scholarly journals Ana's Friends. Friendship in Online Pro-Ana Communities

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natàlia Cantó-Milà ◽  
Swen Seebach
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Secret Societies ◽  
The Social

The objective of this article is to analyse the social relationships within online communities of anorectics, their bonds, their emotions and friendships, and their subsequent relation to anorexia nervosa. The research has focused on their blogs and their forums, which create a space in which they share their experiences, and sometimes encourage each other not to give up on their eating disorder – which they view as an illness, but an illness that has become their lifestyle, and their attitude towards life. Within the article an analysis of the special bonds of friendship that tie the members of the online community together will be presented. Special attention will be paid to the similarities between secret societies and friendship bonds within pro-ana communities.

Using Social Network Analysis to Guide Theoretical Sampling in an Ethnographic Study of a Virtual Community

2011 ◽  
pp. 157-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Murillo
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theoretical Sampling

Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides a range of models particularly well suited for mapping bonds between participants in online communities and thus reveal prominent members or subgroups. This can yield valuable insights for selecting a theoretical sample of participants or participant interactions in qualitative studies of communities. This chapter describes a procedure for collecting data from Usenet newsgroups, deriving the social network created by participant interaction, and importing this relational data into SNA software, where various cohesion models can be applied. The technique is exemplified by performing a longitudinal core periphery analysis of a specific newsgroup, which identified core members and provided clear evidence of a stable online community. Discussions dominated by core members are identified next, to guide theoretical sampling of text-based interactions in an ongoing ethnography of the community.

scholarly journals Online communities and their contribution to local heritage knowledge

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manal Ginzarly ◽  
Jacques Teller
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Value Judgment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tangible Assets ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the potential of social media as a framework for people-centered heritage. With a focus on the interpretation and display of heritage by online communities, this paper aims at providing insights into the social production of heritage – the social co-construction of meanings of everyday landscape and the making of the collective and local identity.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes a methodological roadmap for the digital ethnography of everyday heritage. It reveals (1) the fundamental principles according to which people make value judgments and associate meanings to the urban landscape, and (2) the role of online communities in conveying collective identity and heritage values within the community realm. As a case study area for the implementation of the proposed method, three Facebook community group pages for Tripoli, Lebanon were chosen. The posts and comments were translated into English and uploaded to NVivo 12 plus and a deductive thematic approach to qualitative data analysis was applied. The data was coded into three main nodes: the actors, the tangible assets and the value registers.FindingsResults show that Facebook users are concerned with environmental equality, common interests, utility, right to the city and representativeness, while the beautification of heritage is often perceived as a threat to these values.Originality/valueThis investigation goes beyond heritage attributes (what) and values (why) to examine how values are assigned by local communities. It provides a comprehensive understanding of value judgment and the rationale and arguments used to justify positions and mobilize online community members in order to contribute to the digital co-construction of everyday heritage.

A Collective-Intelligence View on the Linux Kernel Developer Community

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoxiang Xia
Keyword(s):  
Open Source Software ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Collective Intelligence ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Knowledge Network ◽  
Collaboration Network ◽  
Linux Kernel ◽  
The Social

With the rapid proliferation of all sorts of online communities, the knowledge creation and dissemination in these online communities have become a prominent social phenomenon. In this paper, one typical Open Source Software community—the online community of Linux kernel developers—is studied from the perspective of collective intelligence, to explore the social dynamics behind the success of the Linux kernel project. The Linux kernel developer community is modeled as a supernetwork of triple interwoven networks, namely a technological media network, a collaboration network of the developers, and a knowledge network. The development of the LDC is then an evolutionary process through which the supernetwork expands and the collective intelligence of the community develops. In this paper, a bottom-up approach is attempted to unravel this evolutionary process.

