Human Technology

Mapping older adults´ use of social robots: An institutional ethnographic perspective

Hilla Kiuru, Heli Valokivi, Paula Vasara, Aino Ahtinen — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Technology has been seen as a solution to the challenges related to the care of older adults, and it is possible to talk about “the ageing-and-innovation discourse” (Neven & Peine, 2017). This study used institutional ethnography to explore the presence of the discourse in a care home in Finland. A map of the discourse was produced from the viewpoint of older adults who participated in robot workshops, by interacting with the robots and discussing about them, in the care home. The analysis of Finnish policy documents revealed an overarching discourse on aging and innovation, in which technology was linked to economic growth, public sector efficiency, and improved access to care. The participants placed themselves on the map as learners, users and innovators of technology. The researchers were viewed as sources of information, care workers as enablers of robot use and engineers as designers of robots. The robots were viewed as having instrumental value and as objects to be utilised.

Leadership as a boundary condition on trust in AI: Transformational leadership, leader-member exchange, and employee intentions to use generative AI

Mark Irwin, Yujong Hwang — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The onset of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has outpaced organizations’ understanding of what makes employees willing to use it. This study asks whether leadership quality shapes how employees translate beliefs about AI into intentions to use it at work. Adapting the multidimensional online trust instrument of Hwang and Lee (2012) to the AI context, we measured uncertainty avoidance, descriptive norms, perceived reliability, and perceived ability, and tested each as a predictor of behavioral intention to use AI. Leadership was assessed twice in the same sample, once as transformational leader behavior (Podsakoff et al., 1990) and once as leader-member exchange (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995), allowing the moderation to be tested against two distinct leadership constructs. Working adults recruited through LinkedIn completed the survey (N = 97 for models involving AI measures). Perceived AI ability predicted behavioral intention, and transformational leadership moderated that relationship. The interaction replicated with LMX-7: the association between perceived ability and intention was stronger under higher-quality leadership. Descriptive norms predicted intention but showed no interaction; uncertainty avoidance predicted nothing. Leadership was also associated with significantly lower intention among the roughly one quarter of employees who rated AI’s capability lowest. This paper discusses implications for theory and practice. Perceived reliability, perceived ability, and behavioral intention were each measured with a single adapted item, so these findings are exploratory.

Adolescent body image in digital platform environments: Exploring influencer advertising and appearance concerns towards the notion of “body crush”

Beatriz Feijoo, Arantxa Vizcaíno-Verdú — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This study examines the relationship between influencer advertising and adolescents’ body image concerns within everyday digital platform environments. A cross-sectional survey of 1,055 adolescents aged 11-17 years in Spain assessed self-reported exposure to advertising for food and body care products and appearance-related concerns across digital platforms. Advertising exposure was positively associated with concern scores, with coefficients varying across platforms and indicators. Group comparisons also identified differences between the advertising-exposure and platform-use groups. Building on the literature on mediated relationships, the discussion introduces the notion of “body crush” as a conceptual lens for exploring how influencer bodies may become objects of aspirational attachment, extending the analysis of appearance concerns to questions of embodiment and identity in digital cultures. This study informs digital literacy and responsible advertising practices by focusing on adolescents’ evaluations of their appearance alongside the bodily ideals circulating in mediated commercial content.

Human–platform interaction under online hate: Influencers’ exposure, coping, and perceived platform support

Shahla Shahnaz Dyuti, S M Russel Rabbi, Louisa Ha — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Digital platforms have made influencers highly visible and, as a result, highly exposed to technology-facilitated hate speech. This global study of 551 social media influencers examines how they experience and respond to online hate speech, comparing South Asian influencers with their counterparts worldwide. South Asian influencers were more likely to encounter hate speech. Two characteristics stood out as unique predictors of this higher exposure: a journalistic background and belonging to an ethnic minority. South Asian influencers also reported stronger emotional reactions and were more likely to defend themselves by using platform reporting tools. We applied cognitive appraisal theory to explain how individuals interpret and respond to technology-mediated abuse. Their coping strategy was notable. Despite reporting a stronger emotional impact, they actively mobilized their followers to counter the abuse, which points to distinct patterns of human–technology interaction and communication. The findings identify areas where platforms should prioritize improvements in design, reporting mechanisms, and moderation, with the aim of creating safer and more supportive digital environments for influencers and all users.

