Abstract
Individuals currently spend a considerable part of their day-to-day lives interacting with computer or smartphone screens. This study seeks to contradict this and is based on participant observation during a trip from 16-28 August 2018, to Istanbul and to South Asia. We have found that the role of technology may be a medium which shows that we are similar in many ways, despite being separated by large distances and by language. Observation is essentially a tool to uncover meanings, which a visitor and researcher may see. In particular, in the Maldives, on Meedhoo island, we saw a superior form of living. Harmony was the main element we saw on the island, including between genders, which we saw as being equal, despite what is to be found written in the media about certain cultures and religions. Albeit, Istanbul, in Turkey, revealed a culture that still remains very different from the West.

Abstract
We hear more and more about autonomous vehicles, however, where are we heading with automation? Recently, we have heard about some crashes of autonomous vehicles, which have occurred during trials. Therefore, can this technology be trusted? Equally important, what kind of moral and ethical questions are behind the decisions that a vehicle like this must make? Who should be saved if someone must die, in a car accident? The elderly, or perhaps younger people? Executives or the homeless? People who follow traffic rules, or is that not relevant? This article will start by reviewing some of the ethical questions that have already been raised and results found within the public domain. Then the article proceeds by discussing our survey, administered in Portugal, with 111 answers. For situations which would seemingly lead to an obvious consensus and to a 100% agreement on the matter, we found this to not be the case, as our survey never achieved such polarized results. For example, even when confronted with saving pet animals or children, there was still a split in the choice made (albeit pending heavily towards saving the children). This goes to show how people are different and make different choices in life. Are we superior to animals and do we have a greater right to life than pets? Of course, this is debatable, according to differing values and cultures. Therefore, it follows that much debate should ensue as to how to program autonomous vehicles to behave - in case the loss of life (in whatever form) is at stake. Automation, as such, is thus leading us down ambiguous avenues where grey areas abound and we may simply not know what is best all of the time. Automation is thus making us work harder at being human beings and is bringing us to new levels of rationality - where emotions should also play a big part. The spontaneity and intuitiveness of human decision-making being taken out of the equation (when an accident occurs without automated cars that is how we think) makes many pre-meditated decisions uncertain and unpopular. Profoundly humane issues, which are often culture specific, are thus yet to be discussed.

Abstract
This article serves to show how things are changing when it comes to business and social networking. Nowadays, it is hard to find a business that does not have an account on any social network, and we can safely say that social media is a crucial aspect for any business enterprise - to sell their products, to be seen and, obviously, to make more money. We talk about the possibility to mix innovation, business strategy and social media. To complement this research, we focused our work on a Portuguese start-up - Strain - that intends to prove marketing is changing and that it actually welcomes the change, with social networks at the base of their business. They intend to use online influencers to promote the image of a brand, free of charge, and earn discounts on it. It is, indeed, a win-win situation, where each of the three parts (the company itself, clients and Strain) is a winner one way or the other. © 2019 AISTI.

Abstract
We have sought to understand the current state of the art on smart tourism and on smart cities. Furthermore, we have sought to understand community awareness and the will to embrace innovation, as they are decisive factors to acquire base knowledge and overcome barriers in (soon to be) overpopulated cities and for those who are looking for a limited time culture experience - known as tourists. We live in an age where technology is increasingly present in our lives and provides us solutions to societal problems. Problems such as traffic, infrastructure and natural resources management, or even increasing citizens’ participation in governance, bringing them closer to decision-making. The objective is to understand the current level of people’s knowledge about the impact that technologies have on the society in which we live and their perception of the usefulness in solving these same problems. Therefore, an anonymous questionnaire was carried out (176 valid answers were received), as well as a focus group with two experts on the Smart Cities subject. What future is brought by those who live and breathe technology? Are people willing to accept a paradigm shift?. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

Abstract
The interest in technology allied to household chores has been growing exponentially. Robots like Bimby have revolutionized the way of cooking, since they perform several functions, which were once done manually. How do users of kitchen robots see this continuous evolution and what is the impact on their routines? What are the main advantages associated with this technology and how do non-users see them? This study is a focus on the variables gender, quality of life and technological evolution, as a way to determine if women and men use kitchen robots on an equal scale, if the potentialities of these machines contribute to real improvements in the lives of their users and if, in a near future, this technology will replace the human element in the preparation of meals. To answer these questions, two methodological approaches were followed: quantitative (via questionnaires) and qualitative (via interviews and a focus group). The first approach allowed us to conclude on the profile of kitchen robots and their impact on people’s quality of life. The second approach led us to understand the interest of suppliers, and whether the interest is to help human beings or to replace their role altogether in the kitchen. With this study we conclude that kitchen robots have effectively brought improvements in terms of time spent with household tasks, the typical user of this technology is indeed a woman and, finally, that it will be difficult for a robot to replace humans entirely, since anyone who really likes to cook will never stop doing it. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

Abstract
Microtransactions dominate today’s video game industry and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, despite all the controversy it brings. To approach this problem, we created a survey, shared it on several gaming forums (a total of 1661 answers were obtained), then we designed a theoretical model and based on that, an automatic analysis was performed to understand what microtransactions are adequate to certain types of videogames. In parallel, we also performed a manual analysis that helped us gain insights into player preferences. Through the manual analysis we can conclude that players show a greater tendency to spend on microtransactions in mobile games. On average, respondents spend more on microtransactions than on purchasing videogames per month; with this, we can understand why the market of microtransactions has been growing greatly in recent years. Players that have jobs spend more on time savers microtransactions, and this probably happens because of the lack of time these players have comparing to the rest and the fact that they have an income to spend. Players aged 25 and above have shown to be more inclined to spend money to remove advertisements from games; however, players under the age of 25 are more inclined to spend money on general microtransactions in contrast to their older counterparts. It is also noticeable the negative sentiment towards players that spend money on advantageous items. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.