Societies

17 pages, 546 KB

Open AccessArticle

Empowering Madurese Women Through Social Entrepreneurship: The Influence of Environmental Munificence

by Amaliyah Amaliyah, Utaberta Nangkula, Aminatus Zakhra, Erindah Dimisyqiyani, Siti Intan Nurdiana Wong Abdullah and Muhammad Iqbal Ar Rasyid

Societies 2026, 16(8), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080252 - 7 Aug 2026

Abstract

Women’s empowerment through social entrepreneurship has become an important strategy for promoting social inclusion and sustainable rural development, particularly in culturally distinctive communities. However, limited evidence explains how individual and environmental factors encourage women to transform social entrepreneurial intentions into concrete actions. This [...] Read more.

Women’s empowerment through social entrepreneurship has become an important strategy for promoting social inclusion and sustainable rural development, particularly in culturally distinctive communities. However, limited evidence explains how individual and environmental factors encourage women to transform social entrepreneurial intentions into concrete actions. This study aims to investigate the determinants of social entrepreneurial behaviour among entrepreneurs committed to empowering Madurese women. It examines the moderating role of environmental munificence in the relationship between social entrepreneurial intention and behaviour. A quantitative approach was employed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse survey data collected from 143 entrepreneurs on Madura Island, Indonesia. The findings indicate that empathy and self-efficacy positively influence social entrepreneurial intention, whereas moral obligation has no significant effect. Social entrepreneurial intention significantly predicts social entrepreneurial behaviour, and environmental munificence strengthens this relationship by providing supportive conditions for entrepreneurial action. These findings highlight the importance of combining individual capabilities with enabling social environments to foster women’s empowerment. The study contributes to research on gender, rural development, and social entrepreneurship by providing evidence from an underexplored cultural context and offering practical implications for policymakers and community development initiatives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Science, Technology, and Society)

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19 pages, 2735 KB

Open AccessArticle

‘COVID Can’t Be COVID Without George Floyd’: A Photovoice Exploration of Black Women’s Mental Health During the Dual Pandemics

by Hanna C. Dingel, Chandra Jennings, Kacia Vines, Mysha Wynn, Tab Battle, Wanda Cox-Bailey, Wanda Fearrington, Latasha Little, Gwendolyn Parmley-McCloud, Jalynn Woods, Margaret E. Petersen, Alexandra F. Lightfoot and Anissa I. Vines

Societies 2026, 16(8), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080251 - 6 Aug 2026

Abstract

Black women faced disproportionate social, emotional, and structural burdens during the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, yet their mental health experiences remain underexamined. This study explores how Black women understood, navigated, and coped with these intersecting crises. Seven Black women in [...] Read more.

Black women faced disproportionate social, emotional, and structural burdens during the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, yet their mental health experiences remain underexamined. This study explores how Black women understood, navigated, and coped with these intersecting crises. Seven Black women in North Carolina participated in a seven-session virtual photovoice study, including four photo discussion sessions. Participants generated four photo assignments, took photos, and discussed them using the SHOWeD framework. Recorded discussions were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Sort and Sift, Think and Shift, with participants supporting theme development. Narratives revealed multi-level mental health impacts: at the individual level, caregiving overload, compounded grief, and constant vigilance; at the interpersonal level, invisibility, racial misreading, and everyday racism that intensified distress and made help-seeking itself a labor of confronting providers’ biases; at the community level, trauma from witnessing racial violence and pandemic loss; and structural factors such as inequity, food insecurity, and policing as primary drivers of mental health strain. Participants employed healing as resistance through faith, nature, sister circles, and culturally concordant care. Black women’s mental health during the dual pandemics is inseparable from structural racism and gendered labor; healing is individual and collective, and crisis preparedness requires system-level change driven by Black communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems and Structures of Racism and Oppression, Health and Potential Solutions)

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32 pages, 660 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Animated Paintings to Social Robots: Embodied Generative AI, Algorithmic Governance and the Data-Based Mediation of Cultural Heritage at the Alfieri Museum

by Norberto Albano and Sandro Brignone

Societies 2026, 16(8), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080250 - 5 Aug 2026

Abstract

Digital technologies and data-based approaches do not only increase the amount of information available to institutions and the public, they also transform the conditions through which social reality is classified, made visible, ordered, interpreted and governed. This article examines this transformation through AI4Alfieri, [...] Read more.

