Facebook Discussion Group Research Articles

'It's especially good just to know that you're not the only one': a qualitative study exploring experiences with online peer support programmes for the Fragile X community.

Accessing peer support can be difficult for people with, or carers of people with, inherited intellectual disabilities. One way to improve access is to provide services online, yet few studies have explored people's experiences with online peer support programmes. We aimed to explore experiences with such programmes for communities affected by fragile X-associated conditions. Qualitative study involving individual semi-structured interviews with 16 people with, or carers of people with, a fragile X-associated condition (n=4 adult premutation carriers; n=12 parents/carers of children/adults), who participated in at least one of three online peer support programmes: educational webinars, Facebook discussion group and small peer group sessions via Zoom. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop themes. Three overarching themes relating to experiences were as follows: (1) uncertainty and value of shared experiences, (2) support navigating healthcare, (3) advantages being online, but still a place for in-person events. Educational webinars were perceived to be a valuable source of information about fragile X-associated conditions although people had variable information needs. Facebook discussion groups enabled people to connect with others, although participants expressed some competing preferences for how the groups were organised. Zoom peer group sessions were perceived to help participants feel supported by others, but that consistency in organisation was important. Online peer support programmes were perceived to be beneficial, bridging informational gaps and facilitating social connection. However, participants believed there was still a place for in-person events, some felt educational webinars did not always meet their needs and some had privacy concerns.

Nitrous Oxide Inhalant Abuse: Preliminary Results from a Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Italian Physicians (2023).

Background and Objectives: Nitrous oxide (N2O) has recently emerged as a cheap alternative to other recreational substances. Although legally available, its chronic use is associated with severe neurological and hematological complications due to the irreversible inactivation of vitamin B12. While no reliable data on abuse of N2O in Italy have been provided to date, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Italian medical professionals on the management of N2O abuse cases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed as a web-based survey through a series of Facebook discussion groups (targeted medical professionals: 12,103), and participants were specifically asked about their previous understanding of N2O abuse and whether they had or not any previous experience in this topic. Results: A total 396 medical professionals participated in the survey. Overall, 115 participants had previous knowledge about N2O abuse (29.04%), with higher odds for professionals with a background in emergency medicine (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.075; 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) 1.071 to 8.828) and lower for specialists in psychiatry (aOR 0.328; 95%CI 0.130 to 0.825). Knowledge status on N2O abuse was largely unsatisfying, as knowledge status, reported as a percent value, was estimated to 45.33% ± 24.71. Having previously managed a case of N2O abuse was associated with higher risk perception of the actual severity of this condition (aOR 5.070; 95%CI 1.520 to 16.980). Conclusions: Our study suggests that N2O poisoning cases are occurring in Italian settings but are not reasonably reported to national authorities. As substantial knowledge gaps of Italian medical workforces were identified, we cannot rule out that the actual abuse of N2O in the population may be far larger than currently suspected.

Trust in public health institutions moderates the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine discussion groups on Facebook

ABSTRACT Background Distrust and partisan identity are theorized to undermine health communications. We examined the role of these factors on the efficacy of discussion groups intended to promote vaccine uptake. Method We analyzed survey data from unvaccinated Facebook users (N = 371) living in the US between January and April 2022. Participants were randomly assigned to Facebook discussion groups (intervention) or referred to Facebook’s COVID-19 Information Center (control). We used Analysis of Covariance to test if the intervention was more effective at changing vaccination intentions and beliefs compared to the control in subgroups based on participants’ partisan identity, political views, and information trust views. Results We found a significant interaction between the intervention and trust in public health institutions (PHIs) for improving intentions to vaccinate (P = .04), intentions to encourage others to vaccinate (P = .03), and vaccine confidence beliefs (P = .01). Among participants who trusted PHIs, those in the intervention had higher posttest intentions to vaccinate (P = .008) and intentions to encourage others to vaccinate (P = .002) compared to the control. Among non-conservatives, participants in the intervention had higher posttest intentions to vaccinate (P = .048). The intervention was more effective at improving intentions to encourage others to vaccinate within the subgroups of Republicans (P = .03), conservatives (P = .02), and participants who distrusted government (P = .02). Conclusions Facebook discussion groups were more effective for people who trusted PHIs and non-conservatives. Health communicators may need to segment health messaging and develop strategies around trust views.

