Communication Technology and New Media Commons^™

Ephemeral To Empowered? International Comparison Of Women’S Participation In Web Series Production, 2012–2019, Nicola Evans, Marion Mccutcheon, Emilia King, Joel Bassaget, Steinar Ellingsen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Women are significantly underrepresented in above-the-line roles in film and television, but anecdotal evidence suggests they are gravitating to web series. To explore this, the authors built the largest known international archive of web series released during 2012–2019 and analysed women’s participation. In the top five web series producing countries in the West, women achieved or approached parity with men in producing, directing and writing, but not cinematography. Do achievements in low-budget, transitory media count for anything? Drawing on ephemeral media scholarship, we discuss the potential of such forms to disturb entrenched patterns of gender discrimination in screen industries worldwide.

User Experience (Ux) Meets Bureaucracy: Lessons From A Government Intranet Prototype, Scott Pelham, Jo Jung, Christopher Kueh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Implementing user experience (UX) methodologies within government settings is both possible and powerful – but fraught with systemic and cultural complexities. This report presents insights from the redesign of a government intranet for a prominent Australian emergency services organisation, using a human-centred design approach grounded in the Double Diamond framework. The research reveals a series of challenges: bureaucracy, opinion bias, overwhelming content volume with minimal organisational value, a governance paradox where design rules are desired but selectively applied, a disconnect in engagement from key stakeholders, and the impact of a design by committee approach. While these challenges were significant, they …

No Screens Before Two: How First-Time Australian Parents Negotiate Enduring Digital Media Guidelines, Stephanie C. Milford, Emma Jayakumar, Harrison W. See, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital parenting guidance often fails to reflect early caregiving realities, particularly for first-time parents navigating screentime. Although professional guidelines have shifted from rigid time limits toward co-engagement and content quality, these shifts are inconsistently communicated and poorly absorbed into public discourse. Meanwhile, technopanic narratives fuel confusion, guilt, and social judgement. While some studies link extended screen use with adverse outcomes, we examine how correlational findings become blanket prescriptions in early caregiving. Drawing on two interview rounds and three focus groups with 23 Australian first-time parents of children aged birth-to-four, and informed by a socio-ecological approach, we explore how parents interpret …

The Complex And Multifaceted Nature Of Social Media: Perspectives From Young Adolescents, Parents And Experts, Cindy Branch-Smith, Diarmuid Hurley, Nasim Salehi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study explores the complex and multifaceted nature of social media use among young adolescents, drawing on the perspectives of young adolescents, parents and experts. It examines both the benefits and risks of social media and associated implications for adolescent mental health, self-development and social relationships. Methodology: A qualitative, interpretive design was utilised, using interviews across three stakeholder groups, with data analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings: The analysis identified a range of perceived opportunities, benefits and challenges associated with adolescent social media engagement. Participants highlighted its role in fostering connection, education and self-expression, alongside significant risks, including cyberbullying, …

Australian Teen Voices On Age Verification And Age Assurance Measures, Giselle Woodley, Harrison W. See, Brian O'Neill, Lelia Green, Elisabeth Staksrud, Paul Haskell-Dowland

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Age verification and age assurance technologies, including biometrics, facial recognition software and digital identification, have been explored as potential measures to restrict access of young people to social media and sexually explicit media (SEM), including pornography. However, there is limited data regarding how teens targeted by such restrictions feel about such strategies. Drawing on qualitative interviews with Australian teens and pre-teens (aged 11–17), this paper presents their views of age verification technologies, particularly in relation to restricting access to SEM. The participants in this study welcomed improved online protections but were ambivalent about proposed solutions. Age assurance and age verification …

Critical Young Consumers: What Types Of Porn Do Teens Watch, And Why?, Giselle Woodley, Marc Zen, Harrison W. See, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pornography use by teens is of growing concern to parents and communities. There is, however, often little differentiation made between the types of contents being consumed or exploration of the types of pornography teens are watching and why. This paper interrogates data collected from 49 qualitative interviews, including 19 follow-up interviews and 4× focus groups with teens. This paper explores teens’ perspectives on the types of pornography accessed by themselves and their peers, and popular categories of pornography more widely. Teens appear to view various types and genres of pornography, as do adults. Some teens prefer ‘ethical’ sources of porn, …