Digital technologies and data-based approaches do not only increase the amount of information available to institutions and the public, they also transform the conditions through which social reality is classified, made visible, ordered, interpreted and governed. This article examines this transformation through AI4Alfieri, a project developed in Italy, at the Luciano Gallino Laboratory of the University of Turin in collaboration with the Fondazione Centro di Studi Alfieriani in Asti, and devoted to generative AI for the mediation of Vittorio Alfieri’s life and work. Specifically, it presents a virtual conversational agent and one embodied in a social robot (Pepper or NAO). The project is analysed as a reflexive case study of a technology in the making, with autoethnographic elements. The empirical corpus comprises a development diary, code and design artefacts, prompts, logs, architectural diagrams and laboratory tests; the study does not evaluate effects on museum visitors. From analysis of the design process, the article advances the interpretive thesis that embodied generative AI makes cultural mediation a problem of distributed accountability: knowledge is governed by the corpus, speech by prompts and retrieval, action by deterministic policy, presence by the body, legitimacy by the institution, and auditability by infrastructures. The paper proposes an exploratory S0–S4 governance stack for embodied generative agents and formulates hypotheses for future research on how data-based cultural mediation may reallocate epistemic authority, institutional legitimacy and design responsibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reshaping Social Reality: Digital Societies and the Data-Based Approach)

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27 pages, 1642 KB

Open AccessArticle

Human Capital Development Programs, Employee Performance, and Employee Well-Being During Poly-Crisis: The Role of Work–Family Conflict and Technostress at SMEs in Lebanon

by Najib Bou Zakhem

Societies 2026, 16(8), 249; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080249 - 5 Aug 2026

Abstract

Lebanon is currently going through a multi-faceted crisis with what appears to be an unrelenting cycle of economic and banking defaults, unstable infrastructure, market uncertainty, and difficult working conditions for employees who are trying to support the economy. This study examines whether opportunities [...] Read more.

Lebanon is currently going through a multi-faceted crisis with what appears to be an unrelenting cycle of economic and banking defaults, unstable infrastructure, market uncertainty, and difficult working conditions for employees who are trying to support the economy. This study examines whether opportunities for human capital development in SMEs are associated with less work–family conflict and higher employee productivity and well-being in turbulent times. Furthermore, the study investigates whether technostress and coping mechanisms moderate the association between work–family conflict and employee outcomes. Data were collected through a quantitative cross-sectional survey targeting 207 employees working for SMEs in Lebanon and analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results indicated that human capital development opportunities were negatively associated with work–family conflict and that work–family conflict was, in turn, negatively associated with employee productivity and well-being. Further, technostress and coping mechanisms moderated the negative association between work–family conflict and employee outcomes. From a theoretical perspective, this research offers an integrated framework that synthesizes organizational, technological, and psychological dimensions within the SME context during times of crisis. From a practical standpoint, these associations may help inform how Lebanese SMEs approach workforce development, digital-work management, and coping-support practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Revitalizing Workplaces: The Intersection of Public Health and Sustainable Wellbeing in Organizations: 2nd Edition)

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19 pages, 293 KB

Open AccessArticle

Algorithmic Sacredness and Algorithmic Pluralism: Content Moderation and the Symbolic Dispossession of Contemporary European Paganism

by Giuseppe Maiello and Ondřej Roubal

Societies 2026, 16(8), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080248 - 5 Aug 2026

Abstract

This paper examines mainstream platform moderation as it encounters contemporary pagan religious practice in Europe and reads what it finds as a symptom of a wider condition: the algorithm functions less as a neutral tool than as a productive instrument of an extractive [...] Read more.

