The Digital Incorporated Worker Narrative: A Mixed Methods Study of Digital Capital, Work Selection, and Outcomes in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Digital technology permeates society and industry, making digital-ready workers necessary for firms of all sizes as a firm seeks competitiveness in the market (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; de Ruyter et al., 2018; Gorski et al., 2022; Karaboğa, 2023; Kim et al., 2017; Qureshi Zia, 2019). Firms seeking digital-ready workers face a complex digital divide that creates a worker shortage (Bergson-Shilcock et al., 2023; Karaboğa, 2023; Qureshi Zia, 2019). This study aims to describe workers\u27 work selection, work experience, and outcomes in a complex digital society. Most digital divide research focuses on the individuals excluded from owning, accessing, and having skills with information and communication technologies (Heeks, 2022), even though data reveals that the digital divide is not a simple dichotomy between the included and excluded (Ragnedda et al., 2020; Van Dijk & Hacker, 2003). Instead, the divide is a multifactor problem that can also cause stratification in the digital society (Ragnedda et al., 2020; van Deursen & van Dijk, 2015). This study uses the convergent mixed methods design to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The study data describes the stratification among workers in the digital society by exploring worker demographics, their accumulation of social, cultural, human, digital, and economic capital, and their work selection and outcomes. The study reveals (a) digital capital serves as a gateway to human capital and improved economic outcomes or economic capital, (b) the need for economic autonomy by those entering the workforce for the first time results in the selection of work that requires low-skill, and low to no digital capital. While this work is approachable and accessible, it offers low wages. (c) Workers\u27 cultural and social capital and accumulated work experiences shift from pursuing work solely for economic necessity to including purpose, ethics, and value alignment at work, requiring more digital capital to access jobs in this expanded scope. (4) increasing digital capital results in autonomy in pursuing outcomes supporting mental well-being, and (5) increasing digital capital results in feelings of disconnect from other humans

Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media

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Toward a More Accountable and Inclusive Vision of Health Ethics: Navigating Complexity in Contemporary Clinical Practice

Editor\u27s introduction to Vol. 21, No. 1 of the Journal of Health Ethics

Resistance to Evidence

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The Influence of Snapchat Consumption on Saudi Women’s Self-Perception and its Relation to The Desire to Change Their Appearance: A Quantitative Approach Applying Cultivation and Social Comparison Theory

Abstract This dissertation examined Saudi women’s exposure to Snapchat content related to cosmetic procedures, including news and content creators, and its impact on their self-perception, including self-esteem, body satisfaction, perception of beauty standards, and desire to change appearance through cosmetic procedures. This study utilized cultivation and social comparison theory as theoretical groundings. An online questionnaire was distributed among Saudi women (N=307) which was analyzed using multiple statistical tests, including correlation, regression, and mediation analysis, found causal relationships and statistical significance between the variables. The findings revealed that the amount of time spent consuming news about cosmetic procedures led to a low level of self-esteem among Saudi women, but the exposure to content creators, regardless of the amount of viewing, also had an impact. The findings also indicated that consuming both news and creators’ content related to cosmetic procedures on Snapchat led to an increase in achieving beauty ideals and, thus, the desire to change appearance by undergoing cosmetic procedures. In particular, the amount of viewing of the creator’s content had an impact on both previous dependent variables. Also, it found that social comparison behavior mediated the relationships as it led to a negative impact on Saudi women’s self-esteem and body satisfaction but raised the desire to reach more beauty norms and the desire for change. However, no mediation for religiosity was observed between the variables. Keywords: Content creators, Cultivation theory, Media consumption, Saudi Arabia, Self-perception, Social comparison theory, Snapcha

EMPOWERING NARRATIVES OR MARKETING STRATEGY? NIGERIAN AUDIENCE REACTIONS TO FEMVERTISING IN THE “JOY SOAP ‘MY LIFE, MY SCRIPT’ CAMPAIGN”

Guided by Feminist Theory, this thesis examines how audience responses to Joy Soap’s ‘My Life, My Script’ campaign reflect, reinforce, or resist dominant gender norms in Nigerian society. Positioned as a form of femvertising, the campaign aims to challenge traditional expectations placed on women and promote narratives of empowerment. However, audience reactions reveal a complex negotiation of cultural values, personal experiences, and shifting gender ideologies. This study uses Critical Discourse Analysis to examine purposively sampled comments from the campaign’s Instagram comment section, focusing on four selected episodes. The analysis identifies discursive patterns that reveal key themes, including the reinforcement and resistance of traditional gender roles, evolving perspectives on femininity and motherhood, the complexities surrounding financial independence, body image, and the rejection of endurance culture that often glorifies women’s suffering. The study also captures public responses to Joy Soap’s corporate social responsibility efforts, with reactions ranging from appreciation to skepticism about the authenticity of the brand’s advocacy. Findings indicate that while some users uphold conventional gender expectations, many others challenge these norms, using the comment section as a space for critique, dialogue, and redefinition. The discourse sparked by the campaign reflects an ongoing cultural shift in gender perceptions and highlights the role of social media as a site for negotiating societal change. This research contributes to scholarship on feminist media studies, gender discourse, and public engagement in African contexts. It emphasizes the importance of audience voices in evaluating the impact of empowerment-oriented marketing and understanding how discourse shapes and contests social norms

Telling It Like It Wasn\u27t: The Counterfactual Imagination in History and Fiction

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Fake News! Misinformation in The Media

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Breaking the Social Media Prism

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