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PurposeWidespread concerns about excessive use of mobile instant messaging (MIM) have inspired research in different disciplines. However, the focus thus far tends to be on diagnostics and cognitive predictors. There is little understanding from the socio-technical perspective to capture the drivers of excessive use of MIM. To address this research gap, the authors aim to enrich existing literature by adopting a social structure and social learning model (SSSLM) to understand the excessive use of MIM. The authors argue that excessive MIM use is developed and reinforced in highly interactive online communication, through a social learning process.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a cross-sectional online survey to validate our proposed research model on excessive use of mobile instant messaging (MIM). 368 valid responses are obtained from active MIM users in China.FindingsThe results suggest that highly interactive MIM creates a technology-based social structure that facilitates the social learning process of excessive technology use. The influence of perceived interactivity of MIM on excessive MIM use is mediated by a series of contextualized social learning factors. Furthermore, the influences of perceived interactivity on social learning factors are moderated by MIM use experience.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to literature in related fields by highlighting the crucial role of social learning in facilitating excessive technology use. The authors contribute to the social structure and social learning model by contextualizing it into the context of excessive MIM use. Design guidelines are provided with a purpose to inhibit excessive use of MIM.

The processes of information diffusion across social networks (for example, the spread of opinions and the formation of beliefs) are attracting substantial interest in disciplines ranging from behavioral sciences to mathematics and engineering (see "Summary"). Since the opinions and behaviors of each individual are infl uenced by interactions with others, understanding the structure of interpersonal infl uences is a key ingredient to predict, analyze, and, possibly, control information and decisions [1]. With the rapid proliferation of social media platforms that provide instant messaging, blogging, and other networking services (see "Online Social Networks") people can easily share news, opinions, and preferences. Information can reach a broad audience much faster than before, and opinion mining and sentiment analysis are becoming key challenges in modern society [2]. The first anecdotal evidence of this fact is probably the use that the Obama campaign made of social networks during the 2008 U.S. presidential election [3]. More recently, several news outlets stated that Facebook users played a major role in spreading fake news that might have infl uenced the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election [4]. This can be explained by the phenomena of homophily and biased assimilation [5]-[7] in social networks, which correspond to the tendency of people to follow the behaviors of their friends and establish relationships with like-minded individuals.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in research on the use of mobile health (mHealth) apps as disease management tools. However, very few apps are currently available for prostate cancer (PCa) patient management, and the available apps do not combine the needs of physicians with the requirements of patients. This study aimed to describe the development of a mHealth application for PCa survivors called RyPros, which includes dynamic visualization, intelligent reminders, and instant messaging to support decision-making regarding treatment and follow-up and test the initial accessibility and acceptability application. METHODS: The application was developed through a three-step procedure: logical structure design, application programming, and testing. Dynamic visualization, intelligent reminders, and instant messaging were the core functions of RyPros. Twenty-eight participants who had PCa were enrolled in four weeks of follow-up using the RyPros App. We initially evaluated participants’ acceptance of RyPros based on their use of the app (login data, questionnaire completion) and a satisfaction survey. RESULTS: We successfully designed and tested the application. A total of 32 participants were enrolled, of whom 28 completed the 4-week follow-up, yielding a participation rate of 87.5%. Each participant logged on an average of 2.82 times and achieved an average of 0.89 questionnaires per week over the four weeks. Most participants (64%) liked the app, and most participants (71%) were satisfied, giving the RyPros app a rating of 4 or 5. More than half of the participants (61%) intended to use the RyPros app regularly, and the majority of participants agreed that the three core functionalities of RyPros were helpful (20/28, 71% for instant messaging; 16/28, 57% for visualization; and 18/28, 64% for reminders and assessments). CONCLUSIONS: The mHealth application we developed for PCa survivor management provided dynamic visualization, reminders, assessments, and instant messaging to support decision-making based on multidisciplinary collaboration. PCa survivors showed high acceptance of the RyPros app.

Background We aimed to investigate the associations between sociodemographic factors and instant messaging and social network site exposure among 9-year-old children. Methods Data of 4568 children from the Generation R study, a population-based cohort study performed in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, were analyzed. Instant messaging exposure was defined as using online chat applications such as MSN, chat boxes, WhatsApp, and Ping. Social network site exposure was defined as using Hyves or Facebook. A series of multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for covariates. Results Children of low educated mothers had a higher odds ratio (OR) for instant messaging (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.86) and social network site exposure (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.66) than their counterparts. Being a child from a single-parent family was associated with instant messaging (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.88) and social network site exposure (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.78) more often than their counterparts. Children of low educated fathers (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.95) or from families with financial difficulties (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.59) were associated with a higher OR of social network site exposure than their counterparts. Conclusion The findings suggest that several indicators of lower social position are associated with higher social network site and instant messaging exposure among 9-year-old children. More research is needed in younger children to understand the determinants and impact of social media use.

PurposeDuring the digital media era with an explosion of messages, the prevalence of what is known as “message fatigue” has grown. However, there is a lack of understanding toward message fatigue in using instant messengers. Based on the stressor-strain-outcome framework, this study provides a theoretical model to explore possible predictors and consequences of instant messaging fatigue.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesized model includes communication overload, social overload, instant messaging fatigue, technology and behavioral intention to use instant messaging. Three hundred and eleven responses are collected using an online survey. The authors conduct structural equation modeling to evaluate the hypothesized model and test the hypotheses.FindingsThis study reveals that (1) communication overload and social overload are positively associated with instant messaging fatigue and technostress; (2) higher levels of instant messaging fatigue and technostress are also related to a higher level of intention to discontinue usage; (3) technostress significantly mediates the relationship between instant messaging fatigue and intention to discontinue usage of instant messaging.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to collect data from one university in the United States with a cross-sectional design. Future research should include other countries, different age groups and longitudinal methods to examine instant messaging fatigue.Originality/valueThis study extends existing findings on fatigue in using mobile communication by applying the stressor-strain-outcome framework to IM fatigue and improves the understanding of the potential negative aspects of instant messaging.