Community Engagement In Digital Banking: Insights From Jakarta And Perth, Safaruddin Husada, Ulani Yunus, Latifa Ramonita, Mark Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: In the digital era, community engagement plays a pivotal role in driving market share expansion in the banking sector, yet the impact of such initiatives across diverse regulatory and cultural contexts remains underexplored. Purpose: This study examines the influence of community engagement on the digital bank market share in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Perth, Australia, while addressing disparities in digital access and customer experience. Methods: Employing a quantitative methodology, the study analyzed structured surveys from 300 respondents (150 each from Jakarta and Perth) to uncover relationships between community engagement and market expansion. Results: Findings reveal that robust community engagement significantly …

Young People’S Perceptions Of Harm From Accessing Online Sexual Content, Despina Chronaki, Debra Dudek, Giselle Woodley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Harm—and the ways in which it is interpreted, negotiated, discussed, and unpacked by adolescents themselves—is a key term in almost all debates about young people’s experiences with online pornography. This essay situates the topic of this special issue—adolescents’ perceptions of harm from accessing online sexual content—within a broader context of the discourses and practices that inform research in this field. We show how discourses of harm and risk circulate around the figure of the innocent child in need of protection and argue for more nuanced understandings of and research about childhood that take into account the lived experiences and perspectives …

Development Of A Reporting Guideline For Trochim’S Concept Mapping, Sandesh Pantha, Martin Jones, Richard Gray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Reporting guidelines are created with the intention to enhance the quality and transparency of reporting different research methods. Trochim’s concept mapping (often referred to as group concept mapping) is a six-phase, participatory mixed-method approach to understanding complex constructs. Currently, there is no reporting guideline for concept mapping. Developing a reporting guideline typically follows a three-step process: 1. a systematic review to establish the need for a reporting guideline, 2. a Delphi study to identify candidate items, and 3. consolidation process to inform a draft guideline. We have previously reported our step 1, a systematic review of health-related concept mapping studies. …

Behavioural Realism And Its Impact On Virtual Reality Social Interactions Involving Self-Disclosure, Alan Fraser, Ross Hollett, Craig Speelman, Shane L. Rogers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study investigates how the behavioural realism of avatars can enhance virtual reality (VR) social interactions involving self-disclosure. First, we review how factors such as trust, enjoyment, and nonverbal communication could be influenced by motion capture technology by enhancing behavioural realism. We also address a gap in the prior literature by comparing different motion capture systems and how these differences affect perceptions of realism, enjoyment, and eye contact. Specifically, this study compared two types of avatars: an iClone UNREAL avatar with full-body and facial motion capture and a Vive Sync avatar with limited motion capture for self-disclosure. Our participants rated …

Impact Of Multidimensional Presence On User Well-Being In Metaverse Communities, Arslan Rafi, Sanjit K. Roy, Mohsin Abdur Rehman, Muhammad Junaid Shahid Hasni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In metaverse communities, users engage in various activities, such as socializing, gaming, and exploration. Presence in such communities refers to the feeling of being there and being fully immersed. This study examines the role of various dimensions of presence (e.g., social, spatial, and self) in driving user well-being in metaverse communities. Moreover, the study tests the mediating roles of social connectedness and social support. The data set comprised responses from 357 metaverse users. Data were analyzed using multigroup analysis (MGA), necessary condition analysis, partial least squares path modeling, and artificial neural network analysis. Results show that social presence, spatial presence, …

Framing Theory Insights: The Co-Existence Of Frame Coupling And Frame Mirroring In Social Media And Online News About A Disaster-Affected Destination, Violetta Wilk, Ashlee Morgan, Greg Willson, Ruth Sibson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Through the lens of framing theory, this paper explores social media and news media online narratives about a destination affected by a natural disaster. It presents original insights into the co-existence of frame coupling and frame mirroring in online content. Online news media, and local and overseas social media user-generated content (UGC) was examined. The aim of such triangulation of data, was to understand how different online sources framed the destination in the context of the disaster. 24,985 Twitter (now X) posts were sourced using Salesforce Social Studio and 1,248 online news media articles from Factiva. Leximancer-driven thematic analysis via …

Serial Killers And The Production Of The Uncanny In Digital Participatory Culture, Laura Glitsos, Mark Deuze

