The goal of this thesis is to design a system which would allow video data streaming from a mobile device and real time playback using a standard web browser. The technological background and the implementation platform are both part of this thesis. Web Real Time Communications (WebRTC) technology was used for acquiring multimedia data on mobile device. This technology is natively supported in the latest major web browsers and in WebView component (Android version 5.0 and above). Sending push notifications from a server to a mobile device to start the streaming is done with Google Cloud Messaging technology. The resultant system allows a user to start the application on mobile device with easy web browser access. This starts the multimedia stream from device, which can be parametrized and secured by password. The benefit of this thesis is the overview of WebRTC technology and its demonstration. The IP camera implementation shows how easy it is to use the WebRTC in real applications.

The advent of text messaging as a popular and cheaper form of communication has offered a new research perspective on adolescent development. Erikson’s identity formation theory, the core tenets of existentialism, and the developmental factors of adolescence provided a conceptual framework for the present investigation, which was guided by two research questions: What are the needs of adolescents seeking assistance through text-based messaging? How do the needs expressed align with the stage of development that adolescents are in? Since the data set had already been established from text messaging between learners and tutors in the Dr Math online tutoring programme, secondary data analysis was employed. A qualitative approach, rooted in an interpretivist paradigm, was used. In total 143, of the 5284, messages were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thematic network analysis served to enable coding and grouping of the data into thematic networks for analysis. A bottom-to-top hierarchy of codes, basic themes, and organising themes led to the formulation of the global themes of romantic curiosity, emotional expression, academic and career concerns, personal counselling, and social interactions as central to arriving at a better understanding of adolescents’ psychosocial needs in an increasingly technological communication environment. Further research is recommended into ways in which training and development in technology can be used for aiding adolescents in South Africa, as well as into the role of technology in advancing practice and research for professionals. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Gemeinsamer Workshop von Universitaetsrechenzentrum und Professur Rechnernetze und verteilte Systeme (Fakultaet fuer Informatik) der TU Chemnitz. Workshop-Thema: Infrastruktur der ¨Digitalen Universitaet¨ Zur unmittelbaren Kommunikation zweier oder mehrerer Kommunikationspartner werden heute sogenannte Instant Messaging Systeme eingesetzt. Der Vortrag zeigt zwei moegliche Ansaetze fuer ein Protokoll, das diese Art von Kommunikation bewerkstelligen kann. Zum einen handelt es sich um das Protokoll einer freien Implementierung eines IM Systems, Jabber. Zum anderen ist dies das Protokoll eines im Rahmen einer Diplomarbeit an der Fakultaet fuer Informatik entstandenen IM Systems, Locom.

Instant Messaging Mobile (IM) applications are now ubiquitous and predominant in most person-to-person communications, especially intimate and sensitive conversations. This growing popularity of instant messaging is linked directly to the characteristics of speed, immediate and convenience that an IM holds which is a strong appeal for anyone that wants to communicate and collaborate in real-time with others. However, it is these features including presence awareness (the ability for IM users to know who is online and available), group chats, share media, links, and stream content as well as text and voice messages, that exposes the IM apps to the concerns of privacy and security. This essay aims to study the behavior of higher education students towards privacy and security as it concerns the use of instant messaging applications when communication informally and formally.To gather the desired data, a quantitative survey was created and distributed electronically at the University of Skövde in Sweden. Through the statistical analysis, this study presents the attitude of the participants towards the security and privacy of mobile IM applications. In conclusion, this report showed that the behavior of Swedish students towards digital security and privacy and the use of mobile IM applications were of low concern but not alarming. The analyzed results give a fair picture of the reasons for the choice of IM apps, the uses of the apps and the participant's knowledge about security and privacy. While there was some level of concern about who else could read messages sent via these IM devices between intended parties, the decision of which IM app participants had a preference for was not driven by privacy or security concerns. Furthermore, the majority of the participants believed that communicating with the IM app could be used for purposes other than informal messaging. This is significant because the student population will become part of the workforce soon and will handle sensitive, proprietary, and confidential information.

