund, and Hélène Landemore, the paper traces how algorithmic content curation, viral misinformation, and engagement-driven platform design systematically distort the conditions necessary for informed democratic participation. However, the paper also demonstrates that epistemic alternatives to democracy—including epistocracy and technocratic guardianship—inevitably confront the problem of self-legitimating authority, as illustrated by the Iranian theocratic model. The paper proposes that deliberative democratic innovations, such as citizens’ assemblies and structured public deliberation, offer a viable middle path that im-proves the epistemic quality of collective decisions without sacrificing democratic legitimacy. The paper concludes by outlining a framework for democratic resilience in the digital age that centres on institutional design, platform accountability, and civic epistemic infrastructure. (shrink)

Under transmodern conditions—marked by convergent life sciences and computational paradigms, ubiquitous connectivity, and accelerating AI–IoT infrastructures—the classical Enlightenment architecture of knowledge (institution-centred authority, relatively stable publics, and slower epistemic rhythms) is displaced by infrastructure-mediated conditions of perception, production, and justification. The paper develops a quadrangular conceptual framework—poiesis–technē / aisthēsis–epistēmē—to show how contemporary digital systems externalize and govern aisthēsis (through distributed sensing and datafication), accelerate poiesis (through generative synthesis and automation), and reconfigure epistēmē by reshaping practical norms of evidence, credibility, (...) and closure. Against both technoutopian and fatalistic readings, the argument treats the emancipatory content of Digital Enlightenment as conditional: it depends on whether DIY epistemologies and autodidactic learning ecologies become civic infrastructures of participation, contestability, and repair, rather than being absorbed into platform spectacle or epistemic dependency. The normative core is an infrastructural expansion of epistemic justice, where harms and asymmetries increasingly track unequal access to interpretability, auditing, and intervention rights in AI–IoT environments. The conclusion articulates a transmodern pedagogical program in which digital and AI literacy function as justice-relevant capabilities for autonomy and collective empowerment under hybrid agency. (shrink)

Interest has been revived in the creation of a "bill of rights" for Internet users. This paper analyzes users' rights into ten broad principles, as a basis for assessing what users regard as important and for comparing different multi-issue Internet policy proposals. Stability of the principles is demonstrated in an experimental survey, which also shows that freedoms of users to participate in the design and coding of platforms appear to be viewed as inessential relative to other rights. An analysis of (...) users' rights frameworks that have emerged over the past twenty years similarly shows that such proposals tend to leave out freedoms related to software platforms, as opposed to user data or public networks. Evaluating policy frameworks in a comparative analysis based on prior principles may help people to see what is missing and what is important as the future of the Internet continues to be debated. (shrink)

Through a combination of Guidewire platforms, cloud computing and cybersecurity frameworks, the insurance industry in miniature is being transformed into a digitally transformed, ever resilient ecosystem. This ecosystem enables insurers to modernize core operations of policy management, claims processing and billing while continuing to provide secure, scalable and efficient service delivery. Insurers using cloud infrastructure have elastic resources capable of scaling to meet dynamic workloads and can provide high availability and fast disaster recovery. They have liberated data analytics to run (...) on the cloud with advanced capabilities to churn out actionable insights to optimize operations and create personalized offerings for their customers. Sensitive customer data and important systems are securely protected from cyber security threats by a robust cybersecurity layer, which includes data encryption, controls access, and detects threats proactively. Integration and cloud adoption challenges like costly implementation, cybersecurity risk and legacy system migration will be handled by deft and effective strategies such as phased adoption, workforce upskilling and adoption of a zero-trust security model. Within operational efficiency, stronger resilience and innovative business models enabled, i.e. behavior-based insurance pricing through IoT and real time analytics, are the opportunities. However, moisture and regulatory complexity can be barriers to change, and investments in modern technology, workforce development, and partnerships with insurtech and cybersecurity experts can enable insurers to survive and thrive in a more competitive, digital-first landscape. This convergence engenders customer trust, unlocks its operational agility and ensures compliance with changing requirements, thereby enabling insurers to sustain their growth, build resilience and rival digital transformation. (shrink)

This chapter outlines a framework for thinking about justice in the global digital economy. The chapter first proposes to understand the digital economy as about infrastructure, then describes some of the problems of justice raised by the global digital economy and sketches potential reforms.

