It sounds rather odd to say that digital artifacts -- like software -- have material properties because people generally think of materials or materiality as physical substances such as wood, steel, ...and stone. Yet scholars increasingly talk about the "materiality" of digital artifacts. What do they mean? In this paper, I explore two definitions of the adjective "material" -- practical instantiation and significance -- in addition to its normal connotation as matter. I argue that treating materiality as the practical instantiation of theoretical ideas (like policies that allow women to vote help make material the idea that sexes are equal) or as what is significant in the explanation of a given context (like material evidence in a courtroom trial) provides a more useful framework for understanding how digital artifacts affect the process of organizing. I contend that moving away from linking materiality to notions of physical substance or matter may help scholars of technology integrate their work more centrally with studies of discourse, routine, institutions and other phenomena that lie at the core of organization theory, specifically, and social theory more broadly.
This study aimed to shed light on the role of the media in shaping the mental image of the region, by taking the city of Ma'an as a model. To achieve the objective of the study, the analytical ...descriptive approach was followed and the questionnaire was used as a tool for collecting data from the study sample of (13) participants, which is represented by the head and members of the Greater Ma'an Municipality. The study reached a number of results, the most prominent of which is the presence of a statistically significant role for the media in shaping the mental image of the Ma'an region. Traditional and electronic media play an important role in shaping the mental image, whether positive or negative, among recipients and followers, on various local issues, due to the information, news, and discussions provided by these means that receive great attention from the followers, as well as highlighting local issues in a way that affects the nature of this mental image. The study recommended that the Jordanian media officials should be careful and objective when reporting events and issues in the Jordanian society by disseminating verified information and avoiding disseminating false news, due to its role in shaping the mental image of these areas among members of the local community, which may be negative at times.
A theory of digital objects Kallinikos, Jannis; Aaltonen, Aleksi; Marton, Attila
First Monday,
06/2010, Letnik:
15, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Digital objects are marked by a limited set of variable yet generic attributes such as editability, interactivity, openness and distributedness. As digital objects diffuse throughout the ...institutional fabric, these attributes and the information-based operations and procedures out of which they are sustained install themselves at the heart of social practice. The entities and processes that constitute the stuff of social practice are thereby rendered increasingly unstable and transfigurable, producing a context of experience in which the certainties of recurring and recognizable objects are on the wane. These claims are supported with reference to 1) the elusive identity of digital documents and the problems of authentication/preservation of records such an identity posits and 2) the operations of search engines and the effects digital search has on the content of the documents it retrieves.
Summary We systematically examined and updated the scientific literature on the association between screen time (e.g., television, computers, video games, and mobile devices) and sleep outcomes among ...school-aged children and adolescents. We reviewed 67 studies published from 1999 to early 2014. We found that screen time is adversely associated with sleep outcomes (primarily shortened duration and delayed timing) in 90% of studies. Some of the results varied by type of screen exposure, age of participant, gender, and day of the week. While the evidence regarding the association between screen time and sleep is consistent, we discuss limitations of the current studies: 1) causal association not confirmed; 2) measurement error (of both screen time exposure and sleep measures); 3) limited data on simultaneous use of multiple screens, characteristics and content of screens used. Youth should be advised to limit or reduce screen time exposure, especially before or during bedtime hours to minimize any harmful effects of screen time on sleep and well-being. Future research should better account for the methodological limitations of the extant studies, and seek to better understand the magnitude and mechanisms of the association. These steps will help the development and implementation of policies or interventions related to screen time among youth.
Background: Circadian preference refers to individual differences for mental and physical activity in the morning and evening. We hypothesized, that inadvertent use of electronic media can cause ...circadian misalignment that influences sleeping habits and sleep quality of young adults. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of circadian preferences on sleeping habits and the association of electronic media use with sleep quality and sleep disturbances. Materials and Methods: A total of 188 subjects were enrolled and divided into three groups: Evening, intermediate, and morning chronotype based on the Morningness-Eveningness score. Electronic media use at bedtime and duration of use were assessed subjectively. Sleep quality and subjective sleep disturbances, daytime sleepiness, and chronotype were assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Score, and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire Self-assessment version, respectively. Results: The majority of subjects with the evening chronotypes suffered from poor sleep quality compared to other chronotypes and the difference was statistically significant. In evening-type subjects, electronic media use at bedtime, long sleep latency, short sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness were significantly associated with poor sleep quality with odds ratios of 2.34 (1.08–5.08), 11.42 (4.98–26.19), 8.54 (1.01–68.24), and 1.68 (1.03–2.73), respectively. Conclusion: The majority of evening-type subjects had poor sleep quality, altered sleeping habits, and electronic media use at bedtime is significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Hence, history regarding sleep habits and lifestyle, especially electronic media use, should be taken from young adults, who are coming to the outpatient department for other than sleep disorders, to prevent the development of health-related problems.