This study examines opening and closing segments in instant messaging (IM) and demonstrates how openings and closings differ between oral conversation and instant messaging as well as the factors that account for the difference. Many researchers have discussed the differences and similarities between spoken and written languages. Tannen (1980) claims that spoken and written languages are not distinct categories and there is a continuum between them. She also holds that interpersonal involvement is one of the factors that determine if a particular communication is closer to spoken communication or written communication. I will analyze IM, which is best thought of as a communication mode that resides in the middle of the continuum between spoken and written language. Beißwenger (2008) studied the turn-taking of IM and argued that contributions to instant message dialogues are achieved as individual tasks rather than through interactions between participants. He holds that the nature of the individual tasks provides the most important characteristic which distinguishes IM from oral conversation. Closings in IM were studied by Raclaw (2008), who found two patterns of closing: one is an expanded archetype closing which is similar to oral conversation, and the other is a partially automated closing which is totally different from oral conversation because an automated message terminates the conversation. He did not discuss the characteristics underlying the two patterns of closing in instant messaging. I reanalyzed the argument by Raclaw utilizing a segment of instant messaging from my data, and discovered that what characterize the two patterns of closing in instant messaging are the nature of interpersonal involvement and the nature of the individual tasks. These reflect the characteristics of spoken and written communication respectively. In this study it was found that characteristics of IM communication fluctuate between spoken and written communication. Instant messaging resides in the middle of the spoken and written continuum, but whether it exhibits characteristics of spoken or written communications can vary depending on the way participants contribute to the conversation.

This quantitative study examines the interaction between technology-based instant messaging applications (technology applications) and employee engagement. Technology applications are frequently used as a mode of communication between managers and employees. Internal communication is cited as an antecedent of employee engagement and employee engagement is positively correlated with productivity and organisational success. Hence, the study is directed at understanding the impact of communication technology on employee engagement, due to the indirect link between internal communication and organisational success. In the current context of the global Covid-19 pandemic, this topic is of renewed interest as leaders and employees grapple with new ways of working and communicating. The existing literature provides contradictory conclusions on the relationship between technology use and employee outcomes. A quantitative, deductive approach was adopted to measure (i) the relationship between the frequency of use of technology applications (independent variable) and the antecedents of employee engagement (psychological climate, affective commitment, perceived supervisor support), (ii) frequency of use of technology applications as a moderating variable on the relationship between the antecedents of employee engagement and employee engagement (meaningfulness, safety, availability) and (iii) frequency of use of technology applications as a moderating variable on the relationship between the employee engagement and the outcomes of employee engagement (discretionary effort and intention to turnover). The correlation test revealed a weak correlation between frequency of use of technology applications and the antecedents of employee engagement. The moderated regression analysis revealed that frequency of use of technology applications does not moderate the relationship between (i) the antecedents of employee engagement and employee engagement (meaningfulness, safety, availability), and (ii) the relationship between the employee engagement and the outcomes of employee engagement (discretionary effort and intention to turnover). The findings have relevance for academic research and practical implications for managers. / Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Instant messaging is a popular form of communication over the Internet. Statistics show that instant messaging has overtaken email in popularity. Traditionally, instant messaging has consisted of a desktop client communicating with other clients via an instant messaging service provider. However, instant messaging solutions are starting to become available in the web browser–services like Google Talk, Live Messenger and Facebook. Despite the work done by researchers to secure instant messaging networks, little work has been done to secure instant messaging in the browser. We present secure browser-based instant messaging overlays as a means to enable convenient, secure communication in existing browser-based instant messaging interfaces. Additionally, we present a prototype implementation of the secure messaging overlays and the results of two user studies--the first study focusing on user interest in secure chat and the second being a usability study of the prototype.