The advancement of digital technology has significantly transformed marketing strategies, particularly within the culinary industry. This study aims to analyze the impact of digital marketing on purchasing decisions at Richeese Factory in Kisamaun, Tangerang, using a quantitative approach through a survey involving 111 respondents selected through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method, with the assistance of SmartPLS version 4 software. The findings indicate that digital marketing has a positive and significant (...) influence on purchasing decisions. Several key indicators contribute to this effect, including information accessibility, customer interactivity, the credibility of marketing content, and the effectiveness of social media in enhancing brand awareness and consumer purchase interest. The study concludes that a well-designed digital marketing strategy can significantly improve consumer purchasing decisions. Therefore, Richeese Factory is encouraged to continue optimizing its digital marketing efforts through social media and e-commerce platforms to strengthen its competitiveness and increase customer loyalty. (shrink)

This study critically examines the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education through the lens of Marx’s theory of alienation, engaging with contemporary critiques of digital capitalism and academic labour. Drawing on an exploratory survey of 395 educators in Northern Cyprus, a context of early-stage AI adoption, the paper identifies four distinct forms of alienation exacerbated by AI: from the product of academic labour, from the educational process, from professional identity (species-being), and from interpersonal relations. Findings suggest that while (...) educators who view AI more positively tend to report lower levels of alienation, particularly with respect to their pedagogical outputs, this association is tentative due to the low reliability of the AI perception scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.42). The results, therefore, serve as hypothesis-generating rather than conclusive. Situating the empirical findings within broader critiques by Noble, Hall, Preston, and Komljenovic, the study highlights how algorithmic governance, commercial platform logics, and data-driven performance regimes threaten teacher autonomy, creativity, and relationality. The paper concludes with a call for participatory governance, ethical oversight, and human-centred design to ensure that AI integration supports, not supplants, educators. In doing so, it contributes to critical debates on the ethical sustainability of digital education under conditions of intensifying automation. (shrink)

Socialism is a political ideology that proposes that the state should control the means of production to manage a planned economy. The possibility of realizing this thesis has been debated throughout the 20th century. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) includes technologies such as artificial intelligence or big data that could reopen the debate through the formulation of new digital models of planned economy. This qualitative research presents some theoretical models proposed in academia to update socialism in the 4IR. It (...) describes six new theoretical forms of digital socialism: Platform Economy, Socialist Feedback Infrastructure, Algorithmic Central Planning, Cyber-Communism, Fully Automated Luxury Communism (FALC), and Open Loop In Natura Economic Planning. The study concludes that the study of political ideologies and the debate about the future of society would benefit from further analysis of these models. (shrink)

Today’s exponential advancement of information and communication technologies is reconfiguring participatory urban development practices. The use of digital technology implies new forms of decentralised governance, collaborative knowledge production, and social activism. The digital transformation has the potential to overcome shortcomings in citizen participation, make participatory processes more deliberative, and enable collaborative approaches for making cities. While digital tools such as digital mapping, e‐participation platforms, location‐based games, and social media offer new opportunities for the various actors and (...) may act as a catalyst for renegotiating urban space and collective goods, digitalisation can also perpetuate or even attenuate existing inequalities and exclusion. This editorial introduces the thematic issue “Citizen Participation, Digital Agency, and Urban Development” which focuses on the trajectories and (dis)continuities of citizen participation through digitalisation and elaborates this with examples from Europe and Asia on how the digital transformation impacts, challenges, or reproduces hegemonic power relations in urban development. (shrink)

From a socio-theoretical and media-theoretical perspective, this article analyses exemplary practices and structural characteristics of contemporary digital political campaigning to illustrate a transformation of the public sphere through the platform economy. The article first examines Cambridge Analytica and reconstructs its operational procedure, which, far from involving exceptionally new digital campaign practices, turns out to be quite standard. It then evaluates the role of Facebook as an enabling ‘affective infrastructure’, technologically orchestrating processes of political opinion-formation. Of special concern (...) are various tactics of ‘feedback propaganda’ and algorithmic-based user engagement that reflect, at a more theoretical level, the merging of surveillance-capitalist commercialization with a cybernetic logic of communication. The article proposes that this techno-economic dynamic reflects a continuation of the structural transformation of the public sphere. What Jürgen Habermas had analysed in terms of an economic fabrication of the public sphere in the 1960s is now advancing in a more radical form, and on a more programmatic basis, through the algorithmic architecture of social media. As the authors argue, this process will eventually lead to a new form of ‘infrastructural power’. (shrink)