Experiences and information needs of women who become pregnant after bariatric surgery: An interpretive descriptive qualitative study

BackgroundObesity is known to negatively impact fertility and increase pregnancy related complications. Many women of childbearing age opt for bariatric surgery to lose weight in the preconception period. Physiological changes of bariatric surgery are associated with both benefits and risks for maternal and neonatal outcomes. How women understand these risks and experience pregnancy following bariatric surgery are largely unknown. ObjectiveTo explore the information needs and experiences of Australian women who become pregnant following bariatric surgery. DesignAn interpretive descriptive qualitative study of 11 Australian women with experiences of pregnancy following bariatric surgery participated in a private Facebook discussion group conducted in 2021. Women were recruited via targeted advertisements on social media. ResultsWomen identified several information gaps regarding the implications of having bariatric surgery for preconception, pregnancy, and postnatal periods. Family planning, pregnancy nutrition, and breastfeeding advice were key areas of information need. Women's experiences of pregnancy following bariatric surgery included attitudes of judgement and lack of knowledge from their healthcare providers. ConclusionsHealthcare professionals caring for women who have had bariatric procedures need to ensure that all women are fully informed about the risks of becoming pregnant within the first 12-months post-surgery. They should also anticipate that despite recommendations, women will become pregnant earlier than advised, and can benefit from non-judgemental and supportive care to ensure risks of poor outcomes are minimised. The findings highlight that the provision of tailored resources and education for women and their healthcare teams are needed.

Invasive Meningococcal Disease and Meningococcal Serogroup B Vaccination in Adults and Their Offspring: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Italy (2019).

Despite its effectiveness in preventing invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), pediatric uptake of recombinant meningococcal vaccination for serogroup B meningitis (MenB) is low in Italy. This study aimed to investigate knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) about IMD and the vaccine uptake for MenB from July to December 2019, in a sample collected from a series of local Facebook discussion groups from the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (North-Eastern Italy; 337,104 registered users). A self-administered anonymous web-based questionnaire was used to collect demographics, knowledge status, perceived risk for contracting meningitis, attitude towards the utility of meningococcal vaccine, and willingness to receive/perform MenB vaccine in their offspring. In total, 541 parents returned a fully completed questionnaire (response rate of 1.6% of potential recipients), with a mean age of 39.2 years ± 6.3 (78.1% females). Meningococcal infection was identified as severe or highly severe by most participants (88.9%), while it was recognized as being frequent/highly frequent in the general population by 18.6% of respondents. The overall knowledge status was unsatisfactory (57.6% ± 33.6 of correct answers to the knowledge test). Even though 63.4% of participants were somewhat favorable to MenB/MenC vaccines, offspring's vaccination towards MenB was reported by only 38.7% of participants. In a binary logistic regression model, the male gender of respondents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.184, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.772 to 5.721), living in a municipality >15,000 inhabitants (aOR 1.675, 95%CI 1.051 to 2.668), reporting a favorable attitude on meningococcus B vaccine (aOR 12.472, 95%CI 3.030 to 51.338), having been vaccinated against serogroup B (aOR 5.624, 95%CI 1.936 to 16.337) and/or serogroup C (aOR 2.652, 95%CI 1.442 to 4.872), and having previously vaccinated their offspring against serogroup C meningococcus (aOR 6.585, 95%CI 3.648 to 11.888) were characterized as positive effectors of offspring's vaccination. On the contrary, having a higher risk perception on vaccines was identified as the only negative effector (aOR 0.429, 95%CI 0.241 to 0.765). Our results hint towards extensive knowledge gaps on IMD and preventive interventions in the general population, suggesting that a positive attitude towards vaccines and vaccinations could be identified as the main effector also for MenB acceptance. Interventions in the general population aimed at improving confidence, compliance, and acknowledgment of the collective responsibility, as well as preventing actual constraints and the sharing of false beliefs on infectious diseases and their preventive measures, could therefore increase vaccination acceptance in both targeted individuals and their offspring.