Purpose Mobile instant messaging (IM) has been increasingly adopted by hotels to communicate with customers. This study aims to explore communication between hotels and customers and identifies the factors that affect hotel customers’ intention to use mobile IM to communicate with hotels. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage exploratory sequential mixed-method design, which combines semi-structured interview and policy-capturing method was applied. Findings The findings indicate that customers are more likely to use mobile IM to communicate with hotels for non-urgent matters; before and after a stay; and if customers are accustomed to using mobile IM for work and non-work purposes in daily life. Research limitations/implications This study goes beyond traditional theories to capturing communication-related factors that affect customers’ IM use in a hotel context. Practical implications The findings indicate why hotel managers should avoid relying on IM as the dominant communication channel. Originality/value This is among one of the first studies that explore customers’ communication needs and communication media choice in hotels.

espanolEl uso de Internet y mensajeria instantanea como via de escape ante el malestar puede convertir a los usuarios en vulnerables para el desarrollo de adiccion de Internet y de WhatsApp. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la relacion entre el bienestar psicologico y las emociones negativas con el uso problematico de Internet y el impacto negativo de WhatsApp. Participaron 630 universitarios (75,7% mujeres) de entre 18 y 62 anos (M= 21,23), quienes contestaron a la “Escala de uso problematico y generalizado de Internet”, la “Escala de impacto negativo de WhatsApp”, las “Escalas PANAS de afecto positivo y negativo” y la “Escala de bienestar psicologico”. El bienestar psicologico y las emociones negativas correlacionaron y predijeron el uso problematico de Internet y el impacto negativo de WhatsApp. Emociones negativas fue el predictor de mayor peso para el uso problematico de Internet y el impacto negativo de WhatsApp. Las personas que presentan bajo bienestar psicologico y emociones negativas podrian tener una mayor predisposicion a desarrollar un uso problematico de Internet y un mayor impacto negativo de WhatsApp. EnglishThe use of the Internet and instant messaging as an escape from discomfort can make users vulnerable to the development of Internet and WhatsApp addictions. The aim of this research was to analyse the relationship between psychological well-being and negative emotions with problematic Internet use and negative impact of WhatsApp. A total of 630 university students (75.7% female) aged 18-62 years (M= 21.23) participated and answered the Problematic and Pervasive Internet Use Scale, the WhatsApp Negative Impact Scale, the PANAS Positive and Negative Affect Scales, and the Psychological Well-being Scale. Psychological well-being and negative emotions correlated significantly and predicted problematic Internet use and negative impact of WhatsApp. Displaying negative emotions was the strongest predictor for problematic Internet use and the negative impact of WhatsApp. People with low psychological well-being and negative emotions may have a greater predisposition to developing problematic Internet use and suffering a greater negative impact of WhatsApp.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the dark side of instant messaging from the technological and societal perspectives.Design/methodology/approachWith the help of literature review and different theories, a model has been developed conceptually. Later the model has been validated using statistical method. The authors have used 304 responses from the survey method, and this sample has been used to statistically validate the conceptual model.FindingsThis paper has been able to explicitly investigate and identify how different instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat in the form of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) are contributing toward increase of mob lynching cases. The paper also highlights the important to have effective and enforceable regulation to regulate instant messaging services to the citizens.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings cannot be generalized as the data is collected from India only. Moreover, the study is cross-sectional in nature. To get the comprehensive results, a longitudinal study needs to be conducted. This study considered seven constructs with one moderator. Having more predictors with other boundary conditions might have increased the explanative power of the model.Practical implicationsInstant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, WeChat and so on are disseminating quick unverified information to the common people. This information sometimes is disseminated in inappropriate and exaggerated forms. This makes the instant messaging (WhatsApp) users' sentiment readily heated in some cases. They take such an action as mob lynching. This study determines the predictors of mob lynching along with the moderator impact of instant messaging in the society.Originality/valueThere are only a few studies those have explored the dark side of instant messaging. The proposed theoretical model is a unique model, which shows the predictors of mob lynching along with the negative consequences of the instant messaging (WhatsApp) in the society. From this perspective, this study can be considered as a unique study.

In recent years, it has come to attention that governments have been doing mass surveillance of personal communications without the consent of the citizens. As a consequence of these revelations, developers have begun releasing new protocols for end-to-end encrypted conversations, extending and making popular the old Off-the-Record protocol. Several new implementations of such end-to-end encrypted messaging protocols have appeared, and commonly used chat applications have been updated with these implementations as well. In this survey, we compare the existing implementations, where most of them implement one of the recent and popular protocols called Signal. We conduct a series of experiments on these implementations to identify which types of security and usability properties each application provides. The results of the experiments demonstrate that the applications have variations of usability and security properties, and none of them are infallible. Finally, the paper gives proposals for improving each application w.r.t. security, privacy, and usability., Comment: 38 pages, 24 figures, 2 tables. Under review for a Journal since Feb.2018

Objective To evaluate the reliability of WhatsApp in comparison to the images viewed on a workstation monitor (gold standard) for the identification and interpretation of radiographic images of jaw pathologies. Methods 150 panoramic radiographs were screened for the assessment of jaw pathologies in the workstation monitor. The radiographs were sent to two observers (Observer A and B) via WhatsApp® Messenger which were viewed independently on smartphones. A structured proforma was prepared to evaluate the radiographs for the presence or absence of various radiographic pathological characteristics. Results The reliability of WhatsApp for observers A and B concerning various characteristics like vital structures, pathological fractures, periodontal ligament widening, and root resorption indicated almost perfect agreement (0.8–0.97). The Kappa coefficients for WhatsApp for observers A and B for pre-categorized radiographic impressions were 0.95 and 0.97 which indicated almost perfect agreement. Conclusion WhatsApp based expert teleradiology consultation can be a suitable and effective alternative for radiographic interpretations.

