"We are at an inflection point, where 5G and the ecosystem are set to unleash a wave of innovation. In this Ericsson Mobility Report, we explore how an ecosystem partner is leveraging 5G, network slicing and dynamic Quality of Service (QoS) that will take live broadcasting to a new level, by ensurin
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g seamless, high-quality video streaming – even in crowded environments. The recent advancements in 5G standalone (SA) networks, coupled with the progress in 5G-enabled devices, have led to an ecosystem poised to unlock transformative opportunities for connected creativity. Service providers have recognized this potential of 5G and are beginning to monetize it through innovative service offerings that extend beyond merely selling data plans. To fully realize the potential of 5G, it is essential to continue deploying 5G SA and to further build out mid-band sites. 5G SA capabilities serve as a catalyst for driving new business growth opportunities [...] On the forecast side, we see continued mobile network traffic growth with a 20 percent increase year-on-year, meaning it’s expected to more than double in five years. Fixed Wireless Access is experiencing robust growth and is projected to make up over 35 percent of all new fixed broadband connections by 2030, as service providers capitalize on its flexible and rapid deployment capabilities, offering extensive coverage and an exceptional user experience, compared to other technologies. Finally, we explore the impact of increased usage of GenAI on the consumer side, as it moves from text to voice, video and multimodal. We analyze how GenAI could impact mobile data traffic volumes and characteristics going forward. Differentiated connectivity will be key in enabling a high-quality user experience for these and other conversational applications. There will be no personal AI without mobile." (Letter from the publisher, page 2)
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"This study modelled the factors that influence fake news spreading behaviour among social media users. To gather our data, we used an online survey to sample 385 social media users in Nigeria, using a chain referral approach. Smart PLS structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data (SEM
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). We discovered that lack of mindfulness, religiosity, instant news sharing, self-expression all predicted fake news sharing behaviour of social media users. The impacts of lack of mindfulness and religiosity were found to have a greater effect on fake news sharing behaviour. Exploration was found to have a negative effect on fake news sharing. We concluded this study with some theoretical and practical implications." (Abstract)
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"Längst ist Künstliche Intelligenz nicht mehr auf kognitive Zwecke begrenzt: Sie wertet, etwa zur Kriminalitätsprävention oder gezielten Kundenansprache, menschliche Mimik aus und suggeriert in Spielen oder Lernprogrammen Emotionen und Stimmungen. Erscheinen bereits solche auf Empfindungen ziele
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nde Anwendungen durchaus kritikwürdig, so wirft es für die Philosophin Eva Guskar-Weber erst recht Fragen auf, wenn Chatbots oder Avatare zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen ersetzen sollen. Sind rote Linien überschritten, wenn emotionale KI nicht mehr selbstbestimmt in einer gemeinsamen Realität mit anderen Menschen genutzt wird, mit der Folge, dass die Grenzen zu rein fiktionalen Beziehungen nicht mehr erkannt werden? Könnten mit Blick auf das noch lange nicht ausgereizte Potenzial einer KI, die auch ethisch verwerfliche oder inhumane Bedürfnisse befriedigen könne, unabdingbare soziale Fähigkeiten wie Toleranz, Respekt und Rücksichtnahme verlernt werden? Sollen Roboter durch ihre äußere Anmutung in der Lage sein, bei ihrem menschlichen Gegenüber – insbesondere Alten oder Pflegebedürftigen – Gefühle zu simulieren und emotionale Erwartungen auszulösen? Guskar-Weber beleuchtet das Potenzial und die Risiken emotionaler KI und plädiert für ethisch-moralische Standards bei ihrer Entwicklung und Nutzung." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Mit den Digital Media Types wurde die MedienNutzerTypologie für die digitale Welt weiterentwickelt. Sie bilden verschiedene Lebensstile und -welten ab, die Einfluss auf die Mediennutzung haben. Programmentwickler können sie als strategisches Instrument einsetzen, um spezifische Interessen und Bed
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ürfnisse des Publikums zu identifizieren und Portfoliolücken zu schließen. Die Digital Media Types tragen so dazu bei, als öffentlich-rechtliches Angebot ein Angebot für alle Bevölkerungsgruppen zu machen." (Kurz und knapp, Seite 1)
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[.] the report examines three pivotal areas of assessment. First, there was an evaluation of the damage to Haiti’s networks and infrastructure after the 2021 earthquake, along with the restoration of telecommunication services. Second, the assessment focused on Haiti’s country-level resilience,
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encompassing network/Internet Service Provider (ISP) resilience, critical infrastructure resilience, market resilience, as well as the resilience of operators across various sectors. Third, there was an evaluation of the preparedness of emergency telecommunications in Haiti. The report concludes with recommendations tailored to each assessment area, with the goal of enhancing Haiti's preparedness in emergency telecommunications." (Foreword)
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"Several studies have already depicted the development of M4D and of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), and that will not be repeated here. However, as this collection of chapters have sprung out from one of the M4D conferences – the M4D 2022 in Kigali – some notes