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Many theorists have expounded on what serial killing says about the social in any given context and the ways in which serial killing and media are entangled, in particular, Mark Seltzer, Jon Stratton and Elliot Leyton. However, in this article, we ask, how is serial killer mythology developing in relation to participatory culture typical of our current digital environment? In scaffolding discourse analysis with theories from various literature, such as Judith Fathalla and Mark Deuze, what we find is that people’s lives as lived in media open up radically new spaces through which media publics consume, cultivate and perform knowledge …

Guiding Principles For Stakeholder Engagement In Supporting Children’S Digital Citizenship: The 4a Model, Kylie J. Stevenson, Harrison W. See, Emma Jayakumar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article outlines an evidence-based model of children’s digital citizenship stakeholder engagement, reporting the final outcome of a project conducted in the Asia Pacific region, titled Digital Safety and Citizenship Roundtables: Using Consultation and Creativity to Engage Stakeholders (Children, Policy Influencers, Industry) in Best Practice in India, South Korea, and Australia. This qualitative research positioned young children aged 3 to 13 years as key stakeholders in their digital citizenship development. Their views were communicated to adult stakeholders with an interest in digital citizenship policy and practice. The authors outline the 4A model, based on evidence collected from child and adult …

Beyond Gatekeeping: Web Series As Entrepreneurial Emancipation In The Contemporary Streaming Era, Sarah De Possesse, Brian Yecies, Steinar Ellingsen, Sue Turnbull

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explores fictional web series as a disruptive alternative to traditional television industry gatekeeping systems, offering actor/producers unprecedented pathways to creative agency and entrepreneurial career development. This research documents how practitioners, industry bodies, broadcasters, and audiences define “successful” web series, examining how “value” is generated beyond traditional economic metrics. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with a cross-section of Australian screen industry representatives, it applies an “entrepreneuring as emancipation” framework to reconceptualize the industrial significance of web series as vehicles for challenging established hierarchies. Finally, it analyzes how the low-budget format enables actor/producers to develop entrepreneurial identities through digital platforms while …

An Updated Social Media Users’ Crisis Response Framework, Violetta Wilk, Francesca Stocco, Saiyidi Mat Roni, Ferry Jie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This exploratory study aims to investigate social media users’ reactions via user-generated content (UGC) to crisis-affected supply chains, through the lens of Situational Crisis Communication Theory, to: (1) ascertain whether the Social Media Users' Crisis Response (SMUCR) Framework is applicable to a prolonged, multi-brand, global crisis and (2) whether there is any evidence of online brand advocacy (OBA) and online brand detraction (OBD). Design/methodology/approach: Natural language processing (NLP) with Leximancer, enabled thematic and sentiment analyses of 295,024 X (Twitter) posts extracted over a three-year period. Findings: This study found that there were nine stages in social media users’ response …

Creation And Use Of Sbs’S The Boat; Principles For The Co-Creation Of Online Interactive Learning Environments For Innovative Digital Pedagogy, Prue Miles, Kylie Boltin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teachers and students rely more on online-learning environments than ever before, including open, trusted and high-quality online learning resources produced by public broadcasters. For educators, this represents both an inspiration and challenge in the wake of new techologies and online learning environments. This article is a case study of one such online learning environment created by Australia’s multicultural broadcaster, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an adaptation of Nam Le’s award-winning short story, “The Boat” (2008). SBS’s The Boat (2015) is an immersive online experience that explores a refugee perspective and is accompanied by SBSLearn online learning materials. The Boat (2015) …

Submission To The 'Inquiry Into The Harm Young New Zealanders Encounter Online, And The Roles That Government, Business, And Society Should Play In Addressing Those Harms', Siobhan Healy-Cullen, Giselle Woodley, Lelia Green, Leon Huxtable

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

We are a group of researchers and educators from Aotearoa New Zealand (Massey University), and Australia (Edith Cowan University), who collaborate on research, grant applications, scholarly articles, policy debates and youth-led interventions to define and co-create strategies that support young people in navigating and processing their experiences with online sexual content.