An assessment of the extent of the use of electronic platforms by African academic staff in universities to disseminate research was done in this study. The study is informed by the growing importance of online repositories and preprint servers in the scientific communication of scholarly output, especially in an era where the use of metrics for research appraisals and funding decisions is commonly practised. The quantitative research method was adopted, based on the descriptive survey research design. The snowball sampling technique (...) was used for data collection. Data were collected from 1,977 respondents, distributed across 24 African countries, through the use of an electronic survey. There was a high rate of willingness among universities’ academic staff in Africa, to adopt various online platforms for research dissemination; ResearchGate is currently utilized the most for research dissemination, but Google Scholar is the platform respondents are more willing to adopt for research dissemination; the rate at which academic staff research output can be found online as a ratio of their total publication is 64.04% and in the ratio of 2.00:3.12; poor access to Internet facilities at home and workplaces are the major challenges academic staff face in the utilization of digital platforms for RD. It was recommended, amongst others that academic staff in universities should endeavour to explore and utilize at least ten of the online platforms mentioned in this study, to enable them disseminate their scholarly works to a wider audience and for increased visibility Keywords:. (shrink)

Headlines in 2019 are inundated with claims about the “digital society,” making sweeping assertions of societal benefits and dangers caused by a range of technologies. This situation would seem an ideal motivation for ethics research, and indeed much research on this topic is published, with more every day. However, ethics researchers may feel a sense of déjà vu, as they recall decades of other heavily promoted technological platforms, from genomics and nanotechnology to machine learning. How should ethics researchers respond (...) to the waves of rhetoric and accompanying academic and policy-oriented research? What makes the digital society significant for ethics research? In this paper, we consider two examples of digital technologies (artificial intelligence and neural technologies), showing the pattern of societal and academic resources dedicated to them. This pattern, we argue, reveals the jointly sociological and ethical character of significance attributed to emerging technologies. By attending to insights from pragmatism and science and technology studies, ethics researchers can better understand how these features of significance affect their work and adjust their methods accordingly. In short, we argue that the significance driving ethics research should be grounded in public engagement, critical analysis of technology’s “vanguard visions,” and in a personal attitude of reflexivity. (shrink)

The rapid advancement of digital payment technologies has revolutionized the way financial transactions are conducted, yet it has simultaneously introduced new security challenges. This research presents a comprehensive framework to enhance the security of smart payment systems by emphasizing the critical role of software developers in safeguarding transaction integrity. The proposed model incorporates robust encryption techniques, secure API practices, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and real-time fraud detection mechanisms to mitigate threats such as data breaches, identity theft, and financial fraud. Furthermore, (...) the study ensures alignment with global compliance standards including PCI DSS, GDPR, and PSD2, while encouraging the adoption of secure software development practices like DevSecOps. Through analysis of real-world implementations such as Apple Pay, EMV chip cards, and blockchain-based networks, the research highlights practical applications of the framework. The study concludes with strategic recommendations for integrating Zero Trust Architecture, biometric authentication, and cross-border security measures to future-proof payment infrastructures. This framework provides developers and financial institutions with a scalable, secure, and regulation-compliant blueprint for building resilient smart payment platforms. (shrink)

The “incel” phenomenon began after 2010 when like-minded young – mostly straight white – men started to share similar thoughts and worldviews on certain digital platforms and online forums leading to an exclusive community. The phenomenon is characterized by misogynism, racism and homophobia. The most extreme forms of the phenomenon have led to violent hate crimes. The aim of this paper is to understand this phenomenon and analyze it by applying the echo chamber theory.

