Simone Petrella

Armed conflicts are at the epicentre of an information war, amplified by false claims about the motivations of the conflicts and refugees. The spread of narratives, especially in digital media, challenges the European Union to implement effective strategies to combat misinformation and to adopt measures to scrutinise and hold the main communication channels accountable, in order to prevent hostile narratives from influencing public opinion and political decision-makers. In this context, this article seeks to analyse the implications of media discourses and misinformation in the development of social representations about the Russian–Ukrainian war and refugees, as well as the use of social networks by individuals to share this type of content. The research is based on an exploratory study as part of the R&D Project MeInWar—Study on the media and social representations of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, funded by Europeia University. The study employed a survey method and an online questionnaire applied to a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 222 individuals aged between 18 and 38. The results revealed that media narratives influence attitudes towards refugees and migration policies, and it is clear that factors such as age and gender have an impact on content-sharing practices and the motivations behind them.

Digital competencies among older adults remain scattered in research, lacking integration. This highlights a significant opportunity for gerontological social work research and practice, leading to innovative interventions for digital inclusion and the well-being of older adults. In this article, we aim to present an umbrella review that integrates and synthesises research on the digital competencies of older adults from six systematic literature reviews in the EBSCO database. From 31,303 articles from 1932 to 2024, 19 reviews were identified, and six met the research objectives. The reviews cover the following: the benefits of digital games for older adults; instruments for measuring digital literacy among older adults; associations between health literacy, eHealth literacy and health outcomes among older adults with chronic conditions; inequalities in the digital divide among older adults; the positive effects of digital mental health literacy interventions; and how technology acceptance among older adults is influenced by the type of technology and its characteristics more than age. These reviews highlight the need for gerontological social work approaches to promoting digital inclusion among older adults, challenging scholars, researchers and practitioners to develop tailored interventions to address their needs in the digital age.

Higher education institutions have been investing in teachers’ professional development and pedagogical innovation, on the one hand, aiming to promote the quality of institutions and, on the other hand, aiming to promote students’ personal and academic development. One of the methodologies that has received particular attention is service-learning, which aims to promote students’ learning by providing a service to vulnerable community groups. In this study, we aim to present the results of the application of this methodology in a fourth-year social work course. To this end, a mixed-methods study was conducted with 10 students in the Contemporary Social Work III course using the service-learning methodology. Students experienced between 15 and 30 h of service-learning, most of them for 7 weeks or more in an elder care institution, with varied activities such as social consulting and home visits. When we tried to understand the students’ perceived impact, we found higher mean scores in the post-test, with statistically significant differences on several dimensions, particularly self-confidence, problem solving, adaptability and flexibility, dealing with diversity and multiculturalism, understanding complex social issues, and a sense of purpose and life. These data are aligned with the qualitative analysis, which identified six themes such as the integration of practice and theory, development of skills, positive impact on academic training, valuing practical experience, reflective and meaningful learning, and support and guidance. The results highlight the value of pedagogical innovation for students’ skills, especially when it is aligned with the identity and mission of the institution and the values of the study program.

People use digital media and the Internet daily. The time that young people spend connected to digital devices will increase as technology advances, which could have severe health risks and behavioral dependence implications. In the context of the current pandemic, in which socializing, studying, and working is changing, this question has become particularly relevant. Therefore, we propose to investigate the perceptions of young university adults—understood as generation Z—regarding their digital media practices, particularly during the pandemic, and to study the consequences of a permanent connection to these formats on the development of an addiction to the Internet. Our quantitative method approach applied questionnaires to a sample of 407 young university adults studying in Portugal. Through this survey, we could target a specific user group, quantify their consumption, and measure their online experiences. The results point to an increase in dependence on the Internet during confinement. While it is true that carrying out academic work is one of the reasons for this growth, it is noteworthy that the respondents sought the online world in a significan way to pass the time and escape their routine. In addition, they confess to experiencing some consequences of excessive use, such as sleep disturbances and adverse emotional reactions—such as instabilities, depression, and nervousness—when not online. We conclude that the pandemic has intensified online dependence. However, above all that, it is necessary to look at the mental and general health consequences that this excessive use has brought, which may not be visible or manifested by the youth in the short term, and may come to have consequences in the long term.

Sta investigação, de natureza exploratória, tem como objeto de estudo as perceções de jovens adultos a frequentar o Ensino Universitário em Portugal, sobre as suas práticas de acesso e de consumo da Internet e dos media sociais, em especial durante a pandemia da COVID-19, e as consequências da conexão permanente a estes formatos para o desenvolvimento do risco de dependência comportamental. De ponto de vista metodológico, foram aplicados inquéritos por questionário a uma amostra de 407 jovens adultos universitários, com uma média de idade de 19,6 anos, a frequentar o ensino público e o privado. Os resultados apontam para um aumento da dependência em relação à Internet durante o confinamento. Mais de metade dos inquiridos considera que a Internet é indispensável em algumas ocasiões da sua vida, da mesma forma que confessa que sente algumas das consequências do uso excessivo, como sejam a adição aos sites de redes sociais ou as perturbações de sono.