This paper describes the issue of authorship attribution based on the content of conversations originating from instant messaging software applications. The results presented in the paper refer to the corpus of conversations conducted in Polish. On the basis of a standardised model of the corpus of conversations, stylometric features were extracted, which were divided into four groups: word and message length distributions, character frequencies, tf-idf matrix and features extracted on the basis of turns (conversational features). The vectors of users’ stylometric features were compared in pairs by using Euclidean, cosine and Manhattan metrics. CMC curves were used to analyse the significance of the feature groups and the effectiveness of the metrics for identifying similar speech styles. The best results were obtained by the group of features being the tf-idf matrix compared with the use of cosine distance and the group of features extracted on the basis of turns compared with the use of the Manhattan metric.

With the rising influence of technology, students have become heavy users of instant messaging applications. It makes one wonder about students’ motivations in using these applications and their us...

Background Simulation via Instant Messaging - Birmingham Advance (SIMBA) aimed to improve clinicians’ confidence in managing various clinical scenarios during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Five SIMBA sessions were conducted between May and August 2020. Each session included simulation of scenarios and interactive discussion. Participants’ self-reported confidence, acceptance, and relevance of the simulated cases were measured. Results Significant improvement was observed in participants’ self-reported confidence (overall n = 204, pConclusion SIMBA is a novel pedagogical virtual simulation-based learning model that improves clinicians’ confidence in managing conditions across various specialties.

This study proposes and tests a communication mediation model that examines the potential influence of instant messenger (IM) apps on cognitive biases and political participation among users. Data ...

Introduction Mobile instant messaging could deliver real-time, personalized, interactive smoking cessation support. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is effective in increasing quit attempts and abstinence but is underused. We assessed the feasibility of mobile chat-based intervention combined NRT sampling (NRT-S) on abstinence. Methods In this two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial, adult (≥18 years) daily cigarette smokers were proactively recruited from Hong Kong community settings using ‘foot-in-the-door’ approach during December 2017 to March 2018. All participants received brief advice on quitting, 1-week of NRT-S, active referral to smoking cessation services, and were individually randomized (1:1) at baseline. The intervention group received two months of chat-based support via instant messaging. The control group received general smoking cessation text messages. The primary outcome was smoking abstinence validated by exhaled carbon monoxide (

The current network environment is dynamic, open and extensible. In order to better ensure the needs of users, higher requirements are placed on link resource allocation. Based on the research and analysis of the instant communication protocol, this paper studies an intelligent routing evolution algorithm and related fault recovery strategy for the instant communication network. Research on instant messaging intelligent algorithms for routing evolution is mainly based on routing algorithms and artificial intelligence intelligent algorithms. When a link failure occurs in the communication network, the routing algorithm performs route reconstruction and optimization on the entire instant communication network. Considering that there may be evolutionary needs of large-scale routing networks in practical applications, this paper introduces artificial intelligence intelligent algorithms to optimize intelligent algorithms to improve efficiency. A cognitive routing protocol based on MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology is proposed. By using MIMO technology, a lot of gain is brought to the communication link under multiple antennas. These gains correspond to different link types. The protocol realizes cognition through intelligent routing evolution algorithm and predicts the state of the network. Setting the routing life and hello period according to the perceived network status can optimize the performance of the network.

Help-seeking is an essential self-regulatory and metacognitive skill. In the online learning environment, much of the learning is self-directed and there are generally less opportunities to receive help in real time. The uses of email and discussion boards are the most common method of seeking help in these environments. The current study explored students’ perceptions of the use of live chat technology for online academic help-seeking within higher education, with a focus on comparing online and blended learners’ perspectives. Participants were 246 students who were studying psychology online (n = 91) or in blended learning (n = 155) environments. The live chat technology was well received by both groups, especially for its ability to provide instant, real-time, and convenient help. Live chat was particularly well received by online learners, who were more satisfied, felt more cared about by the teaching team, and would be more likely to recommend it to others than blended learners. Further, online learners reported that live chat gave them better access to staff, and felt that this feature was a good approximation for more traditional face-to-face conversations. As an online, synchronous, private help-seeking tool between student and teacher, these findings provide a strong endorsement for the use of live chat in higher education, particularly for online learners.

To describe an innovative interactive e-learning method to disseminate knowledge to larger group of participants over a wide geographical area. The course material included standard training tool “Best Practices in Preterm Care,” hosted on Telegram, a cloud-based instant messaging platform. The participants were enrolled in the group created on Telegram by the facilitators and included in-service nurses from India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and UAE. They were mentored by 62 facilitators over 10 wk. Content of each module was loaded every week on two specific days. Mentors specified for that week facilitated learning through discussions. There was a live session every week to address any additional queries and to summarize the key messages of the week. Each week ended with weekly assessments through quiz. In this course, 4623 nursing professionals from India and Southeast Asian Region involved in providing neonatal care, participated. There were 9939 posts with an average of 126 posts per day. Majority of the participants felt that the topics were relevant (~95%) and they were comfortable in asking questions and could clarify their doubts (~90%). Majority rated their overall experience as very good to excellent (~98%). Interactive e-learning using the current approach if channelized optimally seems to be acceptable and feasible method to reach wide geographical area. This, however, needs local champions ready to mentor their own health professionals with context-specific guidance.

