Making Community Beliefs and Capacities Visible Through Care-mongering During COVID-19

The COVID-19 global pandemic brought forth wide-ranging, unanticipated changes in human interaction, as communities rushed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. In response, local geographic community members created grassroots care-mongering groups on social media to facilitate acts of kindness, otherwise known as care-mongering. In this paper, we are interested in understanding the types of care-mongering that take place and how such care-mongering might contribute to community collective efficacy (CCE) and community resilience during a long-haul global pandemic. We conducted a content analysis of a care-mongering group on Facebook to understand how local community members innovated and developed care-mongering practices online. We observed three facets of care-mongering: showing appreciation for helpers, coming up with ways of supporting one another's needs, and continuing social interactions online and present design recommendations for further augmenting care-mongering practices for local disaster relief in online groups.

Sci-Fi Fandoms in the Digital Age

This chapter discusses the evolution of the Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Star Trek fandoms from their beginnings to their current releases. These brief histories highlight how fans communicated with each other before social media and how those communications changed with the advent of the internet and social media. The dynamics of online groups, individual behavior in online groups, and the life cycle of a group are all discussed before moving onto trolling and the spectrum of online incivility. Overall, most of the trolling that occurs in sci-fi fandoms comes from devotion to the franchise rather than from the desire to be divisive or negative. However, some online incivility is solely guided by sexism, racism, and the desire to sow social discord. Two examples of sexist and racist fan behavior from Star Wars: The Last Jedi illustrates the different motivations of fandom trolls as well as ways to respond. Although every fandom is different, group behavior is predictable thus insights from these iconic sci-fi fandoms can be applied to many different fandoms.

Mixed Methods and Off/On-Line Research

The chapter proposes a methodological consideration on the use of mixed methods and the social opportunities of digital technologies in sports and wellness practices. The research carried out tries to answer the following question: What are the social repercussions and body care practices allowed by digital technologies in the field of sports and physical activities for well-being? The contribution investigates the relationship that is established between practitioners of individual fitness and wellness sports activities, mainly in gyms, and the changes attributable to HTI (human technology interactions) with digital devices (apps and participation in online groups). Through a qualitative-quantitative methodology approach, the multifunctionality of the aforementioned digital tools (on a mediatic, playful, and technological level) were observed in order to verify whether the convergence between digital and sports social worlds is an instrument of only subjective well-being or may indeed prove as a new collective way of sharing, participating in, and adopting healthy practices.

Feasibility of online PD SAFEx™ exercise rehabilitation for symptom improvements of Parkinson’s disease: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting both motor and cognitive symptoms. While medications show some improvement in motor symptoms, cognitive symptoms can worsen. In-person exercise programs, such as PD SAFEx™, are an important adjunct therapy in improving symptoms. However, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) limited in-person exercise interventions. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the effectiveness of online exercise delivery. OBJECTIVE: To identify (1) whether an online exercise intervention can achieve similar results to an identical in-person intervention and (2) if online PD SAFEx™ can alter the cognitive decline of PD patients. METHODS: 20 participants with idiopathic PD participated in a 12-week online PD SAFEx™ program and were compared to 73 participants from in-person PD SAFEx™. The primary outcome measure was the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III measured before/after intervention. Three secondary cognitive measures were collected with the online group. RESULTS: Main effect of time on UPDRS-III scores of both groups were found (F(1,92) = 35.555, p < 0.001). No interaction was found between in-person and online groups (F(1,1) = 0.052, p = 0.820). TMT B in the online group showed significant improvements in executive function (F(1,17) = 7.095, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Online and in-person PD SAFEx™ both achieved clinically significant UPDRS-III improvement and are statistically equivalent. Online PD SAFEx™ reduced cognitive symptoms seen during COVID-19.