We welcome the chance to submit to this parliamentary inquiry, and thank the Aotearoa New Zealand parliament for the opportunity to contribute our expertise and offer input into your deliberations. We are encouraged that the terms of reference stipulate that "not all young people experience the world in the …

Send Nudes?: Teens’ Perspectives Of Education Around Sexting, An Argument For A Balanced Approach, Giselle Natassia Woodley, Lelia Green, Carmen Jacques

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explores teens’ perceptions of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) around sexting (the exchange of sexually explicit imagery). Adopting a ‘sex-positive’ balanced approach to adolescents’ digital expressions of sexuality may be a more beneficial response than censure since fear-based narratives fail to recognise sexting as part of an array of sexual behaviours enacted by teens. Prohibition, rather than educating for safe sexting practices, fails to protect young people. This qualitative study uses thematic analysis of interviews with teens, and social constructionism, to interpret their perspectives thereby contributing teens’ perspectives to debates around adolescent sexting and RSE.

Scholarly Discourse On Genai’S Impact On Academic Publishing, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Tegwen Malik, Laurie Hughes, Mousa Ahmed Albashrawi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This multidisciplinary and multi-perspective review, based on more than 50 editorials and studies published in the last two years, explores the transformative impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on academic publishing. While GenAI has streamlined tasks such as summarizing literature and drafting manuscripts, it has also introduced significant ethical and practical challenges. Key concerns include authorship, where GenAI falls short of meeting intellectual or accountability criteria, as well as the increasing threat of plagiarism, originality issues, and the spread of misinformation. The review also highlights biases embedded in GenAI generated content and the implications for academic fairness and inclusivity. Additionally, …

Young Children And The Creation Of A Digital Identity On Social Networking Sites: Scoping Review, Valeska Berg, Diana Arabiat, Evalotte Morelius, Lisa Kervin, Maggie Zgambo, Suzanne Robinson, Mark Jenkins, Lisa Whitehead

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background:

There is limited understanding of the concept of the digital identity of young children created through engagement on social networking sites.

Objective:

The objective of this scoping review was to identify key characteristics of the concept of digital identity for children from conception to the age of 8 years on social networking sites.

Methods:

This scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The key databases searched were EBSCO, Web of Science, ProQuest ERIC, and Scopus. Gray literature sources (National Grey Literature Collection, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, …

The Investigation Of Health-Related Topics On Tiktok: A Descriptive Study Protocol, Joelie Mandzufas, Jeremiah Ayalde, Daniel Ta, Emily Munro, Rigel Paciente, Emmanuel P. Pranoto, Kaelyn King, Kelly How, Alanna Sincovich, Mary Brushe, Nicole Wickens, Gabriella Wells, Alix Woolard, Melinda Edmunds, Hannah Thomas, Gina S. A. Trapp, Karen Lombardi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The social media application TikTok allows users to view and upload short-form videos. Recent evidence suggests it has significant potential for both industry and health promoters to influence public health behaviours. This protocol describes a standardised, replicable process for investigations that can be tailored to various areas of research interest, allowing comparison of content and features across public health topics. The first 50 appearing videos in each of five relevant hashtags are sampled for analysis. Utilising a codebook with detailed definitions, engagement metadata and content variables applicable to any content area is captured, including an assessment of the video’s overall …

It Helps And It Doesn’T Help: Maternal Perspectives On How The Use Of Smartphones And Tablet Computers Influences Parent-Infant Attachment, Rebecca Hood, Juliana Zabatiero, Desiree Silva, Stephen R. Zubrick, Leon Straker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As families increase their use of mobile touch screen devices (smartphones and tablet computers), there is potential for this use to influence parent-child interactions required to form a secure attachment during infancy, and thus future child developmental outcomes. Thirty families of infants (aged 9–15 months) were interviewed to explore how parents and infants use these devices, and how device use influenced parents’ thoughts, feelings and behaviours towards their infant and other family interactions. Two-thirds of infants were routinely involved in family video calls and one-third used devices for other purposes. Parent and/or child device use served to both enhance connection …

A Model For Children’S Digital Citizenship In India, Korea, And Australia: Stakeholder Engagement Principles, Emma Jayakumar, Kylie Stevenson, Harrison See, Yeonghwi Ryu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This white paper communicates research activities and findings investigating digital safety and digital citizenship through multistakeholder collaborations in three countries—India, South Korea, and Australia. Performed by an Edith Cowan University-based research team from the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, supported by the LEGO Group, this research additionally responds to many recent policy and practice reviews arguing for institutional and policy engagement in the Asia Pacific (APAC) that build children’s digital safety, literacy and citizenship. These include the UNESCO data-driven report, Digital Kids Asia Pacific (DKAP): Insights into children’s digital citizenship (UNESCO, 2019), an earlier UNESCO review of …