This article develops the concept of 'manufacture of dissent ' and ‘moral outrage networks ’ to examine why anger exists by combining evolutionary psychology with a sociology of digital communication. Drawing on the recalibrational theory of anger developed by Aaron Sell, John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, it argues that anger evolved as a strategic social emotion designed to renegotiate unfair welfare tradeoffs, enforce boundaries and deter exploitation. Far from being a loss of control, anger functioned as an internal alarm (...) system that mobilised energy, signalled resolve and restored balance within small-scale social environments. The article then shows how this adaptive mechanism becomes systematically distorted in digital societies. Networked communication systems continuously activate anger through symbolic cues, algorithmic amplification and attention-based incentives while removing the conditions necessary for resolution, negotiation and recalibration. As a result, anger shifts from an episodic corrective response to a chronic background state. What once stabilised cooperation now accumulates into permanent grievance, narrowed judgement and identity-based hostility. The article argues that digital platforms do not merely host anger but exploit its evolved alarm properties, transforming a survival mechanism into an infrastructure of engagement, visibility and power. Understanding why anger exists is therefore essential for explaining both its historical value and its contemporary dysfunction in networked public life. (shrink)

The shift toward digital government accelerated dramatically in 2021, driven by the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising expectations of digitally native citizens. This paper investigates the role of Pegasystems (Pega) in enabling such transformations through its unified, low-code platform. By examining case studies from North America and Europe, we evaluate how Pega supported digital services, inter-agency coordination, compliance adherence, and citizen engagement. These case studies illustrate the platform's effectiveness in simplifying regulatory processes, deploying (...) citizen-centric portals, and ensuring scalable, resilient public sector operations. (shrink)

The rapid growth of mobile banking and digital financial services has necessitated the -/- development of robust, secure, and user- friendly mobile applications. Financial -/- institutions face increasing pressure to provide seamless mobile experiences across diverse platforms, including Android, iOS, and web, without compromising on performance or security. This paper explores the architecture and implementation of cross-platform mobile applications tailored for the financial services sector. By leveraging frameworks such as Flutter and React Native, financial applications can now achieve (...) near-native performance while significantly reducing development time and cost. (shrink)

In this chapter we argue that emotions are mediated in an incomplete way in online social media because of the heavy reliance on textual messages which fosters a rationalistic bias and an inclination towards less nuanced emotional expressions. This incompleteness can happen either by obscuring emotions, showing less than the original intensity, misinterpreting emotions, or eliciting emotions without feedback and context. Online interactions and deliberations tend to contribute rather than overcome stalemates and informational bubbles, partially due to prevalence of anti-social (...) emotions. It is tempting to see emotions as being the cause of the problem of online verbal aggression and bullying. However, we argue that social media are actually designed in a predominantly rationalistic way, because of the reliance on text-based communication, thereby filtering out social emotions and leaving space for easily expressed antisocial emotions. Based on research on emotions that sees these as key ingredients to moral interaction and deliberation, as well as on research on text-based versus non-verbal communication, we propose a richer understanding of emotions, requiring different designs of online deliberation platforms. We propose that such designs should move from text-centred designs and should find ways to incorporate the complete expression of the full range of human emotions so that these can play a constructive role in online deliberations. (shrink)

Purpose: This study aims to determine the current state of research on partner management in the context of IIoT platforms that rely on partnerships to act as innovation engines. -/- Design/Method/Approach (only for empirical papers): The applied research method is a systematic literature analysis supported by a concept-centric synthesis. The sample of relevant literature comprises thirty papers. -/- Findings: The results indicate that only a few frameworks exist to improve and professionalize partner management in the practice and only a few (...) papers focus on IIoT platform ecosystems. In contrast, there are some articles that empirically examine individual determinants of partner management in detail. Based on these results, a conceptual framework is derived to organize and distinguish the determinants of partner management from the determinants of partner programs necessary to realize partner management. -/- Theoretical Implications: The study contributes to the research stream on partner management in IIoT platform ecosystems and enterprise software ecosystems, synthesizing the existing research and highlighting the importance of curated support of partners as a competitive lever between platform ecosystems competing in the same domain. -/- Practical Implications: Practitioners can use the derived framework to structure partner management activities and make more informed decisions based on the structured view of decisions summarized in the conceptual framework. -/- Originality/Value: Due to the critical role of complementary partners in innovating upon IIoT platforms the framework is an important foundation for further research on the individual determinants of partner management in the context of digital platforms. -/- Research Limitations/Future Research: The derived conceptual framework was not empirically validated. Empirical follow-up research could refine the framework and develop it into a taxonomy using systematic procedures. -/- Paper Type: Conceptual -/- JEL Сlassіfіcatіon: M15. (shrink)