O69 - Experiences and information needs of women who become pregnant after bariatric surgery

Obesity is known to reduce fertility and increase the risk of pregnancy related complications. Many women of childbearing age undertake bariatric surgery to lose weight for the purpose of becoming pregnant. Bariatric surgery results in physical changes that are associated with both benefits and risks for maternal and neonatal outcomes. Women’s understanding of these risks and their experiences once they become pregnant after bariatric surgery are not well documented. The aim of this study was to explore the information needs and experiences of Australian women who become pregnant following bariatric surgery. A qualitative study of 11 Australian women with experiences of pregnancy following bariatric surgery participated in a private Facebook discussion group conducted in 2021. Women were recruited via targeted advertisements on social media. The data were thematically analysed. Women reported a number of information gaps regarding the implications of having bariatric surgery for preconception, pregnancy, and postnatal periods. Family planning, pregnancy nutrition, and breastfeeding after bariatric surgery were identified as key areas of information need. Women perceived healthcare providers lacked knowledge regarding pregnancy following bariatric surgery. Women described judgemental attitudes from their clinicians, negatively impacting their maternity care experience. Healthcare care providers of women who have had bariatric procedures need to effectively communicate the risks of pregnancy too soon following bariatric surgery. Despite recommendations to delay pregnancy for 12 months post-surgery, many women will become pregnant intentionally or unintentionally earlier than advised. Undertaking shared decision making and non-judgemental approaches to effectively manage risks will be of benefit to these women. The findings suggest that specifically tailored resources and education for women and their healthcare providers can improve the care experiences of women who wish to become pregnant following bariatric surgery.

Agrotropolis: Youth, Street, and Nation in the New Urban Guatemala by J.T. Way

Reviewed by: Agrotropolis: Youth, Street, and Nation in the New Urban Guatemala by J.T. Way Gaye Ozpinar Agrotropolis: Youth, Street, and Nation in the New Urban Guatemala. By J.T. Way. Oakland: University of California Press, 2021, p. 328, $29.95. J.T. Way's Agrotropolis traces the ground level historical changes in Guatemala from the end of the genocide in 1983 to the end of 2012 through an examination of youth counterculture and music in the agrourbanizing landscapes. The focus is that of an urban and cultural history that goes well beyond the capital city considering landscapes that are "agrarian-yet-urban, provincial-yet-urbane" (4). In light of this approach, J.T. Way creates the term "agrotropolis" in order to refer to the landscapes that have been profoundly urbanized without losing their agricultural backbone. Way also contends that such urbanization has gone hand in hand with neoliberal policies that put commercialization, consumerism, and capital expansion above all else and continued to marginalize poor people. Through this monograph, Way contributes to the newly emerging field of planetary urbanization that problematizes and rejects the neat divide between the rural and the urban within the neoliberal context. Aside from creating new terminology (i.e., agrotropolis), the monograph is also uniquely creative in the way it utilizes a hybrid language, something quite rare in academic scholarship. Through combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English, Agrotopolis punctuates the hegemony of English in academic writing. For example, towards the beginning Way introduces the phrase "de a pie" and its translation as "everyday" and then uses the phrase "de a pie people" throughout the book when referring to everyday, ordinary people. J.T. Way has visited Guatemala regularly since 1991 and lived in Guatemala year-round from 2002 to 2012. He has been imbued with Guatemalan mannerisms and colloquialisms in ways that a scholar studying the country from outside cannot begin to comprehend. He writes from a place where he can aptly comment on cultural nuances. He uses the term chapín or chapina, a moniker Guatemalans use to identify themselves, which some people find racist and politically incorrect. However, Way contends that the people themselves have reappropriated the term and have invoked chapinismo as a new national imaginary with a sense of humor. Although not a work of ethnomusicology or a music history, Agrotropolis extensively narrates popular music counterculture with a focus on Guatemalan rock nacional – genres including heavy metal, grunge, and rock-folk fusion. Viewed as a gateway to the understudied youth cultures and countercultures that remain on the fringes of political transformations, Way analyzes the lyrics of several songs in the context of their cultural and historical period. As chapters evolve chronologically, it is no surprise that each chapter title contains lyrics of a popular rock/heavy metal song. One cannot help but find oneself listening to the songs while [End Page 237] reading Agrotropolis. Aside from music, the monograph draws on a varied archive of sources including novels, poems, rock fan magazines, Facebook discussion groups, guerrilla memoirs, websites, photos, interviews, and newspapers. In many ways, Agrotropolis stands to disrupt the discourse about unruly urban youth turning into antisocial, apolitical dropouts whose fascination with violence and death led to a rise in violent crime and street gangs in Guatemala. Like Deborah Levenson's Adios Niño, J.T. Way's Agrotropolis connects social, cultural, and political factors and views the violence evoked by urban youth as a continuum of state terror, counterinsurgency, and genocide. Agrotropolis ultimately argues that urban youth "rejected codes of servility and gave rise to a more inclusive alternative popular nationalism." (25) The book also includes ample narrative on the rise of the insurgency in the aftermath of CIA-led invasion of 1954, and how the leftist guerrilla organizations strategized against the army and paramilitary groups throughout the war and over the course of peace negotiations. Equally helpful are sections on the commercialization of agriculture through the introduction of "non-traditional agro-exports" (or NTAs) and the transformation of highland agriculture, with the ultimate end of opening channels to U.S. and European markets for exports. These transformations are taken up along with cultural transformations within...

