The Social Consequences of Online Interaction

Author(s):  
Jenna L. Clark ◽  
Melanie C. Green

This chapter provides an overview of the social consequences of online interaction. Research has provided mixed evidence about whether online interaction is helpful or harmful for well-being and social connectedness. This chapter highlights the factors that moderate the influence of online social interaction on outcomes, with a particular focus on user behaviors. The Interpersonal Connection Behaviors Framework suggests that the positive consequences of any given online interaction depend on the extent to which that interaction serves a relational purpose. Online interactions that promote connection build relationships and increase well-being via increased relational closeness and quality through processes such as self-disclosure and social support. Online interactions that do not promote connection are likely to fall prey to disadvantages like social comparison or loneliness.

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973232110018
Author(s):  
Sarah O’Neill ◽  
Christina Pallitto

The health consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM) have been described previously; however, evidence of the social consequences is more intangible. To date, few systematic reviews have addressed the impact of the practice on psycho-social well-being, and there is limited understanding of what these consequences might consist. To complement knowledge on the known health consequences, this article systematically reviewed qualitative evidence of the psycho-social impact of FGM in countries where it is originally practiced (Africa, the Middle East, and Asia) and in countries of the diaspora. Twenty-three qualitative studies describing the psycho-social impact of FGM on women’s lives were selected after screening. This review provides a framework for understanding the less visible ways in which women and girls with FGM experience adverse effects that may affect their sense of identity, their self-esteem, and well-being as well as their participation in society.


Author(s):  
Jongnam Hwang ◽  
Sangmin Park ◽  
Sujin Kim

Cognitive function is a critical health issue in later life, the decline of which disrupts well-being and daily life function. Cognitive decline in older ages can also be understood in the context of the social environment such as social connectedness and engagement in personal life. This study aimed to examine: (1) whether participation in social activities contributes to preventing cognitive decline, and (2) what type of social activities are beneficial to maintaining cognitive function. Data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLOSA) 2006–2014, a longitudinal survey of the household-dwelling population aged 45 and older in Korea were used. The results revealed that Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores decreased with increasing age, at a rate of approximately 0.18 units across all age-gender groups, and the decrease was steeper for adults aged 65 and over. Participation in social gatherings was likely to delay the decline in cognitive function after the age of 65. In a gender-stratified model, social activity may not have an impact on the decline of cognitive function for men, whereas participation in social gatherings was negatively related to the decline of MMSE scores in women. This study suggests the need for a gender-stratified policy for preventing the decline of cognitive function while promoting engagement in social activities in Korean older adults.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 972-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amie Southcombe ◽  
Jillian Cavanagh ◽  
Timothy Bartram

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of charismatic leadership style and value congruence on the social connectedness of retired men in Australian Men’s Sheds. This study also explores the impact of social connectedness on well-being outcomes, such as employment and training, improved family relationships and access to health and welfare services. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a qualitative approach using focus groups (yarning circles) and semi-structured interviews with Shed leaders, men members and healthcare workers. Findings – The findings suggest that a charismatic leader enhances the value congruence between leaders and their members through empowering, envisioning and empathy, which also contributes to the social connectedness of members and enhances well-being of retired men. Originality/value – The study provides insights into the factors that contribute to successful leadership, participatory and leadership practices in the Groups/Sheds, and addresses a gap in the literature in the area of leadership and Men’s Sheds.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1247-1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. McKenzie ◽  
Sunny Collings ◽  
Gabrielle Jenkin ◽  
Jo River

Men’s mental health has remained undertheorized, particularly in terms of the gendered nature of men’s social relations. While the importance of social connections and strong supportive networks for improving mental health and well-being is well documented, we know little about men’s social support networks or how men go about seeking or mobilizing social support. An in-depth understanding of the gendered nature of men’s social connections and the ways in which the interplay between masculinity and men’s social connections can impact men’s mental health is needed. Fifteen life history interviews were undertaken with men in the community. A theoretical framework of gender relations was used to analyze the men’s interviews. The findings provide rich insights into men’s diverse patterns of practice in regards to seeking or mobilizing social support. While some men differentiated between their social connections with men and women, others experienced difficulties in mobilizing support from existing connections. Some men maintained a desire to be independent, rejecting the need for social support, whereas others established support networks from which they could actively seek support. Overall, the findings suggest that patterns of social connectedness among men are diverse, challenging the social science literature that frames all men’s social relationships as being largely instrumental, and men as less able and less interested than women in building emotional and supportive relationships with others. The implications of these findings for promoting men’s social connectedness and mental health are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Sun ◽  
Kelci Harris ◽  
Simine Vazire