Objective This study evaluated the validity of self-reported smartphone usage data against objectively-measured smartphone usage data by directly tracking the activities in the participants’ smartphone among Chinese adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong.Methods A total of 187 participants were recruited (mean age 19.4, 71.7% female) between 2017 and 2018. A smartphone usage tracking app was installed on all participants’ smartphone for 7 consecutive days. After the 7-day monitoring period, they completed a selfadministered questionnaire on smartphone usage habits.Results Although the correlation between self-reported and objectively-measured total smartphone usage time was insignificant (ρ=-0.10, p=0.18), in three out of the four usage domains were positively and significantly correlated, namely social network (ρ=0.21, p=0.005), instant messaging (ρ=0.27, p

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the characteristics of instant messaging application (IMA) usage for clinical consultation among orthopedic residents in Turkey and to explore their experiences and opinions concerning potential legal problems. METHODS: A questionnaire titled “Instant messaging for consultation among orthopedic surgeons” consisting of 21 questions was applied to orthopedic surgery residents, and the results were analyzed. The questions were designed to obtain information on 4 categories: 1) demographics and professional experience, 2) attitudes on the use of cellular phones, 3) IMA usage for clinical consultation purposes, and 4) problems and comments on smartphone application usage for clinical consultation purposes. The participants who had no experience with a smartphone or IMA usage were excluded at the final analysis. RESULTS: A total of 860 orthopedic residents (849 males [98.7%]; mean age=28.6 years; age range=22–44 years) participated in the survey (participation rate: 97.3%). The distribution of residency years was as follows: 1(st) year, 27%; 2(nd) year, 21.4%; 3(rd) year, 18.4%; 4(th) year, 17.4%; and 5(th) year, 49.9%. The most frequently used IMAs were WhatsApp (99.3%), Facebook Messenger (14.8%), Viber (8%), and Tango (1.3%). The rate of IMA usage for consultation was 95.3%. The most common reasons to prefer IMAs for consultation were being “fast” and “easy,” but only 26.3% of the residents reported that they prefer the use of IMAs because they find them “reliable.” Moreover, 41.7% of the respondents reported that they had an experience of misdiagnosis owing to the use of IMAs; 81.2% of the participants used the personal information of the patients during the consultation; 57.6% of the respondents considered that legal problems may arise because of the use of IMAs during the consultation; and 51.4% believed that an electronic platform, solely for consultation purposes, is required. CONCLUSION: This survey has shown that it is necessary to make some legal regulations regarding the use of IMAs for consultation purposes and to develop applications only for medical consultation purposes. Most of the trainees make decisions using IMAs without a proper examination, putting the patients at the risk of misdiagnosis. Moreover, the confidentiality of the patient’s personal information appears to be in danger when IMAs are used. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Diagnostic Study

A comunicação interna vem sendo apontada como uma aliada no fortalecimento das interações, no sentimento de valorização, bem como no engajamento dos colaboradores com as metas e objetivos organizacionais. Assim sendo, este estudo busca analisar a prática da comunicação interna em uma determinada instituição de ensino superior, a fim de mapear as preferências dos funcionários em relação aos canais e conteúdos. Para tanto, foi utilizado o estudo de caso, por meio de uma abordagem predominantemente qualitativa. Concluiu-se que o e-mail é o canal mais utilizado; e que as mídias sociais e os aplicativos de mensagens instantâneas não têm uma boa aceitabilidade, enquanto a comunicação face a face é bem aceita pelos colaboradores. Em relação aos conteúdos, foi apontado o interesse pela divulgação de decisões da gestão, do Conselho Superior, planejamento e assuntos relacionados à gestão de pessoas. Assim, os resultados desta pesquisa pretendem ser uma fonte de assessoramento para que gestores públicos educacionais possam avaliar, definir ou redefinir suas ações de comunicação interna, como também visa ajudá-los a fortalecerem suas interações e relacionamentos com seus públicos estratégicos; e, consequentemente, refletirem de forma positiva na prestação dos serviços ofertados à sociedade.

Introduction Burnout syndrome refers to the physical and psychological fatigue suffered by workers as a result of their professional activity. It has three main characteristics: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal fulfillment. Purpose To determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome among Andalusian ophthalmologists, both consultants and residents, analyzing its relationship with several sociodemographic variables. Material and methods Descriptive cross-sectional study. All the sociodemographic variables were included in a Google® form together with the standardized questionnaire Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). This form was sent to the Andalusian ophthalmological community by different electronic means (Andalusian Society of Ophthalmology, instant messaging mobile apps, etc.). Results 142 ophthalmologists answered the form, with a similar distribution by sex and a mean age of 43,77 years, with 67,1% of them meeting criteria of burnout syndrome. Its prevalence was higher among young ophthalmologists, with fewer years of clinical practice, divorced / separated, those with fewer children, belonging to centers in the province of Huelva, workers in rural / regional areas, those with exclusive public activity, consultants with temporary contracts and four-year residents. Regarding subspecialties, its prevalence was higher among those who focused on cornea-ocular surface-refractive surgery. Conclusions This study quantify for the first time in Andalusia the prevalence of burnout syndrome among ophthalmologists. The fact that two thirds of the analyzed sample meet criteria proves the need to implement improvements in the clinical and professional conditions of our group.

Smartphone use, e.g., on social network sites or instant messaging, can impair well-being and is related to clinical phenomena, like depression. Digital detox interventions have been suggested as a solution to reduce negative impacts from smartphone use on outcomes like well-being or social relationships. Digital detox is defined as timeouts from using electronic devices (e.g., smartphones), either completely or for specific subsets of smartphone use. However, until now, it has been unclear whether digital detox interventions are effective at promoting a healthy way of life in the digital era. This systematic literature review aimed to answer the question of whether digital detox interventions are effective at improving outcomes like health and well-being, social relationships, self-control or performance. Systematic searches of seven databases were carried out according to PRISMA guidelines, and intervention studies were extracted that examined timeouts from smartphone use and/or smartphone-related use of social network sites and instant messaging. The review yielded k = 21 extracted studies (total N = 3,625 participants). The studies included interventions in the field, from which 12 were identified as randomized controlled trials. The results showed that the effects from digital detox interventions varied across studies on health and well-being, social relationships, self-control, or performance. For example, some studies found positive intervention effects, whereas others found no effect or even negative consequences for well-being. Reasons for these mixed findings are discussed. Research is needed to examine mechanisms of change to derive implications for the development of successful digital detox interventions.