This paper examines mainstream platform moderation as it encounters contemporary pagan religious practice in Europe and reads what it finds as a symptom of a wider condition: the algorithm functions less as a neutral tool than as a productive instrument of an extractive political economy whose characteristic operation is the appropriation, classification, and revenue-conditioned filtering of human expression. Minority religious traditions are structurally exposed within it: too small to constitute an accommodated market, too polysemic for classifiers trained on majority devotional and Anglo-American extremism corpora, and too fragmented to extract policy concessions. Empirically, the paper draws on netnography of pagan online communities across Europe, informal conversations with 97 practitioners across nine European jurisdictions, and a corpus of 247 takedown notices and appeal exchanges (2019–2025). Three recurrent rationale-clusters—devotional content classified as occult, as extremism-adjacent, and as unsafe activity—are read as predictable outputs of the system’s cost structure rather than as ordinary classifier errors. Two concepts are proposed. Algorithmic sacredness names the transfer of gate-keeping functions previously held by ecclesiastical, state, and editorial actors, routed through Bourdieu’s meta-capital as extended to platforms. Algorithmic pluralism names a programmatic direction toward infrastructures whose governance is not capital’s. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Epistemology, Methodology and Ontology of a Post-Digital Social Inquiry)

16 pages, 311 KB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Social Reintegration and Criminal Recidivism in the Spanish Civilian and Military Prison Systems: A Quantitative Study with Sensitivity Analysis

by Luis Miguel Ortiz Solla, Raquel Lozano Blasco and José Luis Roca González

Societies 2026, 16(8), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080247 - 4 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study comparatively analyzes the effectiveness of social reintegration in the Spanish civilian and military prison systems, using re-imprisonment recidivism as an inverse proxy indicator. Official administrative data for the 2009–2019 period were analyzed for the civilian system (n = 19,909) and the [...] Read more.

This study comparatively analyzes the effectiveness of social reintegration in the Spanish civilian and military prison systems, using re-imprisonment recidivism as an inverse proxy indicator. Official administrative data for the 2009–2019 period were analyzed for the civilian system (n = 19,909) and the military system (n = 644), the latter comprising 539 released individuals with complete outcome data and 105 transferred to the civilian system whose post-release outcomes were unavailable. To address this missing information, a sensitivity analysis was implemented under three transparent, a priori scenarios (conservative, intermediate, and optimal). The civilian reintegration rate was 80.02%, whereas the military rate ranged from 95.19% to 98.14% across scenarios. The military advantage was substantial and consistent (absolute risk difference +15.17 to +18.13 percentage points; all p < 0.001; large effect sizes). However, the two populations differ markedly in prior criminal history, offense type, and risk/protective factor profiles; the observed gap therefore reflects the combined effect of population selection and institutional factors and should be interpreted as descriptive rather than causal. These findings establish a robust empirical phenomenon and generate testable hypotheses for future comparative and quasi-experimental research on penitentiary effectiveness. Full article

18 pages, 260 KB

Open AccessArticle

Inclusion and Accessibility in Institutional Communication: Study of the Official Facebook Accounts of Ecuadorian Public Institutions

by Jessica Paola Mantilla, Rosa Carolina Guzmán, Ana Larrea-Ayala and Armando Fabricio Rosero

Societies 2026, 16(8), 246; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080246 - 1 Aug 2026

Abstract

Social media have become central tools for government communication; however, they also present significant accessibility challenges for people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. This study analyzes inclusive communication and digital accessibility practices in the official Facebook accounts of six Ecuadorian public [...] Read more.

Social media have become central tools for government communication; however, they also present significant accessibility challenges for people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. This study analyzes inclusive communication and digital accessibility practices in the official Facebook accounts of six Ecuadorian public institutions. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining documentary analysis, a focus group with visually impaired users, and content analysis of 2429 Facebook posts published between 2023 and 2025. The analysis was conducted using four dimensions: propositional communication, copywriting, images, and videos. The results show that most publications only partially comply with accessibility criteria. While progress was identified in the use of clear and accessible language in textual content, significant deficiencies persist in multimedia content, particularly in the lack of alternative text, subtitles, and audio descriptions. The study concludes that inclusive communication in Ecuadorian public institutions remains fragmented and is not yet implemented as a cross-cutting public communication policy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Society in the Making: Technological Innovation, Social Change and Education)

21 pages, 634 KB

Open AccessArticle

Shaping Digital Work Life in Hotels: How Digital Empowering Leadership Fosters Digital Work Engagement Through Self-Efficacy and Thriving

by Ahmed Mohamed Hasanein and Hazem Ahmed Khairy

Societies 2026, 16(8), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080245 - 1 Aug 2026

Abstract

Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this study investigates how digital technologies shape employees’ work experiences and social life in digitally transforming hotel organizations. Specifically, it examines the role of digital empowering leadership in fostering digital work engagement through the mediating mechanisms of digital [...] Read more.

Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this study investigates how digital technologies shape employees’ work experiences and social life in digitally transforming hotel organizations. Specifically, it examines the role of digital empowering leadership in fostering digital work engagement through the mediating mechanisms of digital self-efficacy and digital thriving at work within five-star hotels in Egypt. As digital technologies increasingly redefine how employees interact, collaborate, and derive meaning from their work, understanding the human and social consequences of digital transformation has become a critical research priority. Data were collected from 394 full-time employees working in five-star hotels in Egypt and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS software. The findings reveal that digital empowering leadership significantly enhances employees’ digital work engagement, digital self-efficacy, and digital thriving at work. Furthermore, digital self-efficacy and digital thriving at work positively influence digital work engagement and partially mediate the relationship between digital empowering leadership and digital work engagement. By highlighting how digitally enabled leadership shapes employees’ psychological capabilities and flourishing in technology-rich workplaces, this study contributes to the growing literature on the social implications of digital technologies in organizational settings. The findings underscore that successful digital transformation extends beyond technological adoption to encompass employees’ empowerment, well-being, and meaningful engagement in digital work environments. Practical implications are provided for hotel managers seeking to cultivate human-centered digital workplaces that support employees’ social and psychological flourishing amid ongoing technological change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Digital Technologies Influence Social Life)

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27 pages, 913 KB

Open AccessArticle

When Words Betray Actions: Organizational Hypocrisy and Counterproductive Work Behavior—The Indirect Roles of Organizational Silence and Job Withdrawal Behaviors in Tourism and Hospitality Organizations

by Ahmed Mohamed Hasanein and Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy

Societies 2026, 16(8), 244; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080244 - 1 Aug 2026

Abstract

This study examines organizational hypocrisy (OH) in relation to counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and investigates the indirect roles of organizational silence (OS) and job withdrawal behaviors (JOW). Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, the study proposes that perceived inconsistencies between organizational values and actual [...] Read more.

This study examines organizational hypocrisy (OH) in relation to counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and investigates the indirect roles of organizational silence (OS) and job withdrawal behaviors (JOW). Drawing on Social Exchange Theory, the study proposes that perceived inconsistencies between organizational values and actual practices are associated with employee silence, withdrawal, and counterproductive work behavior. Data were collected from 437 employees working in Saudi Arabian five-star hotels and Class-A travel agencies and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that organizational hypocrisy was positively associated with organizational silence, job withdrawal behaviors, and counterproductive work behavior. Organizational silence showed significant positive relationships with both job withdrawal behaviors and counterproductive work behaviors, while job withdrawal behaviors were also positively associated with counterproductive work behavior. Furthermore, statistically significant individual indirect associations through organizational silence and job withdrawal behaviors, as well as a sequential indirect association through both variables, were identified within the proposed model. The findings extend Social Exchange Theory by providing support for an interconnected pattern of associations between perceived organizational hypocrisy, organizational silence, job withdrawal behaviors, and counterproductive work behavior. Rather than establishing a progressive temporal sequence, the results are consistent with the theoretically proposed ordering of these constructs within the model. This integrated perspective contributes to the literature by documenting individual and sequential indirect associations within a unified theoretical framework in the tourism and hospitality context. Given the cross-sectional design, however, the findings do not establish causality or confirm the temporal ordering of the examined variables. The findings also offer practical insights for managers seeking to strengthen organizational authenticity, encourage employee voice, and address employee disengagement and counterproductive work behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Invisible Harm: When Institutions Fail to Enact and Enforce Workplace Bullying Policy)

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14 pages, 8425 KB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Climate Havens or Climate Illusions? Structural Racism and Extreme Heat Vulnerability in Buffalo, New York

by Monica Lynn Miles, Eh Shee Wah and Rafey Shahid

Societies 2026, 16(8), 243; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080243 - 30 Jul 2026

Abstract

Environmental injustices in the United States are rooted in structural racism, particularly policies of racial segregation and disinvestment such as redlining that have produced enduring inequalities in the built environment and population health. This concept paper examines extreme heat as a racialized environmental [...] Read more.