Normal Redefined: Exploring Decontextualization Of Lorises (Nycticebus & Xanthonycticebus Spp.) On Social Media Platforms, Luke F. Quarles, Kim Feddema, Marco Campera, K. A.I. Nekaris

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Decontextualization is a concept from psychology whereby new words are learned outside of the context of the here-and-now. Decontextualized language is used for discussing abstract concepts and is crucial to the development of academic language. When it comes to images, a dearth of context can lead to a lack of clarity, such as the use of ambiguous decontextualized images in environmental communication, leading to the promotion of greenwashing. Here we refer to decontextualization as the removal of wildlife from their wild ecological context. Images and videos of globally threatened species are increasingly popular on social media. Showing such taxa …

Mapping The Research Trends On Social Media In The Hospitality Sector From 2010 To 2020, Eunjung Kim, Alexander Rolfe Best, Kijung Choi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study undertakes a systematic review of the literature to gain insight into existing studies on hospitality in social media and provide an update on current trends and themes in scholarship. Design: This study employs the systematic literature review to identify, evaluate, and synthesize the existing literature. Methodology: A total of 165 papers published between 2010–2020 were examined using content analysis and Leximancer. Approach: This review uses a hybrid review structure that incorporates structured reviews and narrative elements supported by Leximancer analysis. Findings: The review highlights the theories and methods used, research fields and perspectives, and key research topics …

An Artificial Therapist (Manage Your Life Online) To Support The Mental Health Of Youth: Co-Design And Case Series, Aimee-Rose Wrightson-Hester, Georgia Anderson, Joel Dunstan, Peter M. Mcevoy, Christopher J. Sutton, Bronwyn Myers, Sarah Egan, Sara Tai, Melanie Johnston-Hollitt, Wai Chen, Tom Gedeon, Warren Mansell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The prevalence of child and adolescent mental health issues is increasing faster than the number of services available, leading to a shortfall. Mental health chatbots are a highly scalable method to address this gap. Manage Your Life Online (MYLO) is an artificially intelligent chatbot that emulates the method of levels therapy. Method of levels is a therapy that uses curious questioning to support the sustained awareness and exploration of current problems. Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a co-designed interface for MYLO in young people aged 16 to 24 years with mental health problems. …

Evidence That Digital Game Players Neglect Age Classification Systems When Deciding Which Games To Play, Ross Hollett, Sian Tomkinson, Sam Illingworth, Brad Power, Tauel Harper

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article considers players' experiences seeking out new games to play, and their use of the Australian National Classification Scheme in doing so. The global video game industry is booming, with hundreds of games being released each month across numerous platforms. As a result, players have an unprecedented number of games available when choosing what games to purchase. However, a number of confounding issues around the emergent content of games and the subjective nature of game reviewing makes it difficult to relate what kinds of experiences a given game will facilitate. In this study, we surveyed game players in order …

An Initial Investigation Into Parental Perceptions Surrounding The Impact Of Mobile Media Use On Child Behavior And Executive Functioning, Stephanie C. Milford, Lynette Vernon, Joseph J. Scott, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children demonstrate increasing early engagement with mobile media facilitated by its portability and interactivity. Parents are known to employ a range of mediation strategies for mobile media use but continue to have limited awareness about the impact of mobile media on their child’s executive functioning. Mobile media use has previously been shown to be negatively correlated with the executive functioning development of a child; however, little is known of how parents approach their child’s mobile media use. This study employed a survey design (N = 281) to examine how parents access information related to mobile media and document their perspectives …

Exploring Scientists’ Perceptions Of Citizen Science For Public Engagement With Science, Stephanie A. Collins, Miriam Sullivan, Heather J. Bray

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is often assumed that citizen science is inherently participatory in nature. However, citizen science projects exist along a continuum from data contribution to full co-creation. We invited 19 biologists to explore their conceptions of citizen science. Almost all participants defined citizen science as involving non-scientists in data collection. This definition acted as a barrier for scientists who did not see how citizen science could suit their research objectives. While interviewees perceived many societal and experiential benefits of contributory citizen science, deliberate design is needed to realise the full potential of citizen science for public engagement