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on what have been salient at different conferences can be made. If we start with the M4D in Senegal 2014, we can see that from that conference stems a book where the chapters “initiate evocative conversations on how mobile technologies can contribute to expanding mobile participation practices” (Wamala-Larsson, Hellström, and Scharff 2015, 12). In Mozambique, in 2016, there were some contributions connecting to radio and TV technology; the M4D 2018 conference in Uganda included some papers on how utilities can be backed by subscription schemes via mobile services, as well as by apps where citizens can report dysfunctions and illicit use. The M4D 2020 did not take place, as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the possibility of running a conference on site and it was postponed to 2022, when Rwanda saw the first blended M4D conference. The Zoom presence for several dozen participants over three days went very well and, via two cameras and two large screens at the venue site, they blended in well at the conference. The IT maturing effect caused by the pandemic was thus noticeable. Among the presentations it was noticeable that the Internet of Things and drones, often blended with machine learning, are now imaginable as “mobile technology”. Of course, drones are always mobile, and IoT sensors often travel with cargo, but it was the realisation of the affordability of these technologies for food chain, livestock, and crop management, combined with their reliance on mobile phone networks to make use of farmers’ photos and senor data, that made such presentations appropriate at a conference that focuses on affordable communication technology. While technology is a prerequisite, in this volume, based on selected contributions to that conference, we will balance some imaginations with some assessments. The focus will not be on the “new” M4D, even though we acknowledge that it is time to set up demonstration farms with IoT and machine learning, as pointed out by Ronald Katamba from Uganda in an interview (Pettersson and Rehema 2022, 145), and books are now published on Applying Drone Technologies and Robotics for Agricultural Sustainability (Raj, Saini, and Pacheco 2023, with examples from India and Zimbabwe; see also FAO and ITU 2022). Instead, the chapters selected for this book adhere to the theme of knowledge dissemination and knowledge development, as mentioned already. One chapter was invited to report from the African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things, hosted by the University of Rwanda in Kigali, to illustrate the efforts to build native technological competence on an advanced level. That chapter simultaneously demonstrates the growing pan-African collaboration in the academic infrastructuring project." (Foreword, pages x-xi)
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"Most scholars focus on the prevalence and democratic effects of (partisan) news exposure. This focus misses large parts of online activities of a majority of politically disinterested citizens. Although political content also appears outside of news outlets and may profoundly shape public opinion,
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its prevalence and effects are understudied at scale. This project combines three-wave panel survey data from three countries (total N = 7,266) with online behavioral data from the same participants (over 106M visits). We create a multi-lingual classifier to identify political content both in news and outside (e.g. in shopping or entertainment sites). We find that news consumption is infrequent: just 3.4% of participants’ online browsing comprised visits to news sites. Only between 14% (NL) and 36% (US) of these visits were to news about politics. The overwhelming majority of participants' visits were to non-news sites. Although only 1.6% of those visits related to politics, in absolute terms, citizens encounter politics more frequently outside of news than within news. Out of every 10 visits to political content, 3.4 come from news and 6.6 from non-news sites. Furthermore, exposure to political content outside news domains had the same – and in some cases stronger - associations with key democratic attitudes and behaviors as news exposure. These findings offer a comprehensive analysis of the online political (not solely news) ecosystem and demonstrate the importance of assessing the prevalence and effects of political content in non-news sources." (Abstract)
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This book illuminates the complex relationship between social media, identity, and youth in the Global South. By examining the profound impact on the psychosocial well-being and economic prospects of young people across diverse regions, the collection present empirical evidence from scholars spannin
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g Asia, Africa, North America, Central, and South America. Contributors show how young people experience adverse side-effects online, such as social withdrawal, or animosity to others, and how good social health and social media use can help young people develop economic resources, become independent, and socially responsible. Additionally, the book explores the role of social media channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, in the rise of cyberbullying, sexting, and online radicalization; how these platforms re-negotiate identity in developing countries and compromise productivity; and how the behaviour of celebrities on said platforms influence youth behaviour. Structured into five thematic sections, this book presents a nuanced understanding of the well-being implications arising from social media use among young people hailing from diverse socio-cultural and economic backgrounds and political exigencies.
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"This dis- and misinformation fact-checking toolkit was developed by Africa Check for young journalism students and members of NGOs and CSOs with a focus on youth-led organisations. It aims to equip members of the youth with the knowledge and practical tips to stop the spread of false information. T
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his toolkit [...] provides an easily understandable overview of fact-checking with a focus on health information." (About this toolkit)
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"With a special focus on the impact of the COVID-19, the collection is based on the 2021 Digital Inclusion, Policy and Research Conference, with chapters from both academia and civic organizations. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed citizens' relationship with digital technologies for the foreseeable
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future. Many people's main channels of communication were transferred to digital services, platforms, and apps. Everything 'went online': our families, friends, partners, health, work, news, politics, culture, arts and protesting. Yet access to digital technologies remained highly unequal. This brought digital inclusion policy and research to the fore, highlighting to policymakers and the public the 'hidden' challenges and impacts of digital exclusion and inequalities. The cutting-edge volume offers research findings and policy case studies that explore digital inclusion from the provision of basic access to digital, via education and digital literacy, and on to issues of gender and technology. Case studies are drawn from varied sources including the UK, Australia, South America, and Eastern Europe, providing a valuable resource in the pursuit of social equity and justice." (Publisher description)
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