Development and psychometric validation of new questionnaires assessing experienced discrimination and internalised stigma among people with Covid-19.

To develop and validate two new standardised measures assessing, respectively, experienced discrimination (Covid-19 Experienced DISCrimination scale, CEDISC) and internalised stigma (COvid-19 INternalised Stigma scale, COINS) in people who had been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or had developed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) disease. Both the CEDISC and the COINS were developed in Italian and tested for ease of use, comprehension, acceptability, the relevance of items and response options within a focus group session. Online cross-sectional validation survey was conducted among adults infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who developed Covid-19 disease, members of a closed Facebook discussion group in Italy. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with Promax oblique rotation; the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and the Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to assess the suitability of the sample for factor analysis. Reliability was assessed as internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and as test-retest reliability using weighted kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Precision was examined by Kendall's tau-b coefficient. Overall, 579 participants completed the CEDISC, 519 also completed the COINS, 155 completed the retest for both scales after two weeks. The 12 items of the CEDISC converged over a 2-factor solution ('social life' and 'close relations') accounting for 49.2% of the variance (KMO = 0.894; Bartlett's test p < 0.001); the 13 items of the COINS converged over a 3-factor solution ('self-perception', 'close relations' and 'social life') accounting for 67.7% (KMO = 0.827; Bartlett's test p < 0.001). Cronbach's α was 0.848 for the CEDISC, and 0.837 for the COINS. The CEDISC showed three items (25%) with kappa between 0.61 and 0.80 and seven (58.4%) between 0.41 and 0.60, with only two items scoring 0.21 and 0.40; the COINS had ten items (76.9%) with kappa ranging from 0.41 to 0.60, and three items below 0.31. ICC was 0.906 (95% CI, 0.871-0.932) for the, CEDISC and 0.860 (95% CI, 0.808-0.898) for the COINS. Kendall's tau-b ranged from 0.360 to 0.556 (p < 0.001) for the CEDISC and from 0.290 to 0.606 (p < 0.001) for the COINS. Both the CEDISC and the COINS are two valid and reliable scales to be used in studies examining the role of stigma and discrimination of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19 patients, and in research evaluating interventions designed to mitigate stigma in this population.

The New Fascism Syllabus: Networked Knowledge in the Digital Public Sphere

This article analyzes the New Fascism Syllabus private Facebook discussion group, which came into being in the months following the 2016 US presidential election. Through the use of several scraping, data mining, and visualization programs and Facebook’s own platform analytics software, the article posits ways we might analyze Facebook fora as a mediated digital public sphere. It argues that digital spaces like these, however fraught, help users craft arguments and points of contention around how to oppose resurgent authoritarianism. Online discussion creates affective communities that help bond participants, who in turn shape the construction of popular memory around the history and legacy of fascism.

