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Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, although the current situation is more under control. Because the development of the pandemic took place in the context of a digital society, where digital information and communication technologies (ICT) were already widely used, households certainly had to make greater use of this powerful communication tool, partly for work, and partly for distance learning purposes. It is likely that the increased use of ICT in the home, due to the lockdown, created an environment in which families were more united but also isolated and in conflict and this trend may still be present today.

This chapter is based on a study of ICT in the daily lives of Portuguese and Italian women, who lived in nuclear families, during and after the COVID pandemic. Through the testimonies of these women, therefore, we will discuss the results of the study to describe and understand how families used ICT during and after the pandemic. In particular, we are interested in answering the following questions: Did domestic spaces become more and more like work spaces due to the increased use of ICT due to the pandemic lockdown? Did distance learning, due to the lockdown, lead to an increase in ICT use by children/adolescents that is still perpetuated today?

Although studies have shown that electronic media exposure can negatively affect infants’ and young children’s language development, exposure to these forms of media is increasing in North America. To better understand the types of electronic media exposure and their potential effects, we utilized naturalistic daylong recordings collected in the homes of bilingual Spanish–English infants of Latinx descent (n = 37). The present study examines contextual aspects of electronic media exposure, and the effects of electronic media on two types of parent–infant social interactions associated with child language development: parentese (a style of infant-directed speech distinguished by its higher pitch, slower tempo, and exaggerated intonation) and parent–infant turn-taking. Using Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA), two daylong audio recordings were collected from each family. These recordings were manually annotated for electronic media type, directedness, language, parental support, parentese, and turn-taking. Our results showed that the infants in our study experienced exposure to many different forms of electronic media, in both English and Spanish, and that the programming was predominantly adult-directed rather than child-directed. While both parentese and turn-taking were reduced in the presence of electronic media, the strength of these effects was modulated by electronic media sources, demonstrating that various devices differentially affect parental language input. These results provide a glimpse into what types of media young bilingual Spanish–English learning infants are experiencing and can help researchers design language interventions that are inclusive and relevant for families from these populations.

Technology-enhanced learning (TEL), particularly in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM), revolutionizes educational approaches by fostering active, transformative learning and expediting the learning process. TEL employs various tools like online courses, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, virtual reality (VR), simulations, makerspaces, visual learning, and project-based learning, all contributing to accelerated learning in STEAM. A notable TEL innovation is the emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI chatbots, exemplified by the release of GPT-3 in December 2022. These tools utilize extensive parameters to generate natural language and perform tasks such as classification and prediction, thereby offering personalized and collaborative learning experiences essential for STEAM education. The generative pre-training transformer (GPT), a leading model in natural language processing (NLP), excels in generating human-like text and handling complex tasks like translation, summarization, and question answering. This chapter explores TEL environments that support transformative learning in STEAM, focusing on AI models. It reviews research on TEL’s impact on STEAM education, discussing the constructionism theory and emphasizing TEL’s role in creating engaging, student-centered learning experiences. However, challenges like technology access, instructor training, infrastructure, internet connectivity, and hardware resources are crucial. Additionally, the rise of AI brings ethical concerns regarding privacy, security, and potential biases in AI algorithms. Despite these hurdles, TEL’s potential to enhance STEAM learning experiences and accelerate the educational process is significant. By effectively implementing TEL strategies and leveraging LLMs and AI tools, educators can substantially improve learning outcomes in STEAM education.

In the last 10 years, the global financial services industry has significantly benefited from fintech. As the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to change, more fintech-use case-driven firms are created, and more investors are supporting these enterprises. India is acknowledged as a powerful fintech centre internationally.

The goal of the current research is to comprehend the revolutionary landscape of the Indian financial system.

Methodology: The research methodology entails a thorough review of several research papers and government reports better to understand fintech's role in the Indian financial system. This requires examining the trends, regulations and technical breakthroughs driving the fintech ecosystem to present a comprehensive picture of its influence.

The present chapter indicates that the fintech industry is flourishing in India. Over the following years, technological improvements will fuel the market's continuous expansion and change how financial products and services are produced, distributed and used.

Public information campaigns (PICs) have increasingly become part of global migration deterrence projects. Australia’s No Way campaign has been widely publicised for its harsh messaging, declaring to would-be asylum seekers that ‘you will not make Australia home’. In this chapter, the author argues that in addition to targeting potential asylum seekers throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the No Way campaign is directed towards multiple audiences, including diaspora communities in Australia, the Australian voting public, and a wider network of anti-immigration political figures. The No Way campaign represented one of the largest and best-funded Australian deterrence campaigns to date, with the distribution of materials ranging from billboards and social media advertisements to street theatre performances and graphic novel storyboards between 2014 and 2016. In the sections that follow, the author situates this argument within the context of the rise of PICs throughout the globe, as well as their use within Australia. Through the lens of this campaign, the author considers the question: for whom is this deterrence messaging? How does it target multiple audiences? The author concludes by considering the future of information campaigns as deterrence projects around the world.