The analysis of existing information systems for transmitting multimedia messages is carried out, a generalized conceptual definition for describing the architectures of such systems is proposed. The classification of messaging systems and their architectures is given. The key threats that should be considered when developing messaging systems in various application domains are identified. Based on the analysis of threats, a set of criteria has been determined for assessing the architectures of information systems for transmitting messages. A model which allows to make an assessment of parameters affecting the security of instant messaging information systems based on the characteristics of its elements is proposed.

Introducción: La pandemia de Covid-19 ha traído cambios sociales afectando igualmente a la comunicación. El uso de las redes sociales ha aumentado durante el confinamiento y la forma de informarnos a través de ellas o de mensajería instantánea como WhatsApp han propiciado la viralización de bulos. Metodología: A través de una encuesta pionera durante el confinamiento hemos recopilado más de 1700 respuestas que se han analizado con técnicas de machine learning para conocer cómo se han informado los españoles durante el confinamiento y como han interactuado con las informaciones que recibían sobre la Covid-19. Además, hemos participado en encuentros con los socios fundadores de Maldita, verificador pionero en España, que ha realizado una labor fundamental en la detección de fake news durante la pandemia. Resultados: Los resultados muestran diferentes comportamientos en el uso de las redes sociales sobre todo en las distintas edades: por qué comparten una información; si dudan sobre ella; qué tipo de bulos han recibido; de qué tipos de contactos reciben con más frecuencia, etc. Conclusiones: Se aprecian distintos perfiles de consumidores de información, unos más concienciados con la fiabilidad de las redes, que además verifican el contenido dudoso y otro que se informa de forma más superficial y que no verifica la información que le llega por estos canales online.

Nowadays, working in groups is very usual and popular in most professional environments. Thus, students, as potential workers, need to acquire teamwork competence in their educational institutions. However, when the students are working in groups, it is easy assessing their final result but not so much evaluating how each of them, individually, is developing teamwork competence. In this sense, there are several methodologies, and those with better results are the ones that explore students’ interactions in learning platforms when developing the activity/project. Taking into account the latter, students’ interactions do not only happen in a learning platform but also using other tools such as instant messaging tools. This paper explores the possibility to assess the use of instant messaging tools for the acquisition of teamwork competence, and specifically, it presents a case study about the use of WhatsApp. From the results, we can conclude that the students prefer to use instant messaging tools in teamwork activities than other interaction tools as forums; and that the employment of those tools has a positive impact in students’ grades.

PurposeAs society becomes ever more reliant on Internet technology for everyday communications, this paper explores the use of instant messaging (IM) in qualitative research. Discussed within the context of sensitive topic research with potentially hidden and hard-to-reach groups, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the value of adaptive and contemporary research approaches which facilitate participation on the terms of the participant.Design/methodology/approachReflecting on the data collection process from the primary authors’ PhD research, this paper critically considers some of the issues raised by IM-facilitated at semi-structured interviews.FindingsThis paper raises a number of issues, including how the perceived depth of participant response is influenced by their brevity, resultant of the space between parties which allows for considered and concise communication. This disconnect, created by the use of technology, also has implications for the power relations between researcher and participant and the ability to identify the non-verbal cues which communicate emotion and sentiment.Originality/valueThis paper highlights that whilst limited in some respects, an IM-facilitated interview provides a unique platform through which hidden and hard-to-reach groups may be empowered to participate in research, which they may usually avoid.

Background: Differences between pre-hospital triage by an emergency medical technician and Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment triage (START) by emergency staffs often affect manpower management and aggravate the chaos condition of emergency room. Objectives: Under the assistance of instant messaging, the authors aimed to identify ways of improving triage differences between emergency medical technician triage grading and Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment triage grading by emergency staffs. Methods: Recorded photographs of all patients were reviewed by a smartphone. We categorized patients according to three triage conditions: group 1, accident scene on-site or instantaneous Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment triage by the emergency medical technician; group 2, triage under Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment grading by emergency staffs; group 3, re-triage with START grading using recorded photographs, Glasgow Coma Scale, and vital signs when these patients were arrived in emergency room. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Spearman rank correlations, and Kruskal–Wallis test are employed to test differences among the groups. We used risk estimates with odds ratios and the chi-square test to statistically analyze the differences in triage grading. Results: Statistical analysis found conflicting results among Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Spearman rank correlations, and Kruskal–Wallis test. The difference in triage grading between groups 2 and 1 was greater than that between groups 2 and 3 (odds ratio, 6.473; 95% confidence interval, 1.693–24.470; p-value Conclusion: Transferred photographs combined with Glasgow Coma Scale and vital signs can help us to understand the real situations of patients. With instant messaging applications, it is possible to make more precise pre-hospital or instantaneous triage.

Web-based instant messaging applications vulnerability has become one of the main concerns for its users in line with the increasing number of cybercrimes that occur on social media. This research was conducted to determine the comparability of the vulnerability value of the web-based WhatsApp, Telegram, and Skype applications using the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) method. Digital artifacts in the form of text messages, picture messages, video messages, telephone numbers, and user IDs have been acquired in this research process using FTK imager and OSForensic tools. The results of the study using the FTK imager and OSForensic tools show that the web-based Skype application has a vulnerability value of 92%, while WhatsApp and Web-based Telegram have the same vulnerability value with 67% each based on all digital artifacts that successfully acquired. &nbsp, Vulnerability aplikasi instant messaging berbasis web telah menjadi salah satu perhatian utama bagi para penggunanya seiring dengan semakin meningkatnya cybercrime yang terjadi pada media sosial. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengetahui komparatif dari nilai vulnerability aplikasi WhatsApp, Telegram, dan Skype berbasis web menggunakan metode Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Artefak digital berupa pesan teks, pesan gambar, pesan video, nomor telepon, dan user ID telah dapat diakuisisi pada proses penelitian ini dengan menggunakan tool FTK imager dan OSForensic. Hasil dari penelitian menggunakan tool FTK imager dan OSForensic menunjukkan aplikasi Skype berbasis web memiliki nilai vulnerability sebesar 92%, sedangkan WhatsApp dan Telegram berbasis web memiliki nilai vulnerability yang sama dengan perolehan nilai masing-masing sebesar 67% berdasarkan dari keseluruhan artefak digital yang telah berhasil diakuisisi.&nbsp

Amid growing scholarly interest in identifying potential explanations for the persistence of fake news from an international context, this study explores the relationship between instant messaging ...