Digital identity use and total immersion among users of digital environments

Valerijs Dombrovskis, Aleksejs Ruža — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Total immersion in digital environments is often attributed to customization, control, and social interaction. However, the structural conditions under which digital identity processes consolidate into immersive states remain insufficiently specified. This study examined total immersion within a sequential model of digital identity regulation. Selective self-representation, process of use (customization and control), social interaction, and interaction duration were modeled as predictors, with self-presence as an experiential mediator. Survey data were collected from 227 active users of digital environments (M age = 26.6, SD = 8.4). Serial mediation analyses indicated that total immersion was primarily explained by self-presence. Direct effects of process of use and social interaction were attenuated once self-presence was included. Selective self-representation showed both direct and indirect effects on total immersion, whereas interaction duration was not a significant predictor. The findings position total immersion as an experiential state structurally dependent on self-presence as the mechanism of identity internalization.

Beyond automation: AI readiness, communication governance, and dialogic orientation in Polish municipalities

Małgorzata Magdalena Hybka, Waldemar Rydzak, Jacek Trębecki — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in public communication, but its adoption depends on human and organizational conditions as well as technological availability. This study examines whether AI readiness in Polish municipalities is associated with communication governance, declared dialogic orientation, and willingness to use Facebook for difficult public issues. Based on a nationwide survey conducted in 2023, the analysis covers 1,465 municipalities using Facebook. AI readiness, defined as actual use or plans for adoption, was declared by 21.9% of municipalities, while actual use was reported by 7.2%. Regression models show that AI readiness is most strongly associated with monitoring and measurement, followed by leadership support and staff training. AI-ready municipalities are also more likely to declare interaction and relationship-building as Facebook objectives and to select Facebook for taxes, fees, and spending cuts. The findings suggest that AI readiness reflects broader organizational preparedness for technology-supported communication rather than technological adoption alone.

Digital care and technology acceptance: Care users' experiences of using tablets in Swedish home care

Gabriella Scaramuzzino — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

In many countries, welfare organisations have adopted a 'digital first' approach. However, a major challenge for welfare organisations is to provide more and better-equipped digital services, while ensuring that they do not create higher thresholds for accessing welfare services. This article is based on a qualitative interview study with care users who received video visits from home care in Sweden and it aims to explore how care users perceive their digital skills and experience using tablets with a video visit programme, as well as understand how digital care relates to technology acceptance and temporality. Regardless of digital skills and interest in digital technologies, care users found the tablets and video visit programmes easy to use. However, there was a tension between simplicity and flexibility, and digital home care seemed to prioritise ease of use over usefulness. Technical issues became easier to handle with time and experience.

Socio-technical co-adaptation: Digital integration and workplace learning

Filip Sever — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article examines the socio-technical dynamics of introducing the TEMA decision support application into a high-reliability organisation (HRO), addressing the research gap that often overlooks the relationship between new technology and established practices. A qualitative, interpretive case study was conducted within a rescue department, involving 11 officers. Data were triangulated through pre-simulation trainer debriefings, in-situ simulation observations, and post-simulation debriefings. Vignettes were used as micro-cases of lived experiences, and to strengthen ecological validity and interpretive depth. The study reveals friction points in joint optimisation due to technical usability, language incongruency, and perceived trust in artificial intelligence (AI) generated outputs. The findings are integrated into the Socio-Technical Co-adaptation Spiral, a model conceptualising technical friction as a concrete experience that can initiate a cycle of reflection, sense-making and adaptation. The Spiral contributes to OL and STS theory by showing how socio-technical friction can create conditions for double-loop learning within an HRO.