Environmental injustices in the United States are rooted in structural racism, particularly policies of racial segregation and disinvestment such as redlining that have produced enduring inequalities in the built environment and population health. This concept paper examines extreme heat as a racialized environmental exposure in Buffalo, New York—a post-industrial Great Lakes city increasingly framed as a “climate haven”. While such designations suggest relative protection from climate risk, they obscure the socio-spatial inequalities that shape uneven vulnerability on the ground. Drawing on a structural racism framework and insights from urban political economy, this study argues that extreme heat vulnerability in Buffalo is not incidental but produced through historically embedded patterns of disinvestment in housing, infrastructure, and environmental resources. Neighborhoods such as the East Side, Black Rock, and the West Side exhibit heightened exposure due to concentrations of thermally inefficient housing, limited tree canopy and green space, and unequal access to cooling resources. These conditions reflect the material legacy of segregation and uneven urban development, which continue to structure differential capacity to adapt to rising temperatures. Although extreme heat is widely recognized as a major public health threat, it remains underexamined in mid-sized northern and Rust Belt cities, where risk is often perceived as episodic rather than structurally produced. This paper addresses this gap by advancing a conceptual critique of the “climate haven” narrative, demonstrating that relative geographic advantage does not equate to equitable resilience. By theorizing extreme heat as a mechanism through which structural racism is reproduced, this study highlights the need for place-based, justice-oriented climate adaptation strategies that confront the historical and institutional drivers of vulnerability in Great Lakes cities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems and Structures of Racism and Oppression, Health and Potential Solutions)

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17 pages, 417 KB

Open AccessArticle

Age and Work Engagement: The Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

by Luís Felipe Souza and Isabel Miguel

Societies 2026, 16(8), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080242 - 29 Jul 2026

Abstract

The workforce in Portugal, as in other European countries, is ageing, posing challenges for human resource management. Although older workers are frequently subject to stereotypes concerning lower motivation and productivity, previous research has reported associations between chronological age, emotional intelligence, and work engagement. [...] Read more.

The workforce in Portugal, as in other European countries, is ageing, posing challenges for human resource management. Although older workers are frequently subject to stereotypes concerning lower motivation and productivity, previous research has reported associations between chronological age, emotional intelligence, and work engagement. However, limited evidence is available on whether specific dimensions of emotional intelligence account for the association between age and work engagement. Addressing this gap, the present study examined the distinct mediating roles of four emotional intelligence dimensions in the relationship between age and work engagement. A multiple mediation model was tested using cross-sectional self-report data from 377 workers aged 18 to 63 (M = 39.42, SD = 11.62) working in different sectors in Portugal. The analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and estimates of direct and indirect associations. Chronological age showed a modest positive association with work engagement. Among the four emotional intelligence dimensions, only regulation of emotions was positively associated with work engagement after accounting for chronological age. None of the indirect effects through emotional intelligence were statistically significant. These findings do not support the proposed mediating role of emotional intelligence but indicate that chronological age and regulation of emotions were independently associated with work engagement in the present sample. By examining the four dimensions of emotional intelligence separately, the study provides a more differentiated account of their associations with work engagement and offers a rationale for future longitudinal and experimental research. Full article

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22 pages, 1067 KB

Open AccessArticle

Repertoires of Action and Control of Protest by the Climate Justice Movement in Spain (2019–2025)

by Juli Antoni Aguado Hernández, Enric Sigalat Signes and Ricard Calvo Palomares

Societies 2026, 16(8), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080241 - 28 Jul 2026

Abstract

This paper presents the continuation of a previous investigation into climate mobilization in Spain, extending the time period covered to 2019–2025, incorporating new databases and including protest control analysis. The aim is to analyze diachronically the repertoires of action used in order to [...] Read more.