Actualmente, la masificación de los teléfonos celulares, así como de las aplicaciones para ellos, se han hecho presentes en diferentes sectores de la sociedad. Entre las aplicaciones de mensajería instantánea ha destacado el WhatsApp que se ha hecho parte de la vida diaria de la mayoría de las personas que cuentan con un celular. La investigación se centró en el uso del WhatsApp, para conocer la influencia que tiene entre los estudiantes de la Universidad Autónoma del Carmen (UNACAR). El objetivo de esta investigación fue saber, primero que tanto utilizan el WhatsApp, y segundo que tanto es útil para sus actividades académicas. Se realizó una investigación cuantitativa, sobre un tema innovador y que está presente en la vida cotidiana, el WhatsApp y su uso entre estudiantes de educación superior. Para el estudio se usó una encuesta que se aplicó a 100 estudiantes. Los resultados obtenidos demostraron el uso intensivo de dicha aplicación. El WhatsApp puede llegar a ser una herramienta de comunicación efectiva entre estudiantes y profesores, debido al alcance que tiene el uso de la herramienta entre las personas, la mayoría cuenta con un teléfono inteligente, el cual seguramente tiene la aplicación de WhatsApp instalada, aunque habrá que considerar que existen otras aplicaciones que posiblemente tengan mejores funcionalidades que el WhatsApp. Por los hallazgos encontrados en la investigación realizada se concluye que el WhatsApp es una herramienta ampliamente usada entre estudiantes de nivel superior.

Acknowledging that the way mobile communication is used is shaped by socially negotiated social norms, this study examined the factors that impact instant messaging (IM) communication at the person and situation levels using the experience sampling method (ESM). We measured how the characteristics at the person level (i.e., availability and responsiveness preferences), contextual factors (i.e., location and copresence of others), and message-related attributes (i.e., sender and chat type) impact users’ responsiveness in IM communication. The study empirically investigated a sample of 90 smartphone users who completed 820 ESM protocols regarding their use of the messenger service WhatsApp. The results of the multilevel analyses revealed that users’ responsiveness in IM communication is affected by person- and situation-level factors, but the latter factors were found to have a much stronger impact. The effect of specific influential factors is discussed in detail.

Cyberbullying in group conversations in one of the instant messaging applications is one of the conflicts that occur due to social media, specifically WhatsApp. This study conducted digital forensics to find evidence of cyberbullying by obtaining work in the Digital Forensic Research Workshop (DFRWS). The evidence was investigated using the MOBILedit Forensic Express tool as an application for evidence submission and the Cosine Similarity method to approve the purchase of cyberbullying cases. This research has been able to conduct procurement to reveal digital evidence on the agreement in the Group's features using text using MOBILedit. Identification using the Cosine method. Similarities have supported actions that lead to cyberbullying with different levels Improved Sqrt-Cosine (ISC) value, the largest 0.05 and the lowest 0.02 based on conversations against requests. &nbsp, Cyberbullying dalam percakapan group pada salah satu aplikasi instant messaging merupakan salah satu konflik yang terjadi akibat dampak negatif penggunaan media sosial khususnya WhatsApp. Penelitian ini melakukan forensik digital untuk menemukan barang bukti cyberbullying dengan kerangka kerja Digital Forensics Research Workshop (DFRWS). Barang bukti dilakukan investigasi menggunakan tools MOBILedit Forensic Express sebagai aplikasi pengangkatan barang bukti dan metode Cosine Similarity untuk mengidentifikasi terjadinya kasus cyberbullying. Penelitian ini telah dapat melakukan akuisisi untuk mengungkap bukti digital pada pelaku di fitur Group berupa teks menggunakan MOBILedit. Identifikasi menggunakan metode Cosine Similarity telah mampu mengidentifikasi tindakan yang mengarah pada cyberbullying dengan tingkat yang berbeda, nilai Improved Sqrt-Cosine (ISC) terbesar 0,05 dan nilai ISC terendah 0,02 berdasar pada percakapan terhadap query. &nbsp

Background Adherence to asthma treatment among children is usually poor. We sought to explore whether electronic adherence monitoring combined with weekly feedback regarding adherence along with a reminder to use inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) would lead to improved compliance with ICS in infants and younger children with asthma. Methods 96 recruited children (aged 6 months to 3 years) with mild or moderate persistent asthma who were on regular inhaled corticosteroids were randomly allocated to receive electronic monitoring combined with instant messaging software (IMS)-based weekly feedback regarding adherence along with a reminder to keep taking the ICS (intervention group) and to receive electronic monitoring only (control group). Results The mean device-monitored adherence was significantly higher in the intervention group (80%) than in the control group (45.9%), with a difference of 34.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 26.8–41.3%; P P = 0.452). Conclusions Electronic monitoring combined with IMS-based weekly feedback regarding adherence along with a reminder to keep taking the ICS significantly improved the treatment compliance of infants and younger children with asthma. Caregiver-reported adherence is an unreliable monitoring indicator. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03277664. Registered 11 September 2017—Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=NCT03277664

Online Q&A has become a very common way for people to find information, and sending instant messages via social networking sites offers new opportunities for companies and individuals to reach out ...