Designing an interprofessional Facebook discussion group to teach about LGBTQ healthcare disparities and inclusive practices

Objective: Training on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) healthcare and inclusive practice is lacking in curricula across health professions, contributing to health disparities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an interprofessional learning activity on LGBTQ healthcare disparities and inclusive practices delivered in a closed Facebook group. Design: Asynchronous, online platforms, like social media, offer a simple means of connection and discussion for interprofessional education. Setting: An academic health centre in the Southern USA. Methods: The learning activity consisted of (1) pre- and post-quizzes assessing knowledge about LGBTQ healthcare, (2) content review of required readings and a video and (3) daily discussion threads. Students completed individual reflection essays about interprofessional education and practice and the Quadruple Aim. Results: Two cohorts of interprofessional students completed the activity. Average quiz scores increased post-activity. Both the Facebook discussion threads and reflection essays demonstrated that students recognised the need to incorporate LGBTQ-inclusive practices into their future professional practice, as well as recognised the valuable insight of their interprofessional team members. Students had mixed perspectives about Facebook as a discussion platform for interprofessional education. Conclusion: Facebook groups provide a feasible platform to implement interprofessional education on LGBTQ-inclusive healthcare practice and stimulate student discussion.

A framework for involving the young generation in transportation planning using social media and crowd sourcing

To ensure that decisions are made reflecting public needs, public participation has become an indispensable part of the modern transportation planning process. However, it has been a challenging task to obtain inputs from the youth for planning purposes through conventional public participation approaches, such as, focus group discussions. This research employs social media and crowdsourcing to engage with the youths of Dhaka city, Bangladesh, to understand their vision of a sustainable transportation system and pathways to achieve it. Then it compares the findings with those obtained from the experts involved in transportation planning. At first, text mining was applied to synthesize useful information from the topics and comments of the posts made by members in a Facebook discussion group consisting of 3000 members which were maintained for almost 1.5 years. Based on the findings of text mining, an online questionnaire survey was conducted, involving both the transportation experts and the youths to ascertain and prioritize various aspects of sustainable modes of transport, e.g., walking, cycling, and public transport through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Findings suggest similarities as well as variations between the youths and the experts in prioritizing different components of the transport system. For instance, while the experts prioritized adequate walking facilities the most, the young generation emphasized the most on proper public transport environment. Both the groups highly prioritized women-only buses, separate crossing facilities for cyclists, evening lights on sidewalks, however, they exhibited different levels of priority on the introduction of air-conditioned buses, road signs, toilets and dustbins near the sidewalk, etc. Finally, the study proposes ways to create a shared vision of a sustainable transportation system by considering both the conforming and divergent views of the experts and the young generation.

Using a Facebook group to facilitate faculty-student interactions during preclinical medical education: a retrospective survey analysis

BackgroundStrong learner-teacher relationships are associated with more successful learning outcomes. With shortened modular curricula and increased availability of online resources, fostering faculty interaction with preclinical medical students has become more challenging. We sought to enhance learner-teacher relationships by engaging in discussion with preclinical medical students in their own online space.MethodsWe utilized a closed Facebook discussion group, where faculty and students voluntarily joined in informal discussions and shared announcements related to their courses. The closed discussion group allowed only participating students and faculty to see others’ posts within the group. This provided a platform to freely interact within the confines of the group while maintaining privacy for the personal Facebook accounts of both faculty and students. We utilized the discussion group through three separate organ system-based modules for 14 weeks. Afterward, students were asked to complete an anonymous, voluntary online survey about their experience.Results94.1% (160/170) of enrolled second-year medical students joined the voluntary FB discussion group. There were 214 posts, 628 comments, and 4166 reactions in this discussion group during the three modules. Of the students in the group, 74.4% (119/160) responded to the online survey. Overall, students strongly agreed that the Facebook discussion group fostered better rapport with faculty, helped content learning, and improved emotional well-being. Also, they felt more comfortable seeking academic help after using the discussion group. They reported a slight preference for Facebook over email as a medium for asking questions, but no preference for either as a medium for distributing announcements. Students overwhelmingly recommended that the discussion group should be continued in future years.ConclusionThe Facebook discussion group was a free, efficient, and effective method of cultivating the learner-teacher relationship with the preclinical medical students, resulting in reported enhancement of learning and morale.