This paper presents the continuation of a previous investigation into climate mobilization in Spain, extending the time period covered to 2019–2025, incorporating new databases and including protest control analysis. The aim is to analyze diachronically the repertoires of action used in order to understand their evolution, intensity, participating organizations and how social control of protest influences them. Through documentary compilation and systematic coding of protest events (N = 1502) and the analysis of social control over protest, through reports on repression of social movements and data on human rights violations in the context of protest, the main findings can be highlighted as follows: disruption increased after the pandemic, in 2021; from 2023 onwards, there is a shift in trend towards a decrease in confrontational mobilization and an increase in contained forms, with collective action evolving towards a diversity and complementarity of noninstitutional and nonviolent strategies and tactics, forging alliances with other movements to maintain the social base and support. This shift is temporally associated with an intensification of protest control and criminalization. Moreover, a significant presence of either pre-existing or newly formed organizations is maintained, with a relationship existing between the variation in collective protagonism and the typology–intensity of repertoires. Thus, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the aim is to contribute to the international debate on the tactics of social movements, with the most important contribution being the integration of repertoire analysis with the study of protest control in that movement. Full article

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21 pages, 39018 KB

Open AccessConcept Paper

The Role of Media Literacy in Enhancing the Educational Potential of COTS Video Games for Cultural Heritage

by Gabriele Aroni

Societies 2026, 16(8), 240; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080240 - 28 Jul 2026

Abstract

This paper explores the role of media literacy in enhancing the educational potential of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video games, particularly in the context of cultural heritage education within technology-enhanced learning environments. Rather than presenting new empirical data, the study draws on existing media [...] Read more.

This paper explores the role of media literacy in enhancing the educational potential of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video games, particularly in the context of cultural heritage education within technology-enhanced learning environments. Rather than presenting new empirical data, the study draws on existing media literacy, game studies, and cultural heritage scholarship to propose a comprehensive media literacy framework that addresses the needs and competencies of five key stakeholders: (1) players; (2) game developers; (3) educators and researchers; (4) represented communities; and (5) cultural institutions. Video game spaces are mainly designed to create entertaining products, but even COTS games have potential educational and cultural features, such as the promotion of real-life locations and tangible and intangible heritage. This paper argues that fostering media literacy among developers and players can not only support the creation of more culturally aware game worlds but also strengthen the educational use of games within technology-enhanced learning environments. In synthesising and reconfiguring existing theoretical models, the framework offers new insight into the relationship between media literacy and cultural heritage in games, and identifies directions for future empirical research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Learning, Ethics and Pedagogies)

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15 pages, 383 KB

Open AccessArticle

Not Just a Screen: Understanding Students’ Engagement with Digital Technology in Educational Settings

by Costanza Baviera, Nicla Cucinella, Francesco Preiti, Francesca Liga, Cristiano Inguglia and Sonia Ingoglia

Societies 2026, 16(8), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080239 - 28 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study explores students’ attitudes towards technology for learning, their cellphone use in class, and their digital distraction during educational activities, also considering the potential role of some sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were 803 Italian middle school students (M_age = 12.2 years, [...] Read more.

This study explores students’ attitudes towards technology for learning, their cellphone use in class, and their digital distraction during educational activities, also considering the potential role of some sociodemographic characteristics. Participants were 803 Italian middle school students (M_age = 12.2 years, SD = 0.9; 53% female). Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we identified five profiles: Low-engagement users, Highly distracted, Disengaged distracted users, Self-regulated users, and Moderate users. Results highlighted small differences between profiles associated with age and maternal educational level. These findings underscore the dual nature of technology as both a valuable tool and a source of distraction from school activities, highlighting the importance of tailored strategies to promote balanced and mindful technology use. Future research should further explore how these profiles interact with broader psychosocial and developmental factors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Science, Technology, and Society)

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24 pages, 1444 KB

Open AccessArticle

Negotiating the Ideal Woman: Hybrid Femininities and the Functional Persistence of Gender Norms in Contemporary Vietnam

by Thi Kim Phung Dang

Societies 2026, 16(8), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080238 - 27 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study examines how the ideal woman is discursively constructed and negotiated in contemporary Vietnamese online media amid globalisation and rapid social transformation. Using framing analysis, it examines recurring metaphors, catchphrases, depictions, exemplars, slogans and visual representations across a corpus of Vietnamese online [...] Read more.