Social relationships are often touted as critical for well-being. However, the vast majority of studies on social relationships have relied on self-report measures of both social interactions and well-being, which makes it difficult to disentangle true associations from shared method variance. To address this gap, we assessed the quantity and quality of social interactions using both self-report and observer-based measures in everyday life. Participants (N = 256, 3,206 observations) wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), an unobtrusive audio recorder, and completed experience sampling method (ESM) self-reports of their momentary social interactions, happiness, and feelings of social connectedness, four times each day for one week. Observers rated the quantity and quality of participants’ social interactions based on the EAR recordings from the same time points. Quantity of social interactions was robustly associated with greater well-being in the moment and on average, whether they were measured with self-reports or observer reports. Conversational (conversational depth and self-disclosure) and relational (knowing and liking one’s interaction partners) aspects of social interaction quality were also generally associated with greater well-being, but the effects were larger and more consistent for self-reported (vs. observer-reported) quality variables, within-person (vs. between-person) associations, and for predicting social connectedness (vs. happiness). Finally, although most associations were similar for introverts and extraverts, our exploratory results suggest that introverts may experience greater boosts in social connectedness, relative to extraverts, when engaging in deeper conversations. This study provides compelling multi-method evidence supporting the link between more frequent and deeper social interactions and well-being.


2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532094499
Author(s):  
Juliet Ruth Helen Wakefield ◽  
Blerina Kellezi ◽  
Clifford Stevenson ◽  
Niamh McNamara ◽  
Mhairi Bowe ◽  
...  

We examined whether the Social Cure (SC) perspective explains the efficacy of a Social Prescribing (SP) pathway which addresses healthcare needs through enhancing social connections. Data were collected at pathway entry from patients with long-term health conditions, or who felt isolated/lonely/anxious ( N = 630), then again 4 months later ( N = 178), and 6-9 months later ( N = 63). Being on the pathway was associated with increased group memberships between T0 and T1. The relationship between increased group memberships and quality-of-life was serially mediated by belonging, support and loneliness. This study is the first to show SP enhances health/well-being via SC mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Bialobrzeska ◽  
Justyna Baba ◽  
Sylwia Bedyńska ◽  
Aleksandra Cichocka ◽  
Aleksandra Cislak ◽  
...  

Acts of everyday kindness are voluntary, low-cost actions intended to express a friendly attitude toward a specific person or persons. In two pre-registered studies we examined whether practicing everyday kindness can help people maintain well-being and prosocial orientation in times of pandemic. In correlational Study 1 (N = 497), performing everyday kindness was positively linked to well-being, social connectedness, and a willingness to engage in more costly prosocial behavior. In an experimental Study 2 (N = 482), practicing acts of everyday kindness increased well-being and actual prosocial behavior, although it did not affect feelings of social connectedness. The results point to the role of everyday kindness in counteracting the negative psychological and social consequences of COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, even simple online interventions can be used to elicit everyday kindness.


