scholarly journals Video-ethnography of social media apps’ connection cues in public settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Figeac ◽  
Johann Chaulet
Keyword(s):  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Network Services ◽  
Mobile Social Network ◽  
Video Capture ◽  
Smartphone Applications ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Video Ethnography ◽  
Usage Patterns

This paper aims to analyze the uses of mobile social network services (mSNS) during daily commutes on the basis of a video ethnography conducted with 35 users of the Facebook app. This method is based on the combination of context-oriented recordings made with user-worn camera glasses and mobile screen video capture. These data reveal the way smartphone usage patterns tend to be organized according to notification functions (mSNS, SMS), a specific set of technical cues that mediatize social demand and promote social connectedness. Users manage these cues through a recurrent trend composed of a three-step sequence: they often start by using applications displaying notifications; they favor those that display social demands; and, among them, they prioritize these relational solicitations in accordance with social status or types of relationships. By examining the distribution of users’ attention between urban environments and smartphone applications, this video-ethnography also highlights how these “checking habits” are organized according to a set of spatial cues and some daily commute characteristics, such as visual coordination with passengers in public transport. These technical cues mediatize a growing number of social demands that encourage users to keep their eyes focused on their smartphone’s screen in public spaces. We argue that these technical cues create a temporary bubble effect and social isolation at a proximal scale, which mostly operate at the beginning of smartphone usage patterns.

scholarly journals PRUB: A Privacy Protection Friend Recommendation System Based on User Behavior

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Jiang ◽  
Ruijin Wang ◽  
Zhiyuan Xu ◽  
Yaodong Huang ◽  
Shuo Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Recommendation System ◽  
User Behavior ◽  
Network Services ◽  
Mobile Social Network ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Friend Recommendation ◽  
Social Applications ◽  
Browsing Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Information

The fast developing social network is a double-edged sword. It remains a serious problem to provide users with excellent mobile social network services as well as protecting privacy data. Most popular social applications utilize behavior of users to build connection with people having similar behavior, thus improving user experience. However, many users do not want to share their certain behavioral information to the recommendation system. In this paper, we aim to design a secure friend recommendation system based on the user behavior, called PRUB. The system proposed aims at achieving fine-grained recommendation to friends who share some same characteristics without exposing the actual user behavior. We utilized the anonymous data from a Chinese ISP, which records the user browsing behavior, for 3 months to test our system. The experiment result shows that our system can achieve a remarkable recommendation goal and, at the same time, protect the privacy of the user behavior information.

scholarly journals Possibilities to Apply the Urban Acupuncture Concept in Kaunas: Social Aspect

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 18-27
Author(s):  
Aurelija Daugelaite ◽  
Indre Gražulevičiūte-Vileniške ◽  
Mantas Landauskas
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Public Art ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Street Art ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Ecological Design ◽  
Social Aspect ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The City

The concept of urban acupuncture, which has been gaining ground in recent decades, is based on the activation and revitalization of urban environments using small architectural or landscape architectural interventions in precise carefully selected locations of urban fabric. However, the rapid and unexpected design solutions of urban acupuncture, based on ecological design, nature dynamics, street art, material re-use, can cause different social and psychological reactions of urban population and these reactions may vary depending on cultural contexts. Consequently, in order to implement successful urban acupuncture projects in Lithuanian cities, it is very important to find out public opinion and priorities in the fields of public space management, aesthetics, and public art. The aim of the research was to analyze the opinion of Kaunas city residents regarding these issues. For this purpose, a sociological questionnaire survey was used. The questionnaire containing 20 questions was designed, with the aim to find out the trends of use of public spaces in the city, the attitudes of residents towards street art and other small-scale initiatives in public spaces implemented in the recent years, possibilities of creating landscape architecture based on ecological ideas in urban environment, the attitude of inhabitants towards community spaces and community space design in the city, etc. 100 residents of Kaunas participated in this online administered survey. The survey has demonstrated general positive attitude towards contemporary design trends of public spaces and public art; however, the surveyed population expressed preferences towards fully equipped public spaces offering possibilities for a wide range of activities.