This study examines how the ideal woman is discursively constructed and negotiated in contemporary Vietnamese online media amid globalisation and rapid social transformation. Using framing analysis, it examines recurring metaphors, catchphrases, depictions, exemplars, slogans and visual representations across a corpus of Vietnamese online texts concerning accomplished women, femininity, marriage and identity. The findings delineate three competing interpretive frames: (1) modernized traditional femininity, which reinterprets Confucian gender ideals through contemporary narratives of female empowerment; (2) relational negotiation, which situates women’s achievements by their impacts on heterosexual relations, emotional balance, and familial responsibilities; and (3) critical challenges to gender inequality, which questions restrictive gender norms, idealized femininity, and unequal relational expectations. Collectively, these frames demonstrate that contemporary media frequently portray women’s empowerment alongside persistent expectations of caregiving, emotional labor, and relational responsibilities. Building on these findings, functional persistence and relational negotiation are proposed as complementary analytical concepts for explaining how contemporary empowerment narratives accommodate and transform, rather than simply displace, traditional gender norms. The study contributes to sociological scholarship on gender discourse, media framing, and globalisation by demonstrating how competing representations of the ideal woman collectively shape a hybrid configuration of femininities in contemporary Vietnam. Full article

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23 pages, 300 KB

Open AccessArticle

South African Social Workers’ Perspectives on Positive Role Fulfilment Among Role Players Within the Foster Child’s Care Circle of Supporting Wellbeing

by Olebogeng Tladi-Mapefane, Sipho Sibanda and Linda Harms-Smith

Societies 2026, 16(8), 237; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080237 - 27 Jul 2026

Abstract

Foster care placements involve various role players from the child’s entry into the system through the child’s exit. Positive role fulfilment implies acting in accordance with the respective role expectations while also being dynamic in nature. Key participants in the foster care system [...] Read more.

Foster care placements involve various role players from the child’s entry into the system through the child’s exit. Positive role fulfilment implies acting in accordance with the respective role expectations while also being dynamic in nature. Key participants in the foster care system include social workers, foster parents, and foster children. These role players all have roles necessary for the foster care placement to be positive. Using role and identity theory, with an underlying Africentric philosophy, as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study sought to describe social workers’ perspectives on positive role fulfilment among role players within the foster child’s care circle in supporting well-being. Data were collected from twelve participants, comprising ten foster care social workers and two social work supervisors, through a focus group discussion and one-on-one interviews. In addition, two foster care policy developers were consulted as key stakeholders to provide contextual insight into the legislative and policy environment. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings showed that social workers face structural challenges, including high caseloads, a shortage of social workers and uncertainty regarding roles, which sometimes make it difficult to fulfil their roles as expected. With that said, they believed that positive role fulfilment influenced the positive nature of foster care placements. When roles are known and met, the care circle enhances the well-being of the foster child. The study concludes that social workers know what they are required to do for the child’s well-being. The recommendation is that an Africentric foster care supervision and monitoring framework be developed to sensitise the role players of their roles and responsibilities in the foster care system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experiences and Perspectives of Social Workers in Rendering Child Protection Services)

28 pages, 2118 KB

Open AccessArticle

From Human to Hybrid: Artificial Intelligence and the Transformation of Language Services

by Célia Tavares, Luciana Oliveira and Rosalinda Neves

Societies 2026, 16(8), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080236 - 27 Jul 2026

Abstract

The growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life has generated debate regarding its impact on language services, where tools such as Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly being integrated. Framed as an exploratory and preliminary study, this article examines how a [...] Read more.

The growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in everyday life has generated debate regarding its impact on language services, where tools such as Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly being integrated. Framed as an exploratory and preliminary study, this article examines how a self-selected sample of 60 language-service professionals working in European contexts perceive the adoption of AI, particularly LLMs, in relation to professional practices, quality, ethical concerns, and emerging competence requirements. An embedded mixed-methods design was adopted, combining descriptive quantitative analysis with the thematic analysis of open-ended responses. The findings suggest a cautious and selective adoption of LLMs. While respondents recognise potential advantages related to speed, productivity, and support for specific tasks, they also identify persistent limitations concerning quality, terminology, contextual adequacy, cultural sensitivity, and the need for human revision. Respondents also report concerns about professional devaluation, changing work conditions, and the need for reskilling, particularly in relation to general translation and AI-assisted workflows. At the same time, some participants identify opportunities for innovation, enhanced human oversight, and the revaluation of specialised expertise. Overall, the study suggests that, from the perspective of the surveyed professionals, AI is contributing to the reconfiguration of language-service practices, while reinforcing the continued importance of human judgement, linguistic expertise, ethical responsibility, and critical engagement with AI-generated outputs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Science, Technology, and Society)

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18 pages, 306 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Are Community Networks Associated with Satisfaction with the Child-Rearing Environment? Evidence from Ube City, Japan

by Yuki Komura and Kenji Matsuura

Societies 2026, 16(8), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080235 - 27 Jul 2026

Abstract

Declining fertility and the shift away from three-generation co-residence have weakened traditional family-based child-rearing support in Japan, drawing attention to the role of networks in local communities. Using data from a citizens’ attitude survey in a regional Japanese city (Ube City; n = [...] Read more.

Declining fertility and the shift away from three-generation co-residence have weakened traditional family-based child-rearing support in Japan, drawing attention to the role of networks in local communities. Using data from a citizens’ attitude survey in a regional Japanese city (Ube City; n = 1293), this study examines how residents’ perceptions of community networks—specifically mutual support and community vitality—are associated with satisfaction with the local child-rearing environment. Conventional mean-based approaches risk overlooking qualitative heterogeneity in such evaluations. Using cross-sectional secondary data, we combined multiple regression with latent class analysis (LCA) to explore this heterogeneity. Findings show that perceptions of community networks were positively associated with satisfaction across all models (composite index b = 0.412, p < 0.001). The strongest associations were with “learning opportunities” and “community-wide education” (b = 0.477–0.478). Three-generation households did not uniformly report higher satisfaction compared with nuclear-family households. The exploratory LCA identified three qualitatively distinct patterns, with an “evaluation-pending” group (intermediate scores, frequent “don’t know” responses) comprising over 40% of respondents. This heterogeneity suggests that average scores may obscure the experiences of those directly engaged in child-rearing and that municipal surveys could include items identifying respondents’ basis for evaluation. Full article

17 pages, 255 KB

Open AccessArticle

Challenging Anti-Porn Policy: Digital Sex Worker Journalism

by Lauren Robinson Levitt

Societies 2026, 16(8), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16080234 - 26 Jul 2026

Abstract

Through textual analysis of 15 English-language articles by seven predominantly U.S.-based sex worker journalists published between 2014 and 2025 across 11 online platforms, this article examines how sex worker journalists aim to influence public opinion around anti-porn policy. Sex workers report on legislation [...] Read more.

Through textual analysis of 15 English-language articles by seven predominantly U.S.-based sex worker journalists published between 2014 and 2025 across 11 online platforms, this article examines how sex worker journalists aim to influence public opinion around anti-porn policy. Sex workers report on legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), age-verification laws, the Stop Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISEA), and the Survivors of Human Trafficking Fight Back Act, maintaining that these laws cause harm to sex workers. In the process, they challenge sex work stigma perpetuated by the mainstream media and stake alternative validity claims. They also construct sex worker expertise based on their lived experience in the sex trades through new modes of address and by citing sex workers alongside other progressive organizers. This, furthermore, supports coalition building between the sex workers’ rights movement and other movements for social justice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contemporary Digitalized Gender Politics: Sociological Thinking on Gender and Sexualities in Communication)

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