Author(s):  
Rachael Kiddey

An archaeological approach to contemporary homelessness contributes to existing literature on the subject by materializing this familiar yet alien social status in a number of ways. Globally, homelessness continues to suffer from being conceptually constructed according to essentially British nineteenth-century ideologies that are class-based and heavily gendered, whilst, increasingly commonly, manifesting physically as a diverse and phenomenological experience. Approaching homelessness using participatory cultural heritage methodologies enabled those involved in the Homeless Heritage project to collectively destabilize some of the pernicious myths that surround homelessness, present alternative perspectives, and identify practical ways in which homeless people might be better helped to survive and recover. Positive outcomes from the Homeless Heritage project include the ways in which people involved experienced increased social connectedness and enhanced well-being. Homeless colleagues actively chose to (re)engage with existing social and public services with more robust commitment than had previously been the case, while reconnecting with family also emerged as a strong and important outcome from the Homeless Heritage project. There were theoretical implications too. Where archaeology may be considered an ‘intervention’—a methodology for engaging with the material world— heritage is the human context by which such engagement is made possible. Heritage, a mode of cultural production, has an important role to play in facilitating redemptive and cathartic conversations about difficult or distressing human experiences and could powerfully affect the course of social policies in the future. Conversations facilitated through Applied Heritage can produce more nuanced understanding, which could feasibly be used to improve and enhance social justice on local levels and promote tolerance, understanding, and peace on the wider international stage. The initial aim of the project was to see whether an archaeological cultural heritage approach to contemporary homelessness might contribute to wider understanding of the social condition. A significant outcome was a more nuanced understanding of homelessness in the twenty-first century. This helped to powerfully counter definitions and rationalizations of homelessness in terms of nineteenth-century constructions of vagrancy. A more surprising outcome concerns evidence that Applied Heritage can function as a powerful therapeutic form of social intervention. In approaching homelessness archaeologically, from the perspective of a range of individual agents, the Homeless Heritage project clearly showed why a homeless person might ‘choose’ to appropriate, for example, space beneath a willow tree or a bin cupboard over conditions in temporary accommodation deemed ‘suitable’ for statutorily homeless people.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiran Thabrew ◽  
Christa Fouché ◽  
Laura Ann Chubb ◽  
Stacey Yates ◽  
Harshali Kumar ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Hospitalized children and young people can feel disconnected from their peers and families, which can in turn predispose them to psychological problems including anxiety and depression. Immersive Reality Experiences (IRE) technology, recently developed by the New Zealand Patience Project Charitable Trust may help to overcome these issues. IRE technology uses immersive 360-degree live-streaming and a virtual reality (VR) headset to enable hospitalized children and young people to connect with cameras located in either their school or home environment. OBJECTIVE This trial was undertaken to 1) quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of IRE technology in reducing social isolation and improving social connectedness and wellbeing using validated outcome measures and 2) expand qualitative findings from a previous smaller ‘proof of concept’ trial to ascertain the views of hospitalized New Zealand children and young people, their caregivers and teachers regarding IRE technology. METHODS An open trial of IRE technology was conducted between December 2019 and December 2020 and included 19 New Zealand children and young people aged 13-18, who had been hospitalized at Starship Hospital, a specialist pediatric hospital in Auckland, for at least 2-weeks. All participants completed the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), an abbreviated version of the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) and the Social Inclusion Scale (SIS) and at baseline. Ten participants used IRE technology as often as they wished over a 6-week period and completed post-intervention measures. Semi-structured interviews with a subset of participants, caregivers and teachers were conducted immediately post-intervention. RESULTS Participants reported improvements in social inclusion (mean change 3.9, SD 2.8, p 0.057), social connectedness (mean change 14.2, SD 10.0, p 0.002) and well-being (mean change 5.7, SD 4.0, p 0.003). Key themes from interviews with participants, caregivers and teachers were: the importance of support for using IRE technology, connecting vs connectedness, choice and connection, and the value of setting it up and getting it right. A number of recommendations for improving connectedness via IRE and related technology were also provided. CONCLUSIONS IRE technology can improve the social inclusion, social connectedness and well-being of hospitalized New Zealand children and young people. With some technological modifications and simplified implementation, IRE technology could become part of standard care and support hospitalized children and young people in New Zealand and elsewhere to sustain family and peer cohesion, experience fewer psychological problems and more easily return to normal life following completion of treatment. CLINICALTRIAL This study has been registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Network Registry: ACTRN12619000252112p


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Başak Bilecen ◽  
Karolina Barglowski ◽  
Thomas Faist ◽  
Eleonore Kofman

AbstractSocial protection refers to resources and strategies to deal with social risks, such as poverty or obligations and needs of care, which might impede the realization of life chances and well-being. Previous research has shown that migrants are particularly affected by challenges when accessing or providing social protection, because of unfamiliar welfare regulations in the immigration country and their family and friends being located in various locations, calling for an investigation of gendered dynamics in transnational spaces. In this special issue we aim to advance these vital debates by elucidating the social consequences of the articulation and organization of formal and informal social protection across borders for different actors involved through a joint investigation of gender and transnationality as key dimensions of social inequality. More specifically, the papers collected in this special issue are devoted to investigating the link of formal and informal dimensions of transnational social protection and showing its impact on unequal life chances of mobile people in Europe. This introduction frames the articles collected in this special issue from an inequality perspective, thereby pointing to the ways in which gender and transnationality interact with other dimensions of inequality in the field of social protection, which currently constitutes one of the most vital issues in the field of migration scholarship.


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