scholarly journals Examining Information Sharing and Relationship Building in Online Social Networks: An Emergent Analytic Framework

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A. Hersberger ◽  
Kevin S. Rioux ◽  
Ray O. Cruitt
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Information Use ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Analytic Framework ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Réseaux Sociaux ◽  
Electronic Environments

Studies of collaborative information use in electronic environments suggest that virtual communities share characteristics with face-to-face communities. The authors expand on an existing model to present an analytic framework for examining online social networks. The framework emphasizes the information sharing behaviors that are critical in building critical relationships in these online communities.Les études sur l’utilisation collaborative de l’information dans les environnements électroniques suggèrent que les communautés virtuelles partagent des caractéristiques communes avec les communautés réelles. Les auteurs développent un modèle existant afin de présenter un cadre analytique pour l’exploration des réseaux sociaux en ligne. Le cadre souligne l’importance des comportements de partage de l’information qui sont essentiels pour la construction de relations indispensables dans ces communautés virtuelles. 

scholarly journals Privacy and Security Issues in Online Social Networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaukat Ali ◽  
Naveed Islam ◽  
Azhar Rauf ◽  
Ikram Din ◽  
Mohsen Guizani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Security Issue ◽  
Sensitive Data ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Social Sphere

The advent of online social networks (OSN) has transformed a common passive reader into a content contributor. It has allowed users to share information and exchange opinions, and also express themselves in online virtual communities to interact with other users of similar interests. However, OSN have turned the social sphere of users into the commercial sphere. This should create a privacy and security issue for OSN users. OSN service providers collect the private and sensitive data of their customers that can be misused by data collectors, third parties, or by unauthorized users. In this paper, common security and privacy issues are explained along with recommendations to OSN users to protect themselves from these issues whenever they use social media.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF OFFLINE AND ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS ON LONELINESS AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ITALIAN OLDER PEOPLE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S529-S529
Author(s):  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Georgia Casanova ◽  
Antonio Guaita
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Causal Impact

Abstract In the last decades the study of older people and social networks has been at the core of gerontology research. The literature underlines the positive health effects of traditional and online social connections and also the social networks’s positive impact on cognitive performance, mental health and quality of life. Aging in a Networked Society is a randomized controlled study aimed at investigating causal impact of traditional face-to-face social networks and online social networks (e.g. Social Network Sites) on older people’ health, cognitive functions and well-being. A social experiment, based on a pre-existing longitudinal study (InveCe - Brain Aging in Abbiategrasso) has involved 180 older people born from 1935 to 1939 living in Abbiategrasso, a municipality near Milan. We analyse effects on health and well-being of smartphones and Facebook use (compared to engagement in a more traditional face-to-face activity), exploiting the research potential of past waves of InveCe study, which collected information concerning physical, cognitive and mental health using international validate scale, blood samples, genetic markers and information on social networks and socio-demographic characteristics of all participants. Results of statistical analysis show that poor social relations and high level of perceived loneliness (measured by Lubben Scale and UCLA Loneliness scale) affect negatively physical and mental outcomes. We also found that gender and marital status mediate the relationship between loneliness and mental wellbeing, while education has not significant effect. Moreover, trial results underline the causal impact of ICT use (smartphones, internet, social network sites) on self-perceived loneliness and cognitive and physical health.

Privacy and Security for Virtual Communities and Social Networks

2013 ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Michaelides ◽  
Gábor Hosszú
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Internet Privacy ◽  
Large Audience ◽  
Privacy Risks

The importance of the virtual communities’ privacy and security problems comes into prominence by the rapid development of online social networks. This article presents the multiple threats currently plaguing the virtual world, Internet privacy risks, and recommendations and countermeasures to avoid such problems. New generations of users feel comfortable publishing their personal information and narrating their lives. They are often unaware how vulnerable the data in their public profiles are, which a large audience daily accesses. A so-called digital friendship is built among them. Such commercial and social pressures have led to a number of privacy and security risks for social network members. The article presents the most important vulnerabilities and suggests protection methods and solutions that can be utilized according to the threat. Lastly, the authors introduce the concept of a privacy-friendly virtual community site, named CWIW, where privacy methods have been implemented for better user protection.

Virtual Research Conferences

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 32-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamna Malik
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Web Tools ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Virtual Conference ◽  
Potential Use

Research conferences provide an important platform for idea exchange and validation as well as for social networking and talent hunt. Online social networks and collaborative web tools can make conferences budget friendly for sponsors, flexible for attendees, and environment friendly for the society without loss of effectiveness. While many conferences have adopted such tools during pre and post conferencing stages, their use during actual meeting hours is very limited. This paper deliberates on the current and potential use of such technologies on various stages of a conference. It then presents the case of a pure virtual conference in comparison with a face to face conference with an aim to analyze the immediate benefits that virtual conferencing brings for organizers and participants. Perceived deterrents and potential benefits for various stakeholders are discussed. Suggestions are made for educational institutions to review their norms for conference sponsorships.