Today’s children are born and raised in media-saturated environments, surrounded by televisions, computers, tablets, smartphones, and other portable electronic devices. Because these devices have ...become an indispensable part of everyday life, they have a significant influence on children's entertainment and leisure, as well as their education. This study, therefore, examined how early and how much young children (from 0 to 6 years of age) use television, computers, and tablet/smartphones, specifically whether this media usage is directly affected by socio-demographic factors related to parents (i.e., their education, income, and age), the children themselves (i.e., their age, gender, and the presence and number of siblings), and the media environment in their homes (i.e., the availability of media, parental opinions about media, and regulation of media use). The sample for this study consisted of 412 parents of 0- to 6-year-old children who brought their children to the Social Paediatrics Department of the Faculty of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey, for developmental check-ups. The data for this study were collected through a questionnaire that was prepared by the researcher. The findings indicate that almost all children live in homes with different types of electronic media devices and the children’s home electronic media environments and their parents’ demographics are important predictors for their usage of electronic media.
Today’s children are born and raised in media-saturated environments, surrounded by televisions, computers, tablets, smartphones, and other portable electronic devices. Because these devices have become an indispensable part of everyday life, they have a significant influence on children's entertainment and leisure, as well as their education. This study, therefore, examined how early and how much young children (from 0 to 6 years of age) use television, computers, and tablet/smartphones, specifically whether this media usage is directly affected by socio-demographic factors related to parents (i.e., their education, income, and age), the children themselves (i.e., their age, gender, and the presence and number of siblings), and the media environment in their homes (i.e., the availability of media, parental opinions about media, and regulation of media use). The sample for this study consisted of 412 parents of 0- to 6-year-old children who brought their children to the Social Paediatrics Department of the Faculty of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey, for developmental check-ups. The data for this study were collected through a questionnaire that was prepared by the researcher. The findings indicate that almost all children live in homes with different types of electronic media devices and the children’s home electronic media environments and their parents’ demographics are important predictors for their usage of electronic media.
The paper presents the analysis of the most frequent linguistic and stylistic means for expressing ethnocultural heterostereotypes in Serbian electronic media. The analysis has been conducted on ...concrete linguistic excerpts from Serbian electronic media. The paper aims to show characteristics of linguistic and stylistic means for expressing ethnocultural heterostereotypes. The research is a contribution to journalism stylistics. The most frequent linguistic means of ethnocultural heterostereotypes in Serbian electronic media are phraseology with ethnics and metaphors. The analysis of newspaper texts in Serbian digital media showed common choices of phraseology as expressive linguistic means, used to attract and sustain attention. The use of phraseology with ethnics makes factual newspaper text more expressible and draws attention, which also has an impact on shaping ethnocultural stereotypes among readers. In reports and columns, which belong to the publicistic genre, journalists use linguistic and stylistic means for expressing ethnocultural heterotereotypes not to reinforce stereotypes, but to encourage readers to rethink established ideas about other ethnocultural communities.
Over recent years, screen time has become a more complicated concept, with an ever‐expanding variety of electronic media devices available throughout the world. Television remains the predominant ...type of screen‐based activity among children. However, computer use, video games and ownership of devices, such as tablets and smart phones, are occurring from an increasingly young age. Screen time, in particular, television viewing, has been negatively associated with the development of physical and cognitive abilities, and positively associated with obesity, sleep problems, depression and anxiety. The physiological mechanisms that underlie the adverse health outcomes related to screen time and the relative contributions of different types of screen and media content to specific health outcomes are unclear. This review discusses the positive and negative effects of screen time on the physiological and psychological development of children. Furthermore, recommendations are offered to parents and clinicians.
Despite the effectiveness of seatbelts, concerns persist about compliance, especially among teenagers. Survey data from a local high school and registry data from a level 1 trauma center were used to ...observe seatbelt and motor vehicle accident trends. The survey data was analyzed to gauge student’s sentiments on seatbelt education. The trauma center data was analyzed to identify characteristics and trends among teenage motor vehicle accidents. Social media was the most common strategy selected for seatbelt safety awareness. Random seatbelt checks performed over 4 months revealed seatbelt compliance rates of 90%, 93.55%, and 96.94% after education intervention. Trauma center data showed that lack of seatbelt usage resulted in greater morbidity. These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions. This study provides insights into creating effective education campaigns that can be used to enhance safety belt compliance and potentially reduce injury.
Over the last few years, the term ‘smart cities’ has gained traction in academic, industry, and policy debates about the deployment of new media technologies in urban settings. It is mostly used to ...describe and market technologies that make city infrastructures more efficient, and personalize the experience of the city. Here, we want to propose the notion of ‘ownership’ as a lens to take an alternative look at the role of urban new media in the city. With the notion of ownership we seek to investigate how digital media and culture allow citizens to engage with, organize around and act upon collective issues and engage in co–creating the social fabric and built form of the city. Taking ownership as the point of departure, we wish to broaden the debate about the role of new media technologies in urban design from an infrastructural to a social point of view, or from ‘city management’ to ‘city making.’
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