Women Journalists and Social Media Activism: An Analysis of the Hashtags #DeixaElaTrabalhar and #LasPeriodistasParamos on Instagram

The social media collective actions through the hashtags #DeixaElaTrabalhar and #LasPeriodistasParamos raised problems that women journalists were suffering in both Brazil and Spain. While the representation of feminism has long been studied, less attention has been paid to comparative studies and the more personal representation. Focusing on a combination of visual and textual qualitative content analysis, we explore 90 Instagram posts from women journalists within the two hashtags and how they portray themselves in relation to their profession. At the time of writing, Instagram is one of the most popular social networks focused on the publication of audiovisual content. This makes it suitable for the study of online self-representation. The article identifies using the Documentary Image Analysis and the Critical Discourse Analysis the recurrent demands and denunciations regarding journalism gender-related issues and finds common visual vernaculars in #DeixaElaTrabalhar and #LasPeriodistasParamos posts. This study makes a comprehensive analysis of how women journalists construct their identity on Instagram images concerning the topics they talk about and the elements they use to insert themselves in the female journalists’ collectives and connects it with the theories on feminism and social media activism. The results reported here shed new light on how female journalists take control over their situation and find empowerment, feminism, non-violent protest, and professional/private life to be common points regarding the identity construction in relation to these online groups.

Online Group Interaction and the Development of Virtual Identity Among the Youth in Nairobi County, Kenya

The internet has taken the new role of community through online groups where youth congregate to interact, exchange ideas and pursue interests. As they engage in self-expression and self-presentation online, it is important to understand how virtual identity is negotiated and formed in those spaces. This research analyzed online group interaction and the development of virtual identity among the youth in Nairobi County. The objectives guiding the study were: 1) To establish the extent to which the youth are part of online groups. 2) To establish the reasons that influence the youth to join online groups. 3) To determine the extent to which online group membership develops the virtual identity of the youth. The independent variable in the study is online group interaction while the dependent variable is virtual identity development. Review of literature in this research is based on various aspects of online group interaction in relation to its potentiality in forming the virtual identity of group members. The communication theory of identity (CTI) and uses and gratification theory (U&G) were adopted to form the theoretical framework for this research. The study employed a mixed method research design in which the main methods used in data collection included; Self-administered questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions, and In-depth interviews. This study comprised four focus group discussions of ten members each sampled from two Universities in Nairobi County, a young professionals group in Kasarani sub-county and a youth support group in Mwiki Nairobi, County. Eight social media experts were interviewed. A cross-sectional survey targeting the youth was conducted in two Universities in Nairobi in which 384 questionnaires were administered to the targeted respondents. The data collected was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively based on the themes derived from the objectives of this study. Quantitative data was analyzed using the SPSS software, while the qualitative data was analyzed using the NVIVO software. The three-dimensional identity model by Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus, (2008) was also used to analyze objective three of this study. Findings revealed that the independent variable of online interaction influenced the performance of users online leading to the development of a virtual identity that they are associated with. Equally the reasons for interaction online such as bonding and bridging influence the kind of self-expressions that the users exhibit online thus characterizing their virtual identity. The study concluded that because the youth are engaging online, they are performing ever-changing identities. There is therefore a need for them to be guided for positive outcomes. Equally the study made the following recommendations, firstly, online group interactions could be used positively as a platform for social interaction and change. Secondly, more online groups that address youth related matters should be created as a way of addressing this transitional stage in life. The study suggested further research in rural context and the adult segment.

Creating an Online Self: Developing Virtual Identity in Online Group Interaction Spaces

Online groups have pervasively become platforms for association and interaction. Hence, it is important to study how interactions on these virtual groups affect the selves of individual group members, and whether communication activities in these groups lead to formation of virtual identities of active members which is distinguishable from their non-mediated identity. To analyze the development of virtual identity, four focus group discussions of ten youthful participants each, who were members of various online groups, were conducted and eight social media experts were interviewed. Concepts of Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) and Uses and Gratification Theory were employed to analyze collected data in assessing how online group interactions that involve fashioning identity, impression management, anonymity and pro-social behavior lead to formation of online group members virtual identity. We first interrogate how these online groups shape behavior online by interrogating the individual group member’s conversations and actions online and paralleling them with their conversations and actions offline. Second, using the three-dimensional identity formation model (Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus, 2008), we crystalize how these online interactions and behavior cause individual group member’s to feel, think and understand themselves in ways that promote a unique online-self, which we refer to as the virtual identity.