The Development and Testing of Pour-Flush Toilet Sensors for Understanding User Interaction in Peri-Urban Households

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo Cotera Rivera ◽  
Amy M. Bilton
Keyword(s):  
User Interaction ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Households ◽  
Sensor Performance ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Small Footprint ◽  
Distance Sensor ◽  
Automated Data Analysis ◽  
Sanitation Systems

Abstract Rapid worldwide urbanization has created peri-urban environments that often lack services and infrastructure for water and sanitation. Globally, around 4.5 billion people do not have access to safely managed sanitation, as is often the case in such environments. Efforts to develop appropriate sanitation alternatives in these contexts recognize the value of understanding users’ preferences and interaction with their sanitation systems, however, the traditional tools for assessing technology usage and adoption are based on physical observation, which presents limitations. In this work, we developed a toilet sensor to identify usage patterns of pour-flush toilets by quantifying flushing and defecation events. The device has a methane gas sensor, IR distance sensor and a motion sensor connected to a microcontroller. Its small footprint allows for unobtrusive installation inside a toilet bowl and operates battery-powered for about 5 days depending on usage patterns. To evaluate the sensor performance, units were installed for a field trial in nine participants’ households in a Mexican peri-urban community and an algorithm for automated data analysis was developed. Surveys were also conducted to benchmark the sensor performance and determine the potential value of the approach. Results showed that on average people underreported their daily toilet usage by two events compared to the measurements and they flushed only 75% of the time after defecation. By monitoring the usage of the current pour-flush toilets lacking piped water and sewerage and complementing the data with users’ feedback, we can gain an understanding of the existing limitations so more suitable sanitation alternatives can be proposed.

scholarly journals A Space to Call Our Own, an investigation into designing for play in urban environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hayley Webber
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Urban Public Space ◽  
Social Fragmentation ◽  
Meaningful Activity ◽  
Holistic Understanding

<p>Play is an act of discovery and stimulation. As children, we play to learn and grow. As adults, we play for freedom and to escape from reality. The action of play is a largely neglected aspect of peoples experience in urban public space. It is the un-functional and impractical use of the environment that fulfils a human instinct and curiosity that can spark conversation and spontaneity in public spaces. The development of the built environment has centred on improving the efficiency of daily life and little attention has been given to the informal synergies that urban public space can enable. Yet this space plays a central role in the formation of our culture and communities. With increasing trends of migration and urbanisation, New Zealand has become a multicultural society, but the quality of our public spaces and a distinct lack of meaningful interaction is causing increased levels of social fragmentation. The universal action of play can be used as a design tool to increase the level of meaningful activity and interaction in these spaces.   This thesis aims to understand how the inclusion of play and playful behaviour can create polycentric environments that can contribute to the reversal of social fragmentation between our ethnic communities and improve social cohesion and resilience within Newtown and Berhampore, socially deprived suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand.   The method of this research focuses on combining methods of spatial assessment and community engagement to develop a holistic understanding of play across social, cultural and physical dimensions. Observational studies, public surveying and community workshops combined with a comparative study across a series of case studies provided a foundation of knowledge that was then able to be applied to the design of physical playful spaces.  The design response across three test sites vary in scale between small tactical additions and overall redesign of space. These responses display how play can facilitate new forms of social interaction and spark spontaneity. The improved sense of community, familiarity and overall playfulness, increase overall resilience and overturn effects of social fragmentation. This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can engage with the concept of play to reignite passion within a community and support social network growth.</p>

scholarly journals A Space to Call Our Own, an investigation into designing for play in urban environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Hayley Webber
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Network Growth ◽  
Urban Public Space ◽  
Social Fragmentation ◽  
Meaningful Activity ◽  
Holistic Understanding

<p>Play is an act of discovery and stimulation. As children, we play to learn and grow. As adults, we play for freedom and to escape from reality. The action of play is a largely neglected aspect of peoples experience in urban public space. It is the un-functional and impractical use of the environment that fulfils a human instinct and curiosity that can spark conversation and spontaneity in public spaces. The development of the built environment has centred on improving the efficiency of daily life and little attention has been given to the informal synergies that urban public space can enable. Yet this space plays a central role in the formation of our culture and communities. With increasing trends of migration and urbanisation, New Zealand has become a multicultural society, but the quality of our public spaces and a distinct lack of meaningful interaction is causing increased levels of social fragmentation. The universal action of play can be used as a design tool to increase the level of meaningful activity and interaction in these spaces.   This thesis aims to understand how the inclusion of play and playful behaviour can create polycentric environments that can contribute to the reversal of social fragmentation between our ethnic communities and improve social cohesion and resilience within Newtown and Berhampore, socially deprived suburbs in Wellington, New Zealand.   The method of this research focuses on combining methods of spatial assessment and community engagement to develop a holistic understanding of play across social, cultural and physical dimensions. Observational studies, public surveying and community workshops combined with a comparative study across a series of case studies provided a foundation of knowledge that was then able to be applied to the design of physical playful spaces.  The design response across three test sites vary in scale between small tactical additions and overall redesign of space. These responses display how play can facilitate new forms of social interaction and spark spontaneity. The improved sense of community, familiarity and overall playfulness, increase overall resilience and overturn effects of social fragmentation. This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can engage with the concept of play to reignite passion within a community and support social network growth.</p>

scholarly journals Unpacking Adaptive Capacity to Flooding in Urban Environments: Social Capital, Social Vulnerability, and Risk Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Patrick Bixler ◽  
Sandeep Paul ◽  
Jessica Jones ◽  
Matthew Preisser ◽  
Paola Passalacqua
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Social Vulnerability ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Bonding Social Capital ◽  
Hazard Exposure

