Abstract
The purpose of this work was to collect information about how technology influences children nowadays, in Portugal, an intermediate technology country in the European Union. The methods used were interviews and questionnaires presented to children (a total of 38 children), parents (15 parents) and teachers (three teachers) in order to find out how they feel about today’s technological devices and how they think they can influence the society of the future, and whether they have a negative or positive impact or both. The methods selected were seen to be the best to obtain the desired answers, because public opinion is assuredly a good way to receive feedback about various contemporary products and phenomena. The conclusion was that every child in the sample owns digital devices and this influences them mostly in a positive way, in the opinion of their parents and teachers. Technology can also influence them in a negative way, but only if used so much that it becomes an addiction, affecting the child’s attention in school, as well as their daily activities. The motivation to do this research study was mainly that one of the authors has four children and can see the profound changes inflicted in them by technology versus older generations and thus an exploratory study into technological change brought on by devices, gadgets and social media was decided upon. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

Abstract
Since the emergence of the Global Village, the information flow changed drastically. Digital Technologies changed how people communicate, how they access information and how they share it. It gave people an unlimited exposure to information and knowledge. However, it also seemed to limit it. Recommendation algorithms are used in order to provide a customized experience that captivates users. Although they play an important role in selecting information that is considered relevant to the user, significant information/content may be omitted. Consequently, users end up closed in a bubble of limited information, which affects critical thinking skills and appears to influence and guide personal opinions. Little attention has been given to the negative effects of information bias on people’s critical thinking. Thus, it is hoped that this study will at the same time educate and bring awareness to this issue. In a survey we performed (with 117 answers) the majority of the survey sample (approximately 54,7%) revealed discomfort regarding the storage and filtering of data. Interestingly, 29,9% of the participants were found to be indifferent regarding this issue. From these results, the authors can conclude that, although most of the participants feel uncomfortable, they prefer to be passive about this, which reinforces the idea of conformity and the false sense of organization mentioned herein. An interview with an expert in the area drew attention to the fact that social pressure most often leads users to comply and rely on the group’s beliefs and attitudes, which facilitates social relationships and avoids confrontation. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.

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
Over the last decade, for those teaching marketing, it has been a decade of profound change. The importance of digital marketing changed a lot for organizations in this period. WhatsApp had just been founded, in February 2009; but was very far from its over 1 billion users, in more than 180 countries, of today. Instagram did not exist yet. The iPhone was less than two years old. Smartphones were still not accessible to everyone, nor were there so many apps to help solve our day-to-day problems. This article is an application of autoethnography and explains the emotional journey as a marketing lecturer that the author has experienced between 2009 and 2019. It is thus a personal account, based on the experience of the author, about the change which has occurred in the classroom, as well as outside it, during that period. Higher education is an intangible service which has been very affected by technology, the result being a culture with greater proximity and where students seek to have positive experiences.

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.