Implementing a Mind-Body Skills Group in Psychiatric Residency Training

Objective The burnout crisis in healthcare has led to interventions promoting resiliency and wellness among residents. One such intervention is a 10-week Mind-Body Skills Group including didactics and experiential exercises, self-expression, and small-group support. A Mind-Body Skills Group for residents and fellows in the University of Arizona-Tucson Department of Psychiatry aimed to teach skills for self-care and patient care. Methods In 2018–2020, 50 University of Arizona-Tucson psychiatric residents and fellows participated in Mind-Body Skills Groups. After finishing the course, 44 participants completed a survey about satisfaction with the course and its content, comfort sharing experiences with the group, use of mind-body skills for participants’ own self-care and wellness, use of these skills with patients, and likelihood of recommending the Mind-Body Skills Group to colleagues. Results Eighty-four percent of survey respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the Mind-Body Skills Group. Eighty percent used skills learned in the course for their own self-care and 61% used the skills with patients on at least a weekly basis. Eighty-nine percent indicated they were likely or very likely to use mind-body skills with patients in the future. Ninety-five percent of respondents felt safe sharing personal feelings and experiences in the group, and 95% would strongly recommend or likely recommend the course to colleagues. Results for in-person and online groups were not significantly different. Conclusions A 10-week Mind-Body Skills Group during psychiatric residency was well received by participants. The course influenced personal health behaviors, which may bolster resiliency and reduce risk for burnout.

The Importance of the Sharing Economy in Improving the Quality of Life and Social Integration of Local Communities on the Example of Virtual Groups

The main objective of the article was to demonstrate and prove the role of the sharing economy in integrating local communities as well as in improving the quality of life of urban residents. The sharing economy is an alternative model of consumption entered around an access to given goods without the need to possess it. The concept fits excellently into the ideas that are at the core of the social economy. Internet groups operating in the area of the sharing economy were analysed for the purpose of the article. Their members either live in or have other bonds with Krakow. They are usually focused around issues important for local communities. In the research, a triangulation method was used, involving a desk analysis as well as a passive observation and a covered participative observation. Such choice of methods allowed for the topic of the impact that the sharing economy has on the integration and the quality of life of urban residents to be analysed. The research confirmed that the sharing economy; as a form of social innovation; influences the improvement of the quality of life. Online groups integrate local communities and have a significant impact on the quality of life of city residents (T1; T2; T3; T4). The bilateral nature of dependency between the sharing economy and the quality of life was noticed. Firstly; the sharing economy affects the shape and quality of the product or service that is the subject of the transaction. It is also crucial to create a general “ambience of a site” in the internet group; which supports and stimulates satisfaction of the needs related to the sense of individuality; authenticity and community. On the other hand; the sharing economy affects the satisfaction of residents through economic; psychological; political and social impacts as well as individual ones; related to, e.g., the development of creativity and the acquisition of new skills

Lifestyle changes among people with type 2 diabetes are associated with participation in online groups and time since diagnosis

Background For people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D), lifestyle changes may be the most effective intervention. Online groups for people with diabetes holds a great potential to support such changes. However, little is known about the association between participation in online groups and lifestyle changes based on internet information in people with T2D. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between self-reported lifestyle changes and participation in online groups in people with T2D. Methods We used e-mail survey data from 1,250 members of The Norwegian Diabetes Association, collected in 2018. Eligible for analyses were the 540 respondents who reported to have T2D. By logistic regressions we studied the association between self-reported lifestyle changes and participation in online groups. Analyses were adjusted for gender, age, education, and time since diagnosis. Results We found that 41.9 % of the participants reported lifestyle changes based on information from the internet. Only 6 % had participated in online groups during the previous year. Among those with a disease duration of less than 10 years, 56.0 % reported lifestyle changes, whereas 33.4 % with a disease duration of 10 years or more did so. The odds for lifestyle changes were more than doubled for those who participated in online groups. People who had been diagnosed with diabetes for less than 10 years were significantly more likely to change their lifestyle compared to those with a longer disease duration. Conclusions Lifestyle changes based on information from the internet among people with T2D are associated with participation in online groups. Lifestyle changes are also associated with time since diagnosis, making the first years after a T2D diagnosis particularly important for lifestyle interventions. People with T2D, web site developers, online group moderators, health care services, and patient organisations should be aware of this important window for lifestyle change, and encourage participation in online groups.