Search Results (55)

The purpose of the present research is to analyse the negative outcomes associated with the excessive Instagram dependency of those users that access the application through their smartphones. An empirical study was conducted through online interviews using structured questionnaires, resulting in 342 valid responses, with the target population being young users over 18 years old who access Instagram daily. Research shows that dependency on Instagram is primarily driven by individuals’ need for orientation and understanding, with entertainment being a secondary motivation. The results indicate that dependency on the social network is positively associated with excessive use, addiction, and Instastress. Furthermore, excessive use contributes to personal and social problems and increases both stress levels and mindfulness related to the platform. In turn, this excessive use intensifies addiction, which functions as a mediating variable between overuse and Instastress, mindfulness, and emotional exhaustion. This study offers valuable insights for academics, mental health professionals, and marketers by emphasizing the importance of fostering healthier digital habits and developing targeted interventions. Full article

Background and Objectives: Depression is a leading cause of disability globally, with treatment challenges including limited access, stigma, and poor adherence. Gamification, which applies game elements such as points, levels, and storytelling into non-game contexts, offers a promising strategy to enhance engagement and augment traditional treatments. Our research is the first study designed to explore the implementation of gamification within the Malaysian context. The objective was to explore the feasibility of implementation of gamification as an adjunctive treatment for adults with depression. Materials and Methods: Focus group discussions were held with five mental health professionals and ten patients diagnosed with moderate depression. The qualitative component assessed perceptions of gamified interventions, while quantitative measures evaluated participants’ depressive and anxiety symptomatology. Results: Three key themes were identified: (1) understanding of gamification as a treatment option, (2) factors influencing its acceptance, and (3) characteristics of a practical and feasible intervention. Clinicians saw potential in gamification to boost motivation, support psychoeducation, and encourage self-paced learning, but they expressed concerns about possible addiction, stigma, and the complexity of gameplay for some patients. Patients spoke of gaming as a source of comfort, escapism, and social connection. Acceptance was shaped by engaging storylines, intuitive design, balanced difficulty, therapist guidance, and clear safety measures. Both groups agreed that gamification should be used in conjunction with standard treatments, be culturally sensitive, and be presented as a meaningful therapeutic approach rather than merely as entertainment. Conclusions: Gamification emerges as an acceptable and feasible supplementary approach for managing depression in Malaysia. Its success depends on culturally sensitive design, robust clinical oversight, and seamless integration with existing care pathways. Future studies should investigate long-term outcomes and establish guidelines for the safe and effective implementation of this approach. We recommend targeted investment into culturally adapted gamified tools, including training, policy development, and collaboration with key stakeholders to realistically implement gamification as a mental health intervention in Malaysia. Full article

Technological developments and the integration of social media into journalistic practices have transformed the media landscape, changing how information is gathered, produced, and shared. This evolution poses challenges, including the lack of clear guidelines and practical tools for ensuring the quality of digital news content. To address these issues, IQJournalism, an intelligent quality prediction advisor, was developed. This paper outlines the methodology for the development of IQJournalism, a platform that leverages advanced AI technologies to process Greek news articles and provide real-time editing recommendations on various dimensions, including language quality, subjectivity level, emotionality, entertainment, and social media engagement. First, a qualitative study was conducted through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 20 experts, academic researchers and media professionals to identify indicators of perceived quality in journalism. These insights were then transformed into measurable features, which served as training data for explainable machine learning-based models for quality categorization and prediction. Finally, the IQJournalism platform was designed following a user-centered iterative process that included prototyping, testing, and redesigning. The innovative approach aims to serve as a valuable tool for improving journalistic quality, contributing to more reliable and engaging online news content. Importantly, the platform is not limited to the journalistic sector, but can also be used to optimize content in various areas, such as marketing, political, and strategic communication, supporting editors seeking to improve the quality and impact of their writing. Full article

