Virtual Communities

2009 ◽  
pp. 122-155
Author(s):  
Ben Kei Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Technological Determinism ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
General Overview

The growth of virtual communities and their continuous impact on social, economic and technological structures of societies has attracted a great deal of interest among researchers, systems designers and policy makers to examine the formation, development, sustainability and utility of these communities. Over the last two decades, the growth in research into virtual communities, though fairly diverse, can be broadly categorized into two dominant perspectives—technological determinism and social constructivism. The basic tenet of the technology determinism research is that technology shapes cultural values, social structure, and knowledge. This Chapter provides a general overview of research on virtual communities. It describes two particular types of virtual communities relevant to the analysis of social capital described in the book; virtual learning communities and distributed communities of practice. The goal of the Chapter is to provide an overall context in which social capital is reported in the book. The Chapter also describes other areas in which virtual communities are currently used. These include education, health care, business, socialization and mediating interaction among people in Diaspora.

Mobilising Social Capital in Healthcare Industry of Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-118
Author(s):  
Mahreen Hussain ◽  
Mahwish Zeeshan ◽  
Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Identity ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social

This study intended to learn the mobilization of social capital for the access to better health care facilities emphasizing the role of religiosity culture and social identity. Social capital was limited to religiosity culture and the social identity using the bonding and bridging concepts for this study. The three variables gauged in the study were social capital, religiosity culture and social identity which are barely used for the health care industry. The target population was public health care practitioners of the Federal Capital with sample size of 215 doctors and nurses over a period of six months. The data was quantitative and analyzed through co-relational tests. Questionnaire was developed for the study using the validity and reliability statistics. However, the results from the study reflected the significant impact of religiosity culture and social identity. Thus, it was concluded that positive and negative externalities affect the social identity in the creation of social capital. The findings of this study can provide a framework for future reference and to the policy makers in enhancing the social responsibility through mobilization of social capital of healthcare professionals in the industry.

Images of Health Technology in National and Local Strategies

2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 353-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Klecun-Dabrowska ◽  
T. Cornford
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Actor Network Theory ◽  
Technological Determinism ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Policy And Strategy ◽  
Future Health Care ◽  
Recent Developments

Summary Objectives: This paper examines the potential of various models relating technology to society and institutional structures to inform health policy. Among the models discussed are various versions of technological determinism, social constructivism, actor network theory and critical theory. Methods: The paper considers recent developments in policy and strategy that aim to shape the way the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) integrates Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into health care and considers what these alternative models highlight or emphasise, and how they might influence the activities of setting local implementation strategies. Results and Conclusions: Contemporary ICTs are often presented as having a particular relevance and power in reforming or transforming the delivery of health care. Understanding how such technologies might be conceived of, implemented and become an integral part of some future health care system is an important and challenging task that requires innovative theoretical treatments.

Introduction to this Volume

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ben K. Daniel
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Human Learning ◽  
Technological Design ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
General Overview

The growth of virtual communities and their continuous impact on social, economic and technological structures of societies has attracted a great deal of interest among researchers, practitioners, system designers and policy makers. All interested in analysing and understanding how these communities form, develop, nurture social interaction, influence various technological design and implementation, enhance information and knowledge sharing, support business and act as catalytic environments to support human learning. This Chapter provides a general overview of virtual communities and introduces the reader to the various themes covered in this volume as well as the geographical distribution and institutional affiliations of contributors to the volume.

scholarly journals Social Capital in Virtual Learning Communities and Distributed Communities of Practice

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Daniel ◽  
Richard A. Schwier ◽  
Gordon McCalla
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Research Issues

Abstract. Social capital has recently emerged as an important interdisciplinary research area. It is frequently used as a framework for understanding various social issues in temporal communities, neighbourhoods and groups. In particular, researchers in the social sciences and the humanities have used social capital to understand trust, shared understanding, reciprocal relationships, social network structures, common norms and cooperation, and the roles these entities play in various aspects of temporal communities. Despite proliferation of research in this area, little work has been done to extend this effort to technology-driven learning communities (also known as virtual learning communities). This paper surveys key interdisciplinary research areas in social capital. It also explores how the notions of social capital and trust can be extended to virtual communities, including virtual learning communities and distributed communities of practice. Research issues surrounding social capital and trust as they relate to technology-driven learning communities are identified.

The Unified World Order

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-100
Author(s):  
Bakare Adewale Muteeu
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
International System ◽  
World Order ◽  
Social Injustice ◽  
World Peace ◽  
Technological Determinism ◽  
Open World ◽  
The World ◽  
Capitalist World ◽  
The Rich

In pursuit of a capitalist world configuration, the causal phenomenon of globalization spread its cultural values in the built international system, as evidenced by the dichotomy between the rich North and the poor South. This era of cultural globalization is predominantly characterized by social inequality, economic inequality and instability, political instability, social injustice, and environmental change. Consequently, the world is empirically infected by divergent global inequalities among nations and people, as evidenced by the numerous problems plaguing humanity. This article seeks to understand Islam from the viewpoint of technological determinism in attempt to offset these diverging global inequalities for its “sociopolitical economy”1existence, as well as the stabilization of the interconnected world. Based upon the unifying view of microIslamics, the meaning of Islam and its globalizing perspectives are deciphered on a built micro-religious platform. Finally, the world is rebuilt via the Open World Peace (OWP) paradigm, from which the fluidity of open globalization is derived as a future causal phenomenon for seamlessly bridging (or contracting) the gaps between the rich-rich, rich-poor, poor-rich and poor-poor nations and people based on common civilization fronts.

Towards an AIDS-free generation by 2030: how are South African children, adolescents, caregivers and health care workers coping with HIV?

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632199217
Author(s):  
Yogan Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Free Generation ◽  
Living With Hiv

We are committed to an AIDS free generation by 2030 – nine short years away. This article reflects on the global and South African data on new infections, total number of children and adolescents living with HIV as well as data on vertical transmission. The article includes the voices of key stakeholders in the quest to end HIV in children so that lessons from their experiences can be used by policy makers in strengthening services.

scholarly journals Social Capital and Health Care Access

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Pitkin Derose ◽  
Danielle M. Varda
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Health Care Access ◽  
Care Access

Post Your Journey: Instagram as a Support Community for People With Fibromyalgia

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley A. Berard ◽  
André P. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Widespread Pain ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Media Applications

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness with primary symptoms of widespread pain and fatigue. Social media applications have become a recent resource allowing individuals with fibromyalgia to interact in a virtual community devoted to the illness. This study explores how such a community develops and maintains itself on Instagram and the ways it creates social capital for its users. Data are derived from Instagram posts and open-ended questionnaires completed by users living with fibromyalgia who use the application. Using content analysis and semiotic methodology, the study analyzes the diverse ways in which users shared their experiences with fibromyalgia, the management of its symptoms, and issues encountered in accessing health care systems. Instagram aids in the development of a community by facilitating intimate and supportive interactions about the illness and the creation of personalized day-to-day narratives accessible to all. Norms of trust, acceptance, and reciprocity characterize the diversity of interactions in this community.

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