In today's increasingly digital and interconnected business environment, organizations face significant challenges in managing multiple systems, applications, and data streams. SAP plays a central role in integrating these diverse systems and enabling seamless data flow across various platforms. Through solutions like SAP S/4HANA, SAP Cloud Platform, and SAP Integration Suite, businesses can create a unified digital ecosystem that connects onpremise, cloud-based, and third-party applications. These integration capabilities are critical for enhancing operational efficiency, improving decision-making, and fostering innovation. (...) This paper explores the role of SAP as a foundation for enterprise integration, highlighting its technologies, benefits, challenges, and real-world use cases. Additionally, it discusses how organizations can leverage SAP solutions to bridge the gap between legacy systems, modern applications, and emerging technologies in the digital age. (shrink)

The evolution of information from a communal resource to a commercially valuable commodity reflects profound technological, social, and economic transformations. This paper traces the history of information commercialization, highlighting key milestones including the advent of writing, the printing press, mass media, and the digital revolution. It explores the mechanisms through which information acquired economic value and examines contemporary trends where personal and corporate data drive global markets. Examples from historical records, media industries, and digital platforms illustrate the pervasive (...) influence of commercialized information. (shrink)

This paper explores the development of a Flutter-based Digital Classroom App that serves as an educational platform for students and teachers on Android and iOS devices. The app leverages Flutter's capabilities to provide a seamless user experience across both platforms. It offers features like live classes, assignments, discussion boards, and notifications. The paper will cover the system architecture, user interface design, and the benefits of using Flutter for cross-platform development.

As Bitcoin continued to make headlines in 2021, additional digital assets such as non-fungible tokens brought more users into the blockchain ecosystem. As more individuals and entities took a closer look at the use cases for blockchain technology, the term metaverse began to emerge across news outlets and social media platforms. With Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, announcing that the organization would become a metaverse company and change the organization’s name to Meta, this announcement came with (...) some criticism in that the Meta metaverse would be centralized. In this case study, the current state of nation-states was viewed through the lens of Hobbes’ The Leviathan to assess whether decentralized metaverses will transition to a Digital Leviathan using Bit. Country-a metaverse within the Polkadot blockchain ecosystem. The case study was conducted through interviews and uncovered that the quadruple bottom line implemented in conventional business could be transferrable to a digital world built on various blockchains, non-fungible tokens, and governance in a Digital Leviathan governed by the people. (shrink)

This article develops the concept of 'manufacture of dissent ' and ‘moral outrage networks ’ to explain how digital capitalism reorganises democratic communication around the production, circulation, and monetisation of moral anger. It argues that contemporary democracies are not collapsing but mutating into forms of decorative democracy, in which institutional procedures persist while their deliberative and integrative functions are hollowed out by market-driven media infrastructures. Under conditions of platform capitalism, dissent is no longer primarily a corrective force directed (...) at power but a commodified resource optimised for attention, engagement, and perpetual conflict. Drawing on political economy, media theory, moral psychology, and communication studies, the article analyses how outrage operates as a stable grammar rather than an episodic emotion, structuring trust, untrust, loyalty, and hostility across digital publics. It shows how informational inequality, algorithmic mediation, and strategic interventions such as cognitive infiltration transform dissent into a managed and often ineffectual spectacle, while simultaneously eroding social capital and shared reality. The article further examines the emotional mechanisms of anger and ressentiment, the rise of grievance politics, and the emergence of performative or kayfabe politics, in which publics knowingly participate in staged conflicts that sustain moral mobilisation without enabling collective resolution. The central claim is that digital capitalism has shifted democratic governance from the manufacture of consent to the manufacture of dissent, producing a communicative environment characterised by permanent polarisation, declining trust, and the planned obsolescence of communication itself. In this environment, political anger circulates freely but rarely translates into structural change, while democracy survives increasingly as form rather than substance. (shrink)

Abstract The rise of social media was initially hailed as a revolutionary force for democratizing information and empowering citizens. However, the increasing dominance of profit-oriented business models has shifted the purpose of these platforms from serving the public interest to maximizing corporate revenue. This paper explores how the monetization of visibility, algorithmic manipulation, and paid promotions have undermined the democratic promise of the internet. It further analyzes the societal implications of this trend, including information inequality, the manipulation of public discourse, (...) and the erosion of authentic digital participation. Finally, it proposes pathways toward reestablishing a democratic digital ecosystem rooted in truth, equity, and public good. -/- . (shrink)