To effectively cope with the impacts of climate change and increase urban resilience, households and neighborhoods must adapt in ways that reduce vulnerability to climate-related natural hazards. Communities in the United States and elsewhere are exposed to more frequent extreme heat, wildfires, cyclones, extreme precipitation, and flooding events. Whether and how people respond to increased hazard exposure (adaptive behavior) is widely recognized to be driven by their capacity to adapt, perception of the risk, and past experiences. Underlying these important dimensions, however, is social context. In this paper, we examine how social capital and social vulnerability shape risk perception and household flood mitigation actions. The study, based on a metropolitan-wide survey of households in Austin, Texas, USA, suggests that bonding social capital (personal networks, neighborhood cohesion, and trust) is positively related to mitigation behavior and that social vulnerability is negatively related to risk perception. Importantly, our research demonstrates a positive and significant effect of social capital on adaptive behavior even when controlling for social vulnerability of a neighborhood. This suggests that policies and programs that strengthen the social connectedness within neighborhoods can increase adaptive behaviors thus improving community resilience to flood events.

scholarly journals PLURALITY AND DIVERSITY IN ARCHITECTURAL AND URBAN RESEARCH

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf M. Salama
Keyword(s):  
Human Perception ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Participatory Planning ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Architectural Education ◽  
Process Assessment ◽  
Urban Research ◽  
Emerging Issues

Demonstrating the essence of the journal as a truly international platform that covers issues of interest and concern to the global academic and professional community, this issue of Archnet-IJAR, volume 11, issue # 2, July 2017 includes various topics that manifest plurality and diversity as inherent qualities of architectural and urban research published in the journal.  Topics include architectural education and design studio teaching, urban and rural slums, heritage and historic environments in various contexts, participatory planning and the charrette process, assessment of public spaces and plazas, and human perception of the built environment. These topics are debated and analytically discussed within cities, settlements, and urban environments in Bahrain, Bangladesh, California-USA, Libya, Scotland, and Spain. The issue also includes three papers selected from the Fifth Architectural Jordanian International Conference – 1-3 November 2016, which uniquely speak to the context of Jordan and the wider Middle East. The edition ends with a book review that highlights emerging issues related to border landscapes and social ecologies.

Urban Borderlines: Negotiating Spatial, Social, and Symbolic Boundaries in Urban Contexts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaleh Jalili
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Symbolic Boundaries ◽  
The North ◽  
Spatial Approach ◽  
Social Landscape ◽  
Urban Contexts

Abstract Sociological research has productively engaged with boundary processes in urban contexts, but few studies explore the relation between space and social and symbolic boundaries. Based on fieldwork in Tehran, Iran, and building on literature on boundary processes, I incorporate a spatial approach into the discussion of social and symbolic boundaries. The focus is on city-level public spaces that function beyond neighborhoods and draw people from outside the immediate community. This article expands the discussion of boundaries beyond particular neighborhoods by situating social relations in the broader context of the metropolitan area. In Tehran, urban developments have increased mobility in use of public spaces, particularly enabling the less privileged in the south to move more easily and use spaces in the north, resulting in a fairly mixed social landscape. Using observations, survey data, and interviews with users of public spaces, I study the related social consequences and explore how boundaries are perceived and negotiated in changing urban environments. The findings shed light on some of the processes through which social and symbolic boundaries are questioned or maintained, as spatial boundaries become more fluid, blurred, and negotiable in a more accessible city.

Troublesome Objects: Unpacking Ocular-Centrism in Urban Environments by Studying Blind Navigation Using Video Ethnography and Ethnomethodology

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian L Due ◽  
Simon Bierring Lange
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Video Ethnography ◽  
Space Design ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
Video Material

This article reports on research into the navigational practices of blind and visually impaired people in urban environments. The members of this community encounter many types of obstacles, but this article focuses on ‘unpredictable inanimate moveable objects’. The analyses are based on recorded video material from ‘naturally occurring’ walks in a Danish urban area and are informed by ethnomethodology, with a focus on how blind or visually impaired people navigate and deal with trouble sources. This research unpacks the detailed features of navigation and obstacle-detection in the urban environment and demonstrates the value of using ethnomethodology to analyze the skilled character of everyday navigation in spaces in which the walker-with-cane is a kind of assemblage in harmony or at odds with other surfaces and objects. The findings have implications for space design and technology developments which can assist blind people with obstacle detection. The article uses empirical cases to discuss an ocular-centric bias and suggests the need for a more granular understanding of physical objects and tactile experiences in future developments of a sociology of space.

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