Redefining Participation in Online Community

2014 ◽  
pp. 39-56
Author(s):  
Gibrán Rivera Gonzalez ◽  
Andrew Cox
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Social ◽  
Static Point ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
A Current

To be sustainable, online communities must have the ability to attract and retain members, who in turn must be willing to participate by giving their time, knowledge, and effort to provide benefits to others and themselves. Yet, many studies look at participation from a static point of view and disregard different levels of participation. There is a need to redefine the concept of participation. Furthermore, many studies explaining participation in virtual communities have focused their attention on the internal characteristics of these communities neglecting the importance of the external environment such as the competition that exists between online communities and alternative media; the multiple memberships people simultaneously have in different communities/practices; the organizational and social context in which online communities exist; and the social practices online communities support. By looking at participation as an evolving process instead of as a one-time event; by giving voice to all participants of the community; and by studying the context within which communities emerge, understanding of participation can be improved. To illustrate how these topics reshape a research agenda, the authors offer examples from a current study they are undertaking shaped by these concerns. By presenting the example the authors show how awareness of the “neglected topics” identified - as sensitizing ideas - expands research method and deepens understanding of participation in online communities. A practice-based approach is suggested as a useful theoretical tool to deepen current understanding of online community participation.

Do Virtual Communities Have an Effect on the Social Network of Cancer Patients?

2013 ◽  
pp. 72-84
Author(s):  
Jan Marco Leimeister ◽  
Karin Janina Schweizer ◽  
Helmut Krcmar
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Assistance ◽  
Social Needs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Virtual Relationships

This chapter presents the results of a study that investigates the determinants and effects of virtual communities on the development of social relationships within the social network of cancer patients. Influencing factors on the formation of virtual relationships and their effect in the form of social assistance are researched. Following an explorative approach, it is examined whether online communities meet their theoretical potential to provide an environment where social relationships can be established that help cancer patients to cope with their situation. The study shows that virtual relationships for patients are established in VCs and play an important role in meeting patients’ social needs. Important determinants for the formation of virtual relationships within virtual communities for patients are general internet usage intensity (active posting vs. lurking) and the perceived disadvantages of CMC. We also found that virtual relationships have a strong effect on virtual support of patients; more than 61% of the variance of perceived social assistance of cancer patients was explained by cancer-related VCs. Emotional support and information exchange delivered through these virtual relationships may help patients to better cope with their illness. Deduced from these results, recommendations for patients using online communities and providers administrating online communities are outlined.

Redefining Participation in Online Community

2012 ◽  
pp. 72-89
Author(s):  
Gibrán Rivera Gonzalez ◽  
Andrew Cox
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Social ◽  
Static Point ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
A Current

To be sustainable, online communities must have the ability to attract and retain members, who in turn must be willing to participate by giving their time, knowledge, and effort to provide benefits to others and themselves. Yet, many studies look at participation from a static point of view and disregard different levels of participation. There is a need to redefine the concept of participation. Furthermore, many studies explaining participation in virtual communities have focused their attention on the internal characteristics of these communities neglecting the importance of the external environment such as the competition that exists between online communities and alternative media; the multiple memberships people simultaneously have in different communities/practices; the organizational and social context in which online communities exist; and the social practices online communities support. By looking at participation as an evolving process instead of as a one-time event; by giving voice to all participants of the community; and by studying the context within which communities emerge, understanding of participation can be improved. To illustrate how these topics reshape a research agenda, the authors offer examples from a current study they are undertaking shaped by these concerns. By presenting the example the authors show how awareness of the “neglected topics” identified - as sensitizing ideas - expands research method and deepens understanding of participation in online communities. A practice-based approach is suggested as a useful theoretical tool to deepen current understanding of online community participation.