COVID-19 and military actions on the territory of Ukraine fundamentally changed the organization of the educational process, forcing educational institutions to transfer classroom learning to virtual space. To organize the educational process remotely, we need to organize an educational environment in which we can ensure the implementation of all types of educational activities, as well as creation and selection of e-resources depending on their types. Having guidelines in the form of modes, forms and learning outcomes, it is necessary to structure (...) the content of educational disciplines, corresponding curricula, to ensure the activity of students during lectures and the implementation of practical tasks with the necessary tools, to determine and carry out the selection of electronic educational resources for the effective organization of the educational process in conditions of open education. First of all, it is important to take into account all types of student activities, namely: those ones, which are usually implemented in class and determine the possibility of their implementation in a remote format using cloud services. The monograph considers the problem of effective use of Microsoft 365 services for the organization of e-learning through the prism of the competency approach. In particular, the study established a correspondence between training activities and M365 services, which can provide tools support for their implementation. Chapter 1 analyzes the components of digital competence and the abilities necessary for the organization of the e-learning process. Based on the analysis, the correspondence between the components of digital competence and M365 services, the possession of which indicates the existing level of digital competence, was established. Chapter 2 of the monograph describes the digital competences necessary for the organization of various types of training using Microsoft 365 services. It studies features of using digital identity cloud services, Microsoft 365 services for digital data management and collaboration, e-learning management, design and creation of digital content, problem solving and innovation, digital communication, cooperation and interaction. Chapter 3 offers a developed model of hybrid educational environment architecture based on Microsoft Teams platform and analyzes digital competences for the organization of asynchronous interaction between students and teachers using MS Teams tools. Chapter 4 is devoted to the results of an experimental study of the effectiveness of the use of Microsoft 365 services for the organization of e-learning and the readiness of teachers and students to use them. (shrink)

-/- The Negative Effects of the Profit Motive in the Media Business and Social Media Platforms -/- In a democratic society, the media plays a vital role as a watchdog, educator, and link between the public and the truth. However, the increasing dominance of the profit motive in the media industry—both traditional and digital—has distorted this role, leading to harmful consequences. When financial gain becomes the primary objective, journalistic integrity and public responsibility are often compromised. This paper examines how (...) the pursuit of profit results in sensationalism, misinformation, political bias, underreporting of important issues, and ethical erosion, not only in traditional media but also in internet-based platforms and social media applications. -/- One of the most evident effects of the profit motive is the prioritization of sensational content over substantive reporting. To attract viewers and generate advertising revenue, both television and online platforms often focus on emotionally charged or dramatic stories, even when they lack context or accuracy. This was exemplified during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, when CNN and Fox News released unverified and inaccurate reports in their race to be first. The need to dominate ratings took precedence over the obligation to deliver factual information, resulting in public confusion and distress. -/- Closely tied to sensationalism is the spread of misinformation and clickbait, which has become rampant with the rise of social media apps such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). These platforms rely heavily on engagement-based algorithms to maximize ad revenue. The more shares, likes, and comments a post receives, the more visible it becomes—regardless of its truthfulness. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, for example, Facebook’s algorithm amplified fake news stories that generated high engagement. A viral article falsely claiming that Pope Francis endorsed Donald Trump reached millions of users. Although entirely fabricated, it influenced public opinion and demonstrated the immense power of profit-driven disinformation on social media. -/- The profit motive also fuels political bias and societal polarization. Many traditional and digital media outlets cater to specific ideological views to build a loyal following and secure advertising deals. Fox News is known for its conservative leanings, while MSNBC presents more liberal viewpoints. In the digital space, YouTube’s recommendation system has been criticized for leading users down ideological rabbit holes, reinforcing existing beliefs and isolating individuals from alternative perspectives. This segmentation creates echo chambers and hinders critical thinking, ultimately weakening the quality of democratic discourse. -/- Another serious consequence of profit-driven media is the underreporting of important but less commercially appealing issues. Complex topics like climate change, wealth inequality, and global health often receive minimal coverage because they do not attract as many clicks or viewers as celebrity gossip, crime stories, or political scandals. For years, climate change was underrepresented in both mainstream media and on digital platforms, despite being one of the most urgent global challenges. This neglect delays public understanding and action, with long-term consequences for society and the planet. -/- Finally, the pursuit of profit can lead to unethical behavior and a disregard for privacy and public trust. A notorious case was the 2011 News of the World phone hacking scandal in the UK, where journalists illegally accessed voicemails to obtain exclusive stories. In the realm of digital media, companies such as Facebook (now Meta) have faced criticism for mishandling user data, most notably in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In that case, data from millions of users were harvested without consent and used for political advertising, revealing how the monetization of personal information can lead to serious breaches of privacy and democratic ethics. -/- In conclusion, while generating revenue is essential for sustaining media operations, an overemphasis on profit can undermine the media’s core responsibilities to inform, educate, and uphold truth. Whether in traditional news outlets or on global social media platforms, sensationalism, misinformation, polarization, underreporting, and ethical violations are byproducts of a profit-first approach. To safeguard democracy and public well-being, media organizations and digital platforms must strike a balance between economic sustainability and a commitment to journalistic integrity, public accountability, and responsible information sharing. -/- . (shrink)