There is a great deal of diet-specific processed foods on the market today. With so many options it can become difficult for consumers to decide what products to purchase. This situation is further intensified by the plethora of contradictory messages found in food advertising, especially in weight loss and dieting food advertising, but also seen in government nutrition campaigns and all over the internet on platforms like social media, blogs, and so forth. These messages can be confusing and frustrating for consumers as they try to decipher which foods they should eat to reach their health or weight loss goals. The purpose of this study was to determine if these contradictory messages extend to the advertising claims found on diet-specific food product packaging. A content analysis was performed on 400 keto and vegan products to uncover the most commonly used advertising claims and verify their accuracy based on the information provided on the nutrition label and ingredients list. An analysis of the health impacts of nutrient content and food additives based on FDA guidelines was also conducted. Results indicated that contradictory messages do extend to the advertising claims on keto and vegan food product packaging and the lack of healthy food options among these products should be a concern for consumers. This study highlights the importance of shoppers approaching food product advertising claims with skepticism until they can be verified.

Sustainability has fast evolved in business practices, and yet its meaning is often elusive and ambiguous. The component of sustainability is playing an important role in the company’s brand positioning. The popularity and the importance of sustainability in business operations and business representation are still rapidly growing. The linkage of the branding and sustainability messaging has a strong correlation with the consumer’s perception. Moreover, the brand messaging construction with the right terminologies’ selection is one of the brand communication activities. However, the aspect of “sustainability manufacturing” caught great attention in recent years. Therefore, our study project is based on comprehending the authentic brand positioning with the right sustainability terminology usage aiming to deliver strong sustainability messaging. More precisely, the project's primary aim has been to investigate and explore the impact of sustainability terminology used by manufacturing companies in Sweden on consumer perception. For this aim, we conducted a mono-method quantitative study with a specially developed questionnaire based on gathered secondary data from the 21 annual reports of the manufacturing companies in Sweden from the year 2020. We have selected ten terminologies from the reports and conducted the questionnaire with 100 participants. Based on these results, regular consumers were surveyed to get a quantitative number of the importance, ambiguity, and credibility of the sustainability terminologies. The literature review attempted to link the fields of the study from a top-down design with manufacturing companies at the top, creating these sustainable goods. Manufacturing companies were using terms like ‘waste management ‘materials efficiency ‘employee health and safety’ and ‘community relations’ as a branding mechanism to display their commitment toward a long-term sustainability goal. These concepts are further discussed with universal definitions of corporate social responsibility while the final concept is based on theoretical knowledge of the consumers themselves and their perceptions as they are the end consumer of these ‘eco-friendly’ products. The sustainability literature foundation was smoothly interconnected with the branding and the consumer’s perception theories. To conclude, the results of our study with regards to the consumer importance, customer's privacy does have a significant influence on the sustainability aspect of businesses. In the case of the aspect of ambiguity, the sorted terminologies are as follows: product and service safety and waste management. In the case of the credibility aspect, water management, energy management, employee health and safety, and ecological impacts are bringing the most credibility from the consumers' perception. This study contributes to business sustainability while attempting to link manufacturing companies with the end consumers. It allows both parties to share a similar perception between terminologies. Overall, the research study helps to comprehend the right utilization of sustainability terminologies based on the consumers’ perception in order to increase the sustainability branding credibility and trustworthiness in the business operations.

Instant messaging with Internet-based software is a ubiquitous form of communication in industrialized nations. In fact, many educators are observing that students engage with instant messaging while simultaneously engaged in academic activity. Though this type of multitasking is pervasive, educational researchers have not examined how the practice of instant messaging impacts learning outcomes. This dissertation describes the background, empirical and theoretical foundations, methods and results of a study examining the impact of instant messaging activity on learning, where instant messaging and learning are simultaneous activities. The question posed is grounded in the related areas of instant messaging practices, the Generation M profile, Cognitive Load Theory, and integration of instant messaging in K-16 classrooms. This work presents empirical evidence pointing out the necessity of conducting empirical study regarding how instant messaging activity might impact learning. Quantitative methods used to conduct the study are presented including data collection instruments. The results of the study are discussed in broad terms related to Generation M and Cognitive Load Theory. Methodological limitations related to practice opportunities for the research sample as well as the performance measure used are detailed. In addition, implications of the results in relationship to those teaching members of Generation M in K-16 classrooms as well as those designing instruction for this population are discussed. The discussion concludes with recommendations for further research in this area.