Technology use, human agency and workplace learning: The moderating role of task discretion across 30 countries

Alina Danileviča, Yuliia Serpeninova, Yuriy Bilan, József Popp — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Rapid workplace digitalisation is reshaping not only how work is performed but also how employees learn, adapt and exercise agency in increasingly technology-intensive environments. This study examines how ICT use at work and task discretion, understood as a dimension of worker agency, are associated with workplace learning and whether discretion alters the learning-related role of technology. The analysis uses OECD PIAAC 2023 microdata for 92,759 current workers across 30 countries and economies, combining country-specific survey-weighted regressions with cross-country synthesis. The results show that greater ICT use is consistently associated with higher levels of workplace learning, while task discretion is also positively related to learning. However, the two factors do not reinforce each other in a simple additive way: higher task discretion slightly weakens the positive association between ICT use and learning, although this relationship remains positive even at high levels of discretion. This moderation pattern is highly consistent across countries and remains robust after accounting for education, employment status and adaptive problem-solving proficiency. The findings suggest that digital technologies support workplace learning most effectively when considered alongside how work is organised, highlighting that human agency and technology are complementary but not automatically mutually reinforcing resources for employee development.

The attitudes towards generative AI among games development professionals and students

Łukasz Sikorski, Jacek Matulewski, Małgorzata Czerwonka — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has gained significant importance in knowledge working processes, including the video games industry, which we use as an example, enhancing production efficiency. However, this technology has raised concerns, particularly regarding potential job market threats, which make the use of GenAI a current topic of social importance. Our research aimed to explore the attitudes of industry professionals and students interested in game creation towards GenAI. We focused on their stance on using GenAI in the video game industry and understanding the factors influencing them. For this purpose, we collected survey data from 175 participants. Results revealed that professionals expressed more positive attitudes towards GenAI than students. Within the study sample, attitudes towards GenAI varied across professional subgroups: artist respondents reported comparatively less favourable attitudes, whereas the manager subgroup reported the highest mean level of support. Male respondents reported more favourable attitudes than female respondents. However, findings involving small subgroups should be interpreted cautiously.

How patients understand and trust healthcare technologies: The role of perceived explainability in ICT acceptance

Katarzyna Krot, Iga Rudawska — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The study empirically examines how patients' perceptions of information and communication technologies (ICT) in healthcare shape their attitudes towards using them, a question of growing importance as new technologies increasingly support medical decision-making and daily patient care. The theoretical background is based on technology acceptance models, such as the Technology Acceptance Model and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and on research on trust in healthcare, with particular attention to explainability, reliability, fairness, and patient safety. Data were collected through a computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) survey of 1,074 adult residents of Poland. A structural equation model with nine hypotheses was estimated using maximum likelihood and showed a satisfactory fit. The findings reveal that explainability is the central driver of trust: it interrelates with perceived reliability, fairness, and safety of ICT, and it also directly associated with attitudes towards using ICT. Reliability and fairness, in turn, correlate with perceived patient safety, which fosters positive attitudes. Contrary to expectations, safe ICT, understood as data and system security, can be associated neither perceived patient safety nor attitudes towards using ICT. Objective safeguards therefore appear to be a necessary prerequisite for ICT application rather than a factor shaping patients' perceptions. The study extends technology acceptance research in healthcare by showing that patients' knowledge and understanding of ICT, rather than its formal security, build trust and acceptance.

Human adaptation to workplace technological change: Digital skill-development needs, training alignment, and job satisfaction in Europe

Serhiy Kozmenko, Dou Shenggeng, Radim Maňák, Judit Oláh — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Rapid workplace digitalisation is intensifying employees’ skill-adjustment demands, making the alignment between technological change, learning opportunities, and worker wellbeing increasingly important. This study examines human adaptation to workplace technological change by analysing how substantial digital skill-development needs without recent job-related training, job-related training, and the alignment of training content with technology-induced skill demands are associated with job satisfaction in Europe. The analysis uses anonymised microdata from the 2021 Cedefop European Skills and Jobs Survey, applying survey-weighted OLS models with individual and employment controls, country, occupation and industry fixed effects, country-clustered standard errors, and wild-cluster bootstrap robustness tests. Employees who simultaneously reported moderate or great digital skill-development needs and no recent job-related training reported 0.341 points lower job satisfaction (β = −0.341, p < 0.001). Among workers with comparable substantial needs, training participation was associated with 0.382 points higher satisfaction (β=0.382, p<0.001). The interaction between digital skill-development need and technology-targeted training was positive (β=0.211, p=0.001; bootstrap p=0.014), indicating an increasing relative advantage over generic training. The targeted-versus-generic difference shifted from −0.247 points at no need to +0.176 at moderate need and +0.387 at great need, supporting an adaptive-alignment mechanism.