Important relationships in a multilevel world: The role of network structure in explaining closeness of relationships and access to resources in later life

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110093
Author(s):  
Mahin Raissi ◽  
Robert Ackland
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Statistical Model ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Personal Networks ◽  
Network Data ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Access To Resources

We examine why some relationships are more important than others, using a multilevel statistical model and data on personal networks of Australians 50 years and older, collected via a purpose-built Facebook application. While the network data were collected automatically, participants in our study provided data on the importance of their relationships, measured by perceived closeness and access to resources. We find that the information on how network members are connected with each other (network structure) provides powerful insights into what makes a relationship important. When importance is measured by closeness of relationship, important alters are kin, and are alters who are highly connected with others or act as bridges between different groups. When importance is measured by access to resources, important alters are those who act as bridges and are in more densely-knit networks. We discuss our findings in a broader context of research into important relationships in later life, and collecting personal network data via online social networks.

Influence and Information Flow in Online Social Networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Afrand Agah ◽  
Mehran Asadi
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Large Data Sets ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Divide And Conquer Algorithm ◽  
Flow Of Information

This article introduces a new method to discover the role of influential people in online social networks and presents an algorithm that recognizes influential users to reach a target in the network, in order to provide a strategic advantage for organizations to direct the scope of their digital marketing strategies. Social links among friends play an important role in dictating their behavior in online social networks, these social links determine the flow of information in form of wall posts via shares, likes, re-tweets, mentions, etc., which determines the influence of a node. This article initially identities the correlated nodes in large data sets using customized divide-and-conquer algorithm and then measures the influence of each of these nodes using a linear function. Furthermore, the empirical results show that users who have the highest influence are those whose total number of friends are closer to the total number of friends of each node divided by the total number of nodes in the network.

scholarly journals Misinformation, Radicalization and Hate Through the Lens of Users

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manoel Horta Ribeiro ◽  
Virgílio A. F. Almeida ◽  
Wagner Meira Jr
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Far Right ◽  
Content Creation ◽  
Political Opinion

The popularization of Online Social Networks has changed the dynamics of content creation and consumption. In this setting, society has witnessed an amplification in phenomena such as misinformation and hate speech. This dissertation studies these issues through the lens of users. In three case studies in social networks, we: (i) provide insight on how the perception of what is misinformation is altered by political opinion; (ii) propose a methodology to study hate speech on a user-level, showing that the network structure of users can improve the detection of the phenomenon; (iii) characterize user radicalization in far-right channels on YouTube through time, showing a growing migration towards the consumption of extreme content in the platform.

scholarly journals The Social Environment’s Relationship With Frailty: Evidence From Existing Studies

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan Duppen ◽  
Michaël C. J. Van der Elst ◽  
Sarah Dury ◽  
Deborah Lambotte ◽  
Liesbeth De Donder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family

Increasingly, policymakers assume that informal networks will provide care for frail older people. While the literature has mainly discussed the role of the family, broader social networks are also considered to be important. However, these social networks can diminish in later life. This systematic review investigates whether the social environment increases the risk of frailty or helps to prevent it. Findings from 15 original studies were classified using five different factors, which denoted five dimensions of the social environment: (a) social networks, (b) social support, (c) social participation, (d) subjective neighborhood experience, and (e) socioeconomic neighborhood characteristics. The discussion highlights that the social environment and frailty are indeed related, and how the neighborhood dimensions and social participation had more consistent results than social support and social networks. Conclusively, recommendations are formulated to contemplate all dimensions of the social environment for further research examining frailty and community care.

scholarly journals Balancing User Profile and Social Network Structure for Anchor Link Inferring Across Multiple Online Social Networks

IEEE Access ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 12031-12040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangtao Ma ◽  
Yaqiong Qiao ◽  
Guangwu Hu ◽  
Yongzhong Huang ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
User Profile ◽  
Social Network Structure

Influence and Information Flow in Online Social Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 502-520
Author(s):  
Afrand Agah ◽  
Mehran Asadi
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information Flow ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Divide And Conquer Algorithm ◽  
Flow Of Information

This article introduces a new method to discover the role of influential people in online social networks and presents an algorithm that recognizes influential users to reach a target in the network, in order to provide a strategic advantage for organizations to direct the scope of their digital marketing strategies. Social links among friends play an important role in dictating their behavior in online social networks, these social links determine the flow of information in form of wall posts via shares, likes, re-tweets, mentions, etc., which determines the influence of a node. This article initially identities the correlated nodes in large data sets using customized divide-and-conquer algorithm and then measures the influence of each of these nodes using a linear function. Furthermore, the empirical results show that users who have the highest influence are those whose total number of friends are closer to the total number of friends of each node divided by the total number of nodes in the network.

Providing Students with an Easystart to Higher Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
W. Rod Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Access To Resources ◽  
Transition To Higher Education ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Degree Level ◽  
Digital Landscape

The transition to higher education can be problematic for some students as they adapt to institutional procedures and degree level working at the same time as developing new social networks. To help facilitate these complex transitions institutions are increasingly turning towards digital technologies to provide both flexible access to resources and improved communication. This paper outlines the key issues associated with students' initial transitions to higher education and explores the challenges faced by academics designing induction procedures and programmes. The emerging role of digital technologies in supporting students' transitions into Higher Education, against the backdrop of a changing digital landscape in one institution is discussed and an evaluation of the easystart induction programme at Manchester Metropolitan University presented as a case study.

scholarly journals Awesome women and bad feminists: the role of online social networks and peer support for feminist practice in academia

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-435
Author(s):  
Hannah Bayfield ◽  
Laura Colebrooke ◽  
Hannah Pitt ◽  
Rhiannon Pugh ◽  
Natalia Stutter
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Online Collaboration ◽  
Online Networks ◽  
Feminist Practice ◽  
Digital Spaces

In her book, ‘Bad Feminist’, Roxane Gay claims this label shamelessly, embracing the contradictory aspects of enacting feminist practice while fundamentally being ‘flawed human[s]’. This article tells a story inspired by and enacting Roxane Gay’s approach in academia, written by five cis-gendered women geographers. It is the story of a proactive, everyday feminist initiative to survive as women in an academic precariat fuelled by globalised, neoliberalised higher education. We reflect on what it means to be (bad) feminists in that context, and how we respond as academics. We share experiences of an online space used to support one another through post-doctoral life, a simple message thread, which has established an important role in our development as academics and feminists. This article, written through online collaboration, mirrors and enacts processes fundamental to our online network, demonstrating the significance and potential of safe digital spaces for peer support. Excerpts from the chat reflect critically on struggles and solutions we have co-developed. Through this, we celebrate and validate a strategy we know that we and others like us find invaluable for our wellbeing and survival. Finally, we reflect on the inherent limitations of exclusive online networks as tools for feminist resistance.

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