LEGO^® Serious Play^® (LSP) was used to understand the ideals of connectivity and inclusivity among students, adult learners, and workers in a higher education community. While connectivity in nature’s ecosystem has been well studied, it is important to explore this form of connectivity among humans. The objectives of this study were to determine and analyze the main barriers and enablers of connectivity and inclusivity in higher education teaching, learning, and operations, and to propose key action plans. By using LSP in our study, we explored a kinesthetic approach where participants from diverse age groups (20–56 years) and professional/academic levels built models and shared their stories with others. An evaluation of the workshop was obtained using questionnaires (open-ended and scale-based surveys). All the participants found the LSP useful for the overall experience, indicating a strong overall support for its use. In total, 75% of the participants found it valuable and 50% of the participants found the process “difficult”, particularly in group communication and model representation, which require further refinement. Participants’ responses showed that both affective and cognitive elements were active during the workshop, suggesting that this method encourages all voices to be heard. In addition, the methodology for problem-solving and entertainment is a promising pedagogical and andragogical tool for teaching in higher education and in non-academic settings. Full article

This study aims to explore how key opinion leader (KOL) characteristics influence users’ purchase intentions in live shopping. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines real-time pop-up text mining and questionnaires, analyzed via Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling and a research framework integrating the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model with pleasure–arousal–dominance (PAD) theory. Results indicate that KOL characteristics—namely professionalism, popularity, attractiveness, and entertainment—enhance users’ pleasure, arousal, and trust. These emotions boost impulse buying intentions but not planned ones. Planned purchase intention acts as a partial mediator, whereas impulse purchase intention serves as a full mediator. This research uncovers the intricate mechanism linking KOL traits to user emotions and purchase intentions. By integrating PAD theory and the SOR model, it examines emotional mediators, addresses prior theoretical gaps, offers vital insights for refining live-streaming marketing strategies, and holds substantial theoretical and practical significance for the sustainable growth of live-streaming e-commerce. Full article

The study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital competencies of teachers and the educational achievements of students, focusing on Serbia and comparisons with other countries. For this study, a survey was conducted in three phases, completed by teachers. The time periods during which the surveys were filled out are characteristic because they correspond to specific points in time (June 2019, June 2022, and May 2023). The aim of the first study, conducted in June 2019, was for every school in the Republic of Serbia to explore teachers’ digital competencies as a recommendation of the Ministry of Education. Later, this survey took on a different purpose with the onset of the pandemic. The pandemic exposed challenges such as insufficient teacher preparation for online teaching, educational inequalities affecting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and varying levels of adaptability among students. The hypothesis of this research is as follows: Teachers demonstrate a significantly higher level of digital literacy after the crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus than before the crisis. The findings reveal improvements in teachers’ digital skills after the crisis situation, particularly in hardware, software, and internet use, alongside a shift in the primary purpose of digital tools from entertainment to education. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development, standardized e-learning devices, and improved digital infrastructure to enhance the quality of education. The research found that teachers in Serbia showed a significantly higher level of digital competencies after the crisis situation. Key recommendations include integrating digital skills into teacher training, fostering innovative pedagogical practices, and addressing the digital divide to ensure equitable access to education in the future. Full article

This research investigates the utilization of entertainment approaches, such as serious games and gamification technologies, to address various challenges and implement targeted tasks. Specifically, it details the design and development of an innovative gamified application named “J-Plus”, aimed at both professionals and non-professionals in journalism. This application facilitates the enjoyable, efficient, and high-quality collection of emotionally tagged speech samples, enhancing the performance and robustness of speech emotion recognition (SER) systems. Additionally, these approaches offer significant educational benefits, providing users with knowledge about emotional speech and artificial intelligence (AI) mechanisms while promoting digital skills. This project was evaluated by 48 participants, with 44 engaging in quantitative assessments and 4 forming an expert group for qualitative methodologies. This evaluation validated the research questions and hypotheses, demonstrating the application’s diverse benefits. Key findings indicate that gamified features can effectively support learning and attract users, with approximately 70% of participants agreeing that serious games and gamification could enhance their motivation to practice and improve their emotional speech. Additionally, 50% of participants identified social interaction features, such as collaboration, as most beneficial for fostering motivation and commitment. The integration of these elements supports reliable and extensive data collection and the advancement of AI algorithms while concurrently developing various skills, such as emotional speech articulation and digital literacy. This paper advocates for the creation of collaborative environments and digital communities through crowdsourcing, balancing technological innovation in the SER sector. Full article

The rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence tools for textual production, such as ChatGPT, has been accompanied by a proliferation of similar tools used for creating images, audiovisual content, and motion graphics. These tools, valued for their creativity, are increasingly employed in the fields of art, education, and entertainment to enhance content creation, particularly on social media, while also reducing production costs. However, their use is not without controversy, as they raise significant ethical concerns, including the potential for generating fake news and disinformation. This paper presents an analysis of higher education students’ perspectives on the use of generative artificial intelligence tools within the context of a university course. The research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 10 fourth-year students from the Department of Communication and Digital Media at the University of Western Macedonia. The study aims to provide an initial understanding of the impact of these tools in both education and communication, focusing on students who are future professionals in the communication field. The interviews explored the potential benefits of these technologies, which were valued highly, and the challenges presented such as privacy and credibility issues, which concerned the participants. Misinformation and deception were cited as the most significant risks, while these tools were evaluated positively in terms of communicative purposes, but still maintaining skepticism. Full article

Background: Video games are no longer just entertainment; they are increasingly recognized for their potential to enhance cognitive abilities, including spatial cognition. This skill is vital in academic disciplines, where strong spatial reasoning is essential for problem-solving and success. Aims: This study investigates how video game engagement impacts self-reported spatial abilities in university students, focusing on the frequency, types, and duration of gaming. It also explores the contributions of specific video game genres and features to perceived cognitive improvements. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 566 Saudi university students who completed an online questionnaire on their gaming habits and self-reported spatial abilities. Data were analyzed using independent sample t-tests and chi-square tests to assess the associations between video game behaviors and self-reported spatial cognition. Results: Frequent gamers (65% of participants) demonstrated significantly higher self-reported spatial abilities than infrequent gamers, particularly in adapting to spatial challenges (p < 0.001). Players engaged with action and open-world games reported the greatest perceived improvements in spatial cognition. No significant gender differences were observed, indicating that both males and females benefit equally from gaming. The use of perspective in games was notably linked to spatial skill enhancement (p = 0.05). Conclusions: Regular video game play, especially with spatially demanding genres, is associated with significant self-reported improvements in spatial abilities. These findings highlight the potential of video games as tools for enhancing self-reported spatial cognition in education and professional training, particularly in STEM fields. Full article

This scoping review examines the broad applications, risks, and ethical challenges associated with Extended Reality (XR) technologies, including Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), within the context of Metaverse. XR is revolutionizing fields such as immersive learning in education, medical and professional training, neuropsychological assessment, therapeutic interventions, arts, entertainment, retail, e-commerce, remote work, sports, architecture, urban planning, and cultural heritage preservation. The integration of multimodal technologies—haptics, eye-, face-, and body tracking, and brain–computer interfaces—enhances user engagement and interactivity, playing a key role in shaping the immersive experiences in the Metaverse. However, XR’s expansion raises serious concerns, including data privacy risks, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, cybersickness, addiction, dissociation, harassment, bullying, and misinformation. These psychological, social, and security challenges are further complicated by intense advertising, manipulation of public opinion, and social inequality, which could disproportionately affect vulnerable individuals and social groups. This review emphasizes the urgent need for robust ethical frameworks and regulatory guidelines to address these risks while promoting equitable access, privacy, autonomy, and mental well-being. As XR technologies increasingly integrate with artificial intelligence, responsible governance is essential to ensure the safe and beneficial development of the Metaverse and the broader application of XR in enhancing human development. Full article

Addressing human trafficking is crucial due to its severe impact on human rights, dignity, and well-being. Serious games refer to digital games that are designed to entertain while also accomplishing at least one additional objective, such as learning or health promotion. Serious games play a significant role in raising awareness, training professionals, fostering empathy, and advocating for policy improvements related to human trafficking. In this study, we systematically examine and assess the current landscape of serious games addressing human trafficking to unveil the existing state, pinpoint gaps, and propose future research avenues. Our investigation encompassed academic publications, gray literature, and commercial games related to human trafficking. Furthermore, we conducted a thorough review of evaluation criteria and heuristics for the comprehensive assessment of serious games. Subsequently, incorporating these evaluation metrics and heuristics, the games were subjected to evaluation by both players and experts. Following a combined qualitative and quantitative analysis, the results were deliberated upon, and their implications were expounded. Five serious games related to human trafficking were identified and evaluated using the SGES and EGameFlow scales, along with both game-specific and serious game heuristics. Player and expert evaluations ranked “(Un)TRAFFICKED” and “Missing” as the best-performing games, while “SAFE Travel” received the lowest ratings. Players generally rated the games higher than experts, particularly in usability, feedback, and goal clarity, although the games scored poorly in audiovisual quality and relevance. Experts highlighted deficiencies in motivation, challenge, and learning outcomes. The lack of personalization and the absence of social gaming elements point to the need for more targeted human trafficking games adapted to different demographics, cultures, and player types. Full article