Computer network security is an important factor that must be considered. Guaranteed security can avoid losses caused by attacks on the network security system. The most common prevention against network attacks is to place an administrator, but problems will arise when the administrator is not supervising the network, so to overcome these problems a system called IDS (Intrusion Detection System) can detect suspicious activity on the network through automating the work functions of an administrator. Snort is one of the software that functions to find out the intrusion. Data packets that pass through network traffic will be analyzed. Data packets detected as intrusion will trigger alerts which are then stored in log files. Thus, administrators can find out intrusions that occur on computer networks, and the existence of instant messaging applications can help administrators to get realtime notifications, one of which is using the Telegram application. The results of this study are, Snort able to detect intrusion of attacks on computer networks and the system can send alerts from snort to administrators via telegram bot in real-time.

The Facebook Messenger (FBM) is one of the most popular instant messaging social apps, launched by Facebook in 2010. As of October 2019, there were about 1.3 billion FBM users worldwide. In this st...

The presence of cross-platformmessaging apps on smartphone allows people to instantly share information and images/photos. However, the development of this information technology also opens opportunities for the spread of gender-based of images/photos that tend to harass women. The act of harassing women through images/photos, whether producing or sharing them can be categorized as a violation of the law, as regulated in Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 7 year 1984 on the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. This study focuses on the importance of campaign of"Anti-sharing images/ photos that harassed women in instant messaging apps on smartphone‖ as a form of social and cultural responsibility in the community. Qualitatively, the discussion uses the theory of design sociology as a solution to solve problems through campaign media. The results of this study discussions are expected to build public awareness to stop sharing habits or create images /photos that harass women, and invite people to jointly fight it.

Background Follow-up after artificial joint replacement greatly helps achieve surgical outcomes. Mobile internet technology and mobile terminal equipment may increase the effectiveness of artificial joint replacement. However, only a few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of this technology. We aimed to analyze the reasons and outcomes of patients who used the instant messaging platform after undergoing artificial joint replacement. Methods Among the 548 cases of arthroplasty (250 hips, 298 knees) performed between December 2015 and June 2018 in the Department of Joint Surgery of our institution; 358 (164 hip joints, 194 knee joints) participated in instant messaging platform consultation, whereas the remaining 190 (86 hip joints, 104 knee joints) participated in traditional telephone consultation, as a control group. Follow-up time was from December 2015 to August 2018 (follow-up period was 2–32 months). Data on age, sex, type of surgery, date of surgery, date of discharge, and length of hospital stay were collected from electronic medical records. Results We analyzed the consultation contents of 358 patients who participated in instant messaging platform consultation. Counseling was mainly related to pain (13.6%), appointment review (12.4%), activity problems (10.5%), and incision problems (8.9%). Most problems were resolved through online guidance, with 8.4% of patients requiring only outpatient treatment and 2.5% of patients requiring rehospitalization. A total of 190 patients were followed up through traditional telephone consultation; 6.8% of patients required outpatient department treatment and 7.4% were eventually re-admitted. Conclusion The instant messaging platform consultation service effectively informs patients of potential postoperative problems and helps resolve them. It allows early detection and management of postoperative adverse events, including problems related to medication, wound, and activity, thereby effectively reducing readmission rate.

Current research trends, insights, and recommendations for use of mobile technologies in the advent of 5G technologies continue as technologies are adopted and employed within online learning environments. This chapter considers the higher education literature specific to the synchronous communications available via ubiquitous mobile devices and the pedagogical implications these mobile technologies create in the context of online doctoral education. Mobile instant messaging, mobile learning, and other mobile applications are considered to foster engagement of both doctoral faculty and doctoral students. While these mobile technologies may foster engagement and disrupt voice dispossession among underrepresented doctoral students, the research into this specific demographic and the social-relational aspects of synchronous communications within mobile learning remains limited. Continued research into the use of synchronous communications for underrepresented online doctoral students to prevent attributional accommodation and nonuse is needed.

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link. The use of unified communication; video conferencing, audio conferencing, and instant messaging has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, security and privacy considerations have often been neglected. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of security and privacy in Unified Communication (UC). We systematically analyze security and privacy threats and mitigations in a generic UC scenario. Based on this, we analyze security and privacy features of the major UC market leaders and we draw conclusions on the overall UC landscape. While confidentiality in communication channels is generally well protected through encryption, other privacy properties are mostly lacking on UC platforms.

In current times it is very hard to imagine a day without the use of a computer. Communication among people has increased drastically with the help of the internet using social media platforms. Among these various modes of communication, email plays a vital role in connecting people globally using a unique ID called email ID which is used to identify different users, there’s also instant messaging and other modes of communication over the internet via a social media service such as Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. Using these services users can communicate by sending messages and data in the form of attachments to one another. In this paper, we try to implement feature selection techniques such that we can find the strongest relationships between users which are low cost and can be easily implemented to recognize users writing patterns and also help in searching and providing human-like search results and responses. In this case, we have used the Enron email corpus which is made public for research by the CALO project.

In the rainy season, people are easy to forget to take an umbrella when he goes out. In this study, it combined the traditional umbrella stand, coupled with blowing hot air to dry the umbrella that has been wet. Adding a sensing element to the umbrella stand can not only display the current temperature and humidity, but also use instant messaging software to remind the user to go out and bring an umbrella. When the system senses that, the user is going out and approaching the umbrella stand. It can also synchronize reminder messages to sport bracelets at the same time.