The Emergence of Agency in Online Social Networks

2010 ◽  
pp. 102-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillianne R. Code ◽  
Nicholas E. Zaparyniuk
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Emergent Property ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Group Interactions ◽  
Online Interactions ◽  
Practical Implications

Social and group interactions in online and virtual communities develop and evolve from expressions of human agency. The exploration of the emergence of agency in social situations is of critical importance to understanding the psychology of agency and group interactions in social networks. This chapter explores how agency emerges from social interactions, how this emergence influences the development of social networks, and the role of social software’s potential as a powerful tool for educational purposes. Practical implications of agency as an emergent property within social networks provide a psychological framework that forms the basis for pedagogy of social interactivity. This chapter identifies and discusses the psychological processes necessary for the development of agency and to further understanding of individual’s engagement in online interactions for socialization and learning.

Virtual Communities of Practice

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Pender Greene
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Sociologists and social workers have long been invested in understanding the role of communities in shaping identities and influencing behavior; however, the study of virtual communities is still new despite the dramatic ways in which online social networks have replaced traditional, geographically bound conceptions of community. The present article briefly reviews some of the early theories of community that have influenced practically all scholars studying computer-mediated virtual communities. The focus then shifts toward an analysis of early, important theorists focusing on virtual communities. The article concludes by examining contemporary research and practices utilizing virtual communities in social work, with a particular emphasis on ways to integrate virtual communities into professional practice.

scholarly journals Comunidades em redes sociais na internet: um estudo de caso dos fotologs brasileiros | Communities in Social Networks on the internet: a case study of Brazilian photologs

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Recuero
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Online Social Network ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Capital Social ◽  
Social Forms ◽  
Computer Mediated

Resumo Redes sociais online são grupos de atores que se constituem através da interação mediada pelo computador. Essas interações são capazes de estabelecer novas formas sociais de grupos e comunidades. Através da discussão de diversos conceitos de comunidade e comunidade virtual, propõe-se o estudo das comunidades virtuais como uma forma de rede social. Esse debate teórico é discutido então no campo de estudo constituído pelo Fotolog, durante os anos de 2005 e 2006. O fotolog é um sistema que permite aos usuários a publicação de fotografias, textos e comentários. Dos dados coletados através de formas qualitativas e quantitativas, propomos uma tipologia para as comunidades virtuais baseada em sua estrutura (a rede em si) e sua composição (tipos de laços sociais e capital social). Esses tipos são definidos como comunidades virtuais emergentes, comunidades virtuais de associação e comunidades virtuais híbridas.Palavras-chave redes sociais, comunidades virtuais, fotolog.Abstract Online social networks are groups of actors formed by computer-mediated social interaction. These interactions are capable of establishing new social forms of groups and communities. Based on a discussion over several concepts of community and virtual community we propose the virtual community as a specific form of online social network. This theoretical debate is brought to the field studying the system named Fotolog during 2005 and 2006. Fotolog (www.fotolog.com) is a web service that allows for its users to post photographs or images with an associated text and other users may comment on each other’s posts. From the collected data, we propose a typology for communities found in these networks, based on their structure (network) and composition (social ties and social capital). We define three types of communities as associative virtual communities, emergent virtual communities and hybrid virtual communities.Keywords social networks, virtual communities, fotolog. 

Self-Disclosure Patterns among Chinese Users in SNS and Face-to-Face Communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yashu Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Self Disclosure ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Disclosure Patterns

This exploratory study focused on Chinese social network sites (SNS) users to determine whether their online self-disclosure differed from offline and whether culture had an impact on the patterns of their self-disclosure. Sixteen active users of Chinese online social networks were interviewed about their self-disclosing experiences. Results of a qualitative analysis suggest that culture was likely to impact the behavior of study participants by modifying the patterns of self-disclosure. Participants tended to disclose themselves indirectly on SNS, strived to make positive impressions, and revealed few intimate issues. In face-to-face communication, the relationships between disclosers and target persons as well as the target persons' status and background influenced the contents of self-disclosure.

Mobile Communities and the "Generation that Beeps and Hums"

2011 ◽  
pp. 157-178
Author(s):  
Marian Quigley
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Virtual Communication ◽  
Mobile Phone Technology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Group A ◽  
False Premise

The rapid appropriation of mobile phone technology by young people is occurring at the same time as critics are debating the so-called demise of community, purportedly as a result of our increasingly technologised and globalised society. Opposing theorists, however, argue that the notion of community is itself nebulous and that it represents an imagined ideal rather than a vanishing reality. Thus, they argue, it follows that debates about the greater authenticity of “real,” face-to-face communities over “virtual communities”—those centered on technological rather than geographical links —are based on a false premise. This chapter argues that young people today are utilizing mobile phones—sometimes in combination with the Internet—to establish and maintain social networks combining both their geographically present and absent peers. These networks are mobile, heavily reliant on technology and are comprised of a mix of “real” and “virtual” communication. They are also characterized by a sense of belonging to a group—a concept integral to the notion of community.

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