This article explores communication models within digital teams, using the professional eSports environment – specifically the game League of Legends – as a case study. The relevance of this research lies in the increasing virtualization of collaborative work and the growing significance of effective communication management in achieving strategic objectives. The study examines the applicability of classical and contemporary communication models – such as Shannon-Weaver, Schramm, transactional, and spiral models – within highdynamic digital contexts where communication unfolds in (...) multichannel, rapidly evolving environments. Using a combination of case study methodology, qualitative content analysis, and structural-functional analysis, the article identifies and reconstructs key communication patterns within digital teams. These include shot-calling, strategic silence, reactive cycles, and layered hierarchies of information exchange. A visualized communication model is presented, mapping the flow of information among team roles (e.g., Shotcaller, Jungler, Support) and identifying critical points of cognitive overload, decision-making bottlenecks, and zones of high information density. The article highlights how communication in digital teams extends beyond immediate gameplay to include organizational and psychological dimensions, supported by a hybrid infrastructure of voice channels, in-game signals, messaging apps, and asynchronous platforms. It emphasizes the manager’s role not only as a message initiator but as an architect of the information environment, capable of regulating flow, rhythm, and distribution of messages based on real-time context and team roles. The findings support the thesis that hybrid communication models, adapted to team dynamics and situational phases, are more effective than standardized frameworks. Practical recommendations include formalizing internal communication protocols, minimizing noise through prioritization of signals, and designing adaptive infrastructures that support synchronous and asynchronous exchanges. Although grounded in eSports, the results have broader implications for communication management in distributed teams, IT projects, remote collaboration, e-learning, and innovation-driven ecosystems. (shrink)

This paper proposes a new normative framework to think about Big Tech reform. Focusing on the case of digital communication, I argue that rethinking the corporate purpose of social media companies is a distinctive entry point to the debate on how to render the powers of tech corporations democratically legitimate. I contend that we need to strive for a reform that redefines the corporate purpose of social media companies. In this view, their purpose should be to create and maintain (...) a free, egalitarian, and democratic public sphere rather than profit seeking. This political reform democratically contains corporate power in two ways: first, the legally enforceable fiduciary duties of corporate boards are reconceptualized in relation to democratic purposes rather than shareholder interests. Second, corporate governance structures should be redesigned to ensure that the abstract purpose is realized through representatives whose incentives align with the existence of a democratic public sphere. My argument complements radical proposals such as platform socialism by drawing a connection between democratizing social media governance and identifying the proper purpose of social media companies. (shrink)

The Life Insurance industry is undergoing a profound digital transformation, transitioning from traditional, static methodologies to agile, data-intelligent ecosystems capable of adapting to dynamic customer demands and stringent regulatory complexities. At the forefront of this shift is the adoption of digital twins—high-fidelity virtual replicas of physical systems, processes, and assets—specifically for testing and optimizing Life Insurance platforms. This paper provides a deep dive into the role of Digital twins in the Life Insurance domain, exploring their powerful applications (...) in underwriting, policy lifecycle management, and claims processing. By accurately simulating complex, real-world scenarios, Digital twins enable predictive testing environments that refine system resilience, preemptively identify risk exposures, and ensure operational continuity. Through this sophisticated digital infrastructure, insurers gain a transformative tool for enhancing precision, boosting reliability, and driving efficiency in core insurance processes. This research investigates the architecture, applications, and strategic trajectory of Digital twins as next generation testing mechanisms reshaping Life Insurance. (shrink)