Background Face-to-face communication has reduced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the associations between family communication and family wellbeing. Methods In an online survey of the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project in May 2021, 4981 Hong Kong Chinese adults (mean age 43.5 years, response rate 24.3%) reported family communication methods of face-to-face and instant messaging (IM) when the COVID-19 pandemic was severe (yes/no), communication contents that were neutral, positive, supportive, and negative (yes/no), and communication quality (0-10). The associations of family wellbeing (health, happiness, and harmony, 0-10) with communication methods and contents were examined using linear regression (β), adjusting for each other, sex, age, socioeconomic status, and number of cohabitants. The mediating effects of communication quality on these associations were examined. Prevalence estimates were weighted by sex, age and education of general population. Results 7.1% respondents reported no communication, 12.7% face-to-face only, 26.7% IM only, and 53.4% both. More communication contents were neutral (range 83.1-99.3%) than positive (42.1-62.2%), supportive (37.5-54.8%), and negative (10.9-34.5%). Communication quality was highest in using both methods (6.7 vs 4.5-6.6, all P≤0.02). Better family wellbeing was associated with using IM only (adjusted β: 0.37) and both methods (0.37) than face-to-face only and with positive (0.62) and supportive (0.45) contents (all P≤0.001). Communication quality mediated 35.2-93.5% of these associations. Conclusions Better family wellbeing was associated with IM and face-to-face communication and their contents, partly through communication quality. Key messages Family IM communication with positive and supportive contents may enhance family wellbeing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese firms have been widely seen as imitative. This historical case study explores what organizational mechanisms allowed Tencent, a Chinese firm in the fast-changing instant messaging (IM) service sector, to achieve a new-to-the-world innovation with its WeChat smartphone app. Tracing the competitive dynamics in the Chinese IM sector from its inception, we found that Tencent was able to create the innovative WeChat product through a crisis-induced intrafirm coopetition dynamic that was embedded in variation-selection-retention evolutionary processes spanning the market, the firm, and the business unit levels. Building on the intrafirm coopetition and evolutionary literatures, the paper shows that three business units simultaneously competed and cooperated in developing alternative IM products while being exposed to market selection for survival. The coopetition dynamic took place in three key areas: technology, product promotion, and complementary assets of suppliers. The relative balance between competition and cooperation changed over time, and top management guidance and firm-level routines were essential in managing the challenges of coopetition within the firm.

Instant messaging (IM) enables medical professionals to quickly share clinical data to their peers for counselling. Purpose of this survey is to assess the habits related to IM, their application in clinical practice and the perceived pros and cons. An online survey was distributed to the medical community via newsletters, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The survey consisted of 22 questions made on an individual-basis and collected anonymously on SurveyMonkey. A total of 287 subjects from 33 countries responded to the survey (mean age 43 years, 74.8% male). Of all respondents, 88.3% routinely send and 90.3% receive clinical data through IM which was second only to face-to-face contact as the preferred method for sharing clinical data. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (88.6%), medical history (61.4%), and echo loops (55.7%) were the data shared most often. Nearly half of the clinical data that are sent (43%) or received (44%) are not anonymized. In the same way, 29.3% of the respondents were not aware of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at the time of the survey. IM apps are used by medical professionals worldwide to share and discuss clinical data and are preferred to many other methods of data sharing, being second only to face-to-face contact. IM are often used to share many different types of clinical data, being perceived as a fast and easy way of communication. Medical professionals should be aware of the appropriate use of IM to prevent legal and privacy issues.

For two decades, the spread of pornography on the internet has been difficult to contain. The Ministry of Communication and Information has blocked 1,062,558 pornographic content during January-September 2020 which is generally circulating on social media. The case of the spread of immoral videos who look like an artist that went viral has shown the fact that the spread of pornography is at an alarming stage. Therefore, the aim of this research is to get a picture of the spread of pornographic issues (immoral videos similar to artists) on Twitter. This research method uses the Social Media Analysis method with the Brand24 application. The results of the study concluded that this video was first uploaded on Twitter and began to be discussed on November 5, 2020. The highest peak of this issue was discussed the next day with the reach graph which increased sharply. The spread within days was massive and out of control. Even though this video was deleted by the first uploader, it has already been circulated, spread, saved and then shared again through other social media platforms. The spread is even more viral because it is accompanied by a special hashtag in every tweet. The results of data crawling concluded that the sites most active in spreading this issue were Twitter.com, Youtube.com and Tribunnews.com. This video also spreads to other media such as blogs, forums and instant messaging applications, Telegram. The characteristics of social media which are networks and sharing facilities allow the spread of this issue to be more viral and massive in various media.

Context. One of the primary uses of mobile devices is to send and receive instant messages via messaging apps. However, no evidence is still available about how receiving instant messages impacts the energy consumption of mobile devices.Goal. With this study we aim to empirically assess to what extent the number and distribution of received instant messages impact the energy consumption of Android devices.Method. The subjects of our experiment are WhatsApp and Telegram, two of the most known and used messaging apps. Each run of the experiment lasts 5 minutes and is executed on a Nexus 9 Android device. The independent variables of the experiment are: (i) the frequency of the received messages (i.e., 0, 10, 25, 50 per minute) and (ii) the distribution of messages arrival (i.e., evenly or in bursts). The dependent variable of the experiment is the energy consumption of the Android device in Joules.Results. We confirm that the energy consumption of the Android device tends to be proportional with the number of received messages across both apps. When the number of received messages is fixed, the frequency of their arrival does not significantly impact the energy consumption of the Android device.Conclusions. This study provides evidence that receiving instant messages can largely reduce the battery life of a user's Android device, even when the number of received messages is relatively low (i.e., 10 messages per minute). Moreover, sending bursts of messages does not lead to significant changes in terms of energy consumption. Developers can use this information to develop new features for their Instant Messaging apps for aggressively bundling messages without the risk of impacting the energy consumption of end users' devices.

We tested how the introduction and removal of well-defined roles influenced contribution behaviors in instant messaging conversations. Pairs of participants worked on a referential communication task where one participant (the director) had more information than the other (the matcher). Next, these roles were removed and the participants were allowed to communicate freely. Participants then switched director/matcher roles and the procedure was repeated. On average participants in the director role wrote more than participants in the matcher role during the task. But instead of a balanced conversation during unstructured chat, which might have happened without a task preceding it, during off-task conversation former-matchers, on average, contributed more than former-directors. Results support the hypothesis that speech complementarity leads to efforts to redress imbalance, a process we call reciprocity.