A Collective-Intelligence View on the Linux Kernel Developer Community

2013 ◽  
pp. 188-200
Author(s):  
Haoxiang Xia
Keyword(s):  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Collective Intelligence ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Knowledge Network ◽  
Collaboration Network ◽  
Social Phenomenon ◽  
Linux Kernel ◽  
The Social

With the rapid proliferation of all sorts of online communities, the knowledge creation and dissemination in these online communities have become a prominent social phenomenon. In this paper, one typical Open Source Software community—the online community of Linux kernel developers—is studied from the perspective of collective intelligence, to explore the social dynamics behind the success of the Linux kernel project. The Linux kernel developer community is modeled as a supernetwork of triple interwoven networks, namely a technological media network, a collaboration network of the developers, and a knowledge network. The development of the LDC is then an evolutionary process through which the supernetwork expands and the collective intelligence of the community develops. In this paper, a bottom-up approach is attempted to unravel this evolutionary process.

scholarly journals Online community of Russian volunteers (on the example of social network vkontakte)

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-93
Author(s):  
V. A. Smirnov
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Russian Federation

The article analyzes the features of the current stage of development of volunteerism in the Russian Federation. As the information base of the research data from online communities of the social network vkontakte are used. The total number of analyzed groups is 2894, the number of participants is 1446008 people. To extract data about online communities and participants, a script was written in the programming language Python3, which allowed to gather relevant information using the vkontakte API.Based on the analysis, the author’s typology of volunteer communities is proposed in the article, including franchise groups, online service communities and direct action groups. The author analyzes the distribution of communities on the subject of their activities. The dominant positions in terms of the number of participants and the number of groups are occupied by communities based on the search for missing people. The least represented in the space of the social network vkontakte community of volunteers — animal advocates.Based on the socio-demographic analysis of community members, the author draws conclusions about the features of their distribution in terms of age and sex. In particular, young people between the ages of 14 and 30 take the dominant position among group members. This is largely due to the underdevelopment of the mechanisms for including middle-aged and older people in volunteer activities. As for the gender of the participants, the main contingent of the communities are women, while their relationship with men changes with age.The article presents an analysis of the participants’ value orientations. Conclusions are drawn about the domination of individual values and interests, which are based on the desire for self-development and personal growth. On the basis of this, a conclusion is drawn on the need to develop new social technologies for involving Russian citizens in the volunteer activity.The article explores some dysfunctions in the development of volunteerism in the Russian Federation: the lack of mechanisms for involving middle-aged and older citizens, the imitative nature of many volunteer projects. Based on this, conclusions are drawn about the need to adjust the social, educational, youth policy in the field of volunteer development in Russia.

Reconceptualization of recovery from anorexia nervosa: Patients’ perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S554-S554
Author(s):  
M. Jarrige
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Eating Disorder ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Empirical Validation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Patients Perspective

Outcome research has not found a consistent definition of recovery from anorexia nervosa by consensus of experts, or by empirical validation. Therefore, medical criterion of recovery varies between studies and results are not comparable. This poster refers to a study of 44 participants treated for anorexia nervosa and who believe they have recovered. The purpose of this study is to reconceptualize recovery from patients’ perspective. The Free Association about Recovery – Questionnaire (FAR-Q) is a new tool by which to explore and understand the anorexic's account of recovery. Content analysis reveals four subjective definitions of recovery: (1). Return to the social normality; (2). Cohabit with eating disorder; (3). Self-acceptance; (4). Rebirth. This study assesses patients’ stages of recovery process and gives recommendations to health professionals.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

The Social Specificity of Societal Nature Relations in a Flexible Capitalist Society

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Eversberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Capitalist Society ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Mutual Dependency ◽  
The Social ◽  
People’S Perceptions

Based on analyses of a 2016 German survey, this article contributes to debates on ‘societal nature relations’ by investigating the systematic differences between socially specific types of social relations with nature in a flexible capitalist society. It presents a typology of ten different ‘syndromes’ of attitudes toward social and environmental issues, which are then grouped to distinguish between four ideal types of social relationships with nature: dominance, conscious mutual dependency, alienation and contradiction. These are located in Pierre Bourdieu’s (1984) social space to illustrate how social relationships with nature correspond to people’s positions within the totality of social relations. Understanding how people’s perceptions of and actions pertaining to nature are shaped by their positions in these intersecting relations of domination – both within social space and between society and nature – is an important precondition for developing transformative strategies that will be capable of gaining majority support in flexible capitalist societies.

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