Moral Outrage Networks: The Sociology of Digital Anger examines how anger has become one of the dominant organising forces of contemporary moral and political life. Rather than treating outrage as an emotional excess, a media pathology, or a democratic failure, the book argues that moral anger is a structural condition of morality itself. Wherever moral boundaries exist, anger emerges as the mechanism through which violations are detected, communicated, and sanctioned. In digital societies, this function has been absorbed into (...) networked communication systems that amplify, stabilise, and monetise outrage. -/- The book develops the concept of moral outrage networks to describe how platforms, institutions, and publics co-produce continuous cycles of moral accusation and response. Drawing on moral psychology, sociology, media theory, and political philosophy, it shows how moral disagreement increasingly takes the form of permanent indignation rather than deliberation. Moral outrage networks do not merely reflect conflict over values; they actively organise political identities, attention economies, and symbolic power. -/- Through a genealogy of anger across historical media regimes, the book traces how moral emotions were once embedded in local communities and institutions, and how digital infrastructures have transformed anger into an always-on, scalable resource. It analyses algorithmic amplification, outrage exploitation, and contemporary propaganda models, demonstrating how moral emotions are operationalised within platform capitalism. -/- The final sections confront the ethical paradox at the heart of digital moral life. If anger is necessary for morality to exist at all, how can it be restrained without undermining moral vigilance itself? The book does not offer prescriptions for eliminating outrage, but instead clarifies the conditions under which moral anger retains its critical function, and the conditions under which it becomes self-reinforcing, corrosive, or nihilistic. In doing so, it provides a sociological framework for understanding polarisation, media distrust, and the transformation of moral authority in networked societies. (shrink)

As in today's fast-changing technological context, organizations more and more need cost-effectiveness to maintain competitiveness and enhance organizational performance. Leading drivers of these trends are automation, cloud technology, data-based decision-making, and agile. Automation improves performance through minimizing redundancy and human mistake, especially supply chain, financial, and customer care processes. Predictive analysis also helps maintain cost savings with forecasting demand and optimization of assets. Cloud computing offers scalable and elastic infrastructure solutions, reducing the costs of traditional IT. Companies such as Netflix (...) and Amazon Web Services illustrate how cloud platforms facilitate dynamic resource allocation and cost-efficient service delivery. Datadriven decision-making enables businesses to gain a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour and market trends. Businesses such as Tesla and Google use big data analytics to optimize supply chains and minimize operational waste, improving responsiveness and profitability. Remote and blended work arrangements, enabled by tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, minimize overhead for office space and transportation, with additional saving opportunities. Lean and agile systems, embraced by companies like Toyota and Tesla, enhance flexibility and minimize waste through production and project management. Cybersecurity is an ongoing issue as digital integration continues to grow. Investments made by companies such as IBM and Microsoft in sophisticated security systems reduce financial and reputational risks. Although these measures have definite advantages, difficulties like large initial investment, resistance to change, and data security threats remain. Phased implementation facilitates smooth transitions. Finally, organizations adopting smart technologies and innovation stand a better chance of realizing sustainable cost reductions and long-term profitability. (shrink)

This open access book considers the development of the sharing and collaborative economy with a European focus, mapping across economic sectors, and country-specific case studies. It looks at the roles the sharing economy plays in sharing and redistribution of goods and services across the population in order to maximise their functionality, monetary exchange, and other aspects important to societies. It also looks at the place of the sharing economy among various policies and how the contexts of public policies, legislation, (...) class='Hi'>digital platforms, and other infrastructure interrelate with the development and function of the sharing economy. The book will help in understanding the future economy models as well as to contribute in solving questions of better access to resources and sustainable innovation in the context of degrowth and growing inequalities within and between societies. It will also provide a useful source for solutions to the big challenges of our times such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and recently the coronavirus disease pandemic. This book will be of interest to academics and students in economics and business, organisational studies, sociology, media and communication and computer science. (shrink)