scholarly journals An Appraisal of Social Network Theory and Analysis as Applied to Public Health: Challenges and Opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Valente ◽  
Stephanie R. Pitts

The use of social network theory and analysis methods as applied to public health has expanded greatly in the past decade, yielding a significant academic literature that spans almost every conceivable health issue. This review identifies several important theoretical challenges that confront the field but also provides opportunities for new research. These challenges include (a) measuring network influences, (b) identifying appropriate influence mechanisms, (c) the impact of social media and computerized communications, (d) the role of networks in evaluating public health interventions, and (e) ethics. Next steps for the field are outlined and the need for funding is emphasized. Recently developed network analysis techniques, technological innovations in communication, and changes in theoretical perspectives to include a focus on social and environmental behavioral influences have created opportunities for new theory and ever broader application of social networks to public health topics.

2011 ◽  
pp. 651-660
Author(s):  
Mahesh Raisinghani ◽  
Elon Marques

This chapter is focused on some of the current research being conducted in the field of social network theory. The importance of studying the social network concepts is attached to a better understanding of individuals and how and why people interact with each other, as well as how technology and the Internet can affect this interaction. The social network theory field has grown significantly in the last years, and the use of the Internet and advanced computing technology has contributed to new research in this growing area. The first aspect to be covered is the social network theory and some applications for social networks. Also virtual communities, as well as the control over communications tools through social networks will be discussed. Finally, the technology side of social networks will be presented, as mobile social networks, internet social networking systems and e-business correlation, social network software and future trends of social networks. The main objective of this research is to illustrate the correlation between electronic (e-) business (of which e-government is a subset) and social networking.


Author(s):  
David Torres ◽  
Carla B. Zoltowski ◽  
Patrice M. Buzzanell ◽  
Megan Kenny Feister ◽  
William C. Oakes

Author(s):  
Mahesh Raisinghani ◽  
Elon Marques

This chapter is focused on some of the current research being conducted in the field of social network theory. The importance of studying the social network concepts is attached to a better understanding of individuals and how and why people interact with each other, as well as how technology and the Internet can affect this interaction. The social network theory field has grown significantly in the last years, and the use of the Internet and advanced computing technology has contributed to new research in this growing area. The first aspect to be covered is the social network theory and some applications for social networks. Also virtual communities, as well as the control over communications tools through social networks will be discussed. Finally, the technology side of social networks will be presented, as mobile social networks, internet social networking systems and e-business correlation, social network software and future trends of social networks. The main objective of this research is to illustrate the correlation between electronic (e-) business (of which e-government is a subset) and social networking.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0249302
Author(s):  
Sara Moukarzel ◽  
Martin Rehm ◽  
Anita Caduff ◽  
Miguel del Fresno ◽  
Rafael Perez-Escamilla ◽  
...  

Using Twitter to implement public health awareness campaigns is on the rise, but campaign monitoring and evaluation are largely dependent on basic Twitter Analytics. To establish the potential of social network theory-based metrics in better understanding public health campaigns, we analyzed real-time user interactions on Twitter during the 2020 World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) as an exemplar case. Social network analysis (SNA), including community and influencer identification, as well as topic modeling were used to compare the activity of n = 29,958 campaign participants and n = 10,694 reference users from the six-months pre-campaign period. Users formed more inter-connected relationships during the campaign, retweeting and mentioning each other 46,161 times compared to 10,662 times in the prior six months. Campaign participants formed identifiable communities that were not only based on their geolocation, but also based on interests and professional background. While influencers who dominated the WBW conversations were disproportionally members of the scientific community, the campaign did mobilize influencers from the general public who seemed to play a “bridging” role between the public and the scientific community. Users communicated about the campaign beyond its original themes to also discuss breastfeeding within the context of social and racial inequities. Applying SNA allowed understanding of the breastfeeding campaign’s messaging and engagement dynamics across communities and influencers. Moving forward, WBW could benefit from improving targeting to enhance geographic coverage and user interactions. As this exemplar case indicates, social network theory and analysis can be used to inform other public health campaigns with data on user interactions that go beyond traditional metrics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hongyan Yan ◽  
Jiayi Wang ◽  
Jing Cui ◽  
Zeyun Yang ◽  
Min Ren

This paper studies the behavior of intellectual property pledge loan based on a specific social network and uses the method of experimental research to analyze the impact of factors on the comprehensive trust of intellectual property pledge loan. The results show that if direct cooperation records between enterprises and banks are complete, the larger the scale of cooperation, the higher the trust of intellectual property pledge loans, and the nearer the cooperation record to the present time, the greater the credibility of enterprise cooperation. If there is no direct cooperation record between enterprises and banks, or cooperation record is incomplete, in accordance with the trust evaluation of the recommended members on the intellectual property pledge loan enterprise, the smaller the degree of trust at a certain recommendation node, the lower the credibility of enterprises at this node correspondingly, and the lower the perceived risk tolerance of banks, the lower the cooperation satisfaction in the intellectual property pledge loan enterprises.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Drew Sellers ◽  
Timothy J. Fogarty ◽  
Larry M. Parker

ABSTRACT This paper uses the template of institutional theory to explore the impact of organizational de-legitimation on its technical core. To operationalize this, social network theory is used to guide an exploratory study of the diaspora of Andersen employees. The results suggest an unusually high degree of entrepreneurial activity is unleashed once the confining legitimacy of the organizational structure is dissolved. It also shows that the value of social capital possessed by Andersen professionals changed in character and possibly increased in value. The paper offers contributions to institutional theory and the practice of modern accounting.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Galloway ◽  
John W. Sanders ◽  
Jo Bensemann ◽  
Alexei Tretiakov

PurposeThis article explores the small unit of family business – being in business with one's spouse – in Scotland and New Zealand. With reference to social network theory, the research explores if the strong married relationship enhances business or inhibits it due to a hypothesised limiting effect on access to external networks. The paper thus measures the impact of networks on copreneurial business performance and explores perceptions of the copreneurial experience.Design/methodology/approachThe research applies a mixed methodology. First, a quantitative sample of 301 small firms in Scotland and New Zealand is tested for variation in performance and social network reach between copreneurial, other types of family firms and firms with no family links. Thereafter, a qualitative study explores the experience of 101 copreneurs in the two countries, to which a thematic analysis is applied.FindingsNetworks are shown to be central influences on performance, but the paper finds no performance or network reach variation between copreneurial and other business. Nevertheless, copreneurship is perceived both positively and negatively by practitioners and testimonies include explicit reference to strategies to manage home/work tensions.Originality/valueThe paper contributes new data on performance in copreneurial firms in two international locations. Viewed through a social network theory lens, the research shows the utility of networks to business, family or otherwise. The paper also shows that the work/family interface in copreneurial firms is perceived both as an advantage and as a challenge and so requires careful management.


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