This study explores the representation of female athletes cast in a South Korean reality show titled Sporty Sisters (Korean title: Nonun Unni). Though there have been attempts to understand the media representation of female athletes from diverse media landscapes, the analysis of Asian female athletes is limited. Such interpretations have been discussed through geopolitical relations or nationalistic representations, which lack in-depth understanding and exploration of Asian athletes. Therefore, this paper expands the narrative by analyzing the first season (54 episodes) of Sporty Sisters. It is observed that professional athletes who transition to the entertainment industry are identified as “spor-tainers” and implicitly follow norms and rules applied to public figures. In this reality show, female athletes express their opinions on marriage, menstruation, pregnancy, and domestic roles while displaying characteristics of a girl crush, manifesting a variety of the female attributes of sportswomen. Despite the social expectations to fulfill their roles as sports celebrities and Korean women, Sporty Sisters is an outlet for female athletes to an extent to freely expose and describe their experiences as athletes and individuals. Full article

Family time must be combined with the personal time of each of its members, with special importance regarding children due to the need for attention and monitoring by parents of their performance. Within the leisure of minors in the home, physical activity and sports are the most in-demand typologies, thus some of them participate in federated clubs, attending a more institutionalized or professional sport, while others develop in an environment based on entertainment. In this way, depending on the demand for these activities, it leads to a series of different consequences in the family environment. The main objective of this study is to establish whether or not children’s attendance at federated sports affects family dynamics. A total of 224 Spanish families with children from 6 to 18 years of age who practice sport activities participated and completed a questionnaire with 36 items about the family’s involvement in children’s sports. The results show that parents with children participating in federated sports have a more positive perception of their children’s sports practices; they provide greater support to their children regarding their performance and see this activity as an excellent opportunity for education in values. However, they do identify it as an obstacle to the development of family leisure practices, resulting in an element that conditions family reconciliation. In this way, there is a need to establish alliances between families and sports professionals, providing family participation bodies in sports clubs and providing a better conciliation time to accommodate family time. Full article

Digital holographic stereograms have met expectations in various fields since their introduction. Traditionally, recording large outdoor physical models has required time-consuming and complex processes involving professional tools and technical expertise. This study, however, aims to streamline the process by utilizing simple equipment, such as an iPhone, basic tools, free phone applications, and free software. Four successful experiments were conducted and evaluated using the digital CHIMERA holographic stereogram-printing technique combined with photogrammetry, Gaussian splatting, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and image interpolation. This approach records large-scale outdoor content more efficiently and effectively. The selected method allows the development and large-scale dissemination of realistic outdoor content holograms to the public. This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating ultra-realistic outdoor holograms using accessible tools and methods, offering potential applications in various fields such as art, education, and entertainment. Full article

Sustainable employability (SE) refers to a worker’s extensive set of capabilities to make a valuable and healthy contribution over time. Due to the high fragmentation and precariousness of their working conditions, entertainment professionals’ SE is at risk. Methods: By considering valuable work, health, productivity, and long-term perspective capabilities as expressing entertainment professionals’ SE, this study explored the unique pattern of associations among entertainment professionals’ SE, conversion factors at personal (i.e., intrinsic motivation) and contextual levels (i.e., work–health balance external support and health climate, SE policies and social policies), and SE outcomes (i.e., life and job satisfaction and task performance), descriptive and network analyses were conducted in a sample of 123 Italian entertainment professionals. Results: Italian entertainment professionals’ SE was associated with factors at all levels of conversion. Conversion factors at the organizational level (i.e., SE policies and social policies) had a higher predictability (i.e., practical potential) in the SE network, compared to factors at the personal level (i.e., intrinsic motivation). Conclusion. This study added empirical evidence to SE models based on the capability approach, by showing the central role of contextual factors in the development of an extensive set of entertainment professionals’ capabilities. Full article