Earthquake Country: A Qualitative Analysis of Risk Communication via Facebook

ABSTRACT Social media play an increasingly important role in effective risk communication for disasters like earthquakes. This study investigates a Facebook discussion group for disaster risk communication in Alaska, comparing patterns of use during periods of low magnitude activity and during the January 2018 M7.9 Gulf of Alaska earthquake. Findings illuminate the functions the group serves for different users, with public members and staff using it for both informational and social/emotional reasons, such as seeking/providing reassurance, building trust, and expressing “earthquake country” attitudes rooted in regional identity. Moreover, key functions vary throughout the earthquake cycle, with a focus on relationship-building and two-way communication during the interevent period and on controlling quality and accessibility following major events. These results contribute to theory on disaster social media and provide practical insights for organizations using social media for risk communication, including accounting for unique audience motivations and the role of place and regional identity.

Facebook Intervention To Improve Physical Activity Level Among Youth

Abstract Background Physical activity level decreases during the transition from late adolescence to young adulthood. Social media are nowadays widely used and part of many people’s daily routines and the interventions on these websites have the possibilities to be integrated into those routines without becoming a burden. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity level among medical students and to assess the possibilities of using social media intervention with an aim to improve physical activity among them. Methods Prospective study was conducted during October of 2016 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The study included 375 first and fifth-year students. At the baseline, students filled in the questionnaire regarding social and lifestyle characteristics as well as their physical activity. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). After completing the questionnaire, students were asked to join a Facebook discussion group. The intervention consisted of motivation for physical activity through motivational pictures, texts, and discussions. The second assessment was done after one month. Based on the reported physical activity level students were divided into two groups: sufficient (&amp;gt;600MET-minutes/week) and insufficient physical activity (≤600 MET-minutes/week). Results Total of 85.4% of students were sufficiently active at the baseline, while 90.4% were sufficiently active after one month. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that students who were part of the Facebook group (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 1.46-8.43) and students who had sufficient physical activity at the baseline (OR: 5.44, 95% CI: 2.44-12.13) had a higher likelihood to be sufficiently active after one month. Conclusions Social media can be used for interventions targeting lifestyle change among young adults and activities on these websites can be adjusted to meet the needs of the target population. Key messages Intervention on social media could lead to lifestyle change. Interventions on social media could be adjusted to fit the target population.

Can social media intervention improve physical activity of medical students?

ObjectivesPhysical activity level decreases during young adulthood. As social media are nowadays widely used and are included into many people's daily routines, the interventions on these websites have the possibilities to be integrated into those routines without becoming a burden. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity level among first- and fifth-year medical students and social media intervention with the aim to improve physical activity among them. Study designProspective longitudinal study was conducted during October of 2016 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The study included 375 first- and fifth-year students. MethodsAt the baseline, students filled in the questionnaire and were asked to join a Facebook discussion group. The intervention consisted of motivation for physical activity through motivational pictures, texts, and discussions. The second assessment was carried out after one month. Based on the reported physical activity level, students were divided into groups: sufficient (>600 metabolic equivalent [MET]-minutes/week) and insufficient physical activity (≤600 MET-minutes/week). ResultsTotal of 85.4% of students were sufficiently active at the baseline, whereas 90.4% were sufficiently active after one month. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that students who were part of the Facebook group (odds ratio [OR]: 3.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46–8.43) and students who had sufficient physical activity at the baseline (OR: 5.44, 95% CI: 2.44–12.13) had a higher likelihood to be sufficiently active after one month. ConclusionSocial media are shown to be valuable in health-promoting interventions and can be used for interventions targeting lifestyle change among young adults.

Role of social networking platforms as tool for enhancing the service quality and purchase intention of customers in Islamic country

PurposeCustomers are increasingly focused to find reviews, discussions and feedbacks on social media related to particular services in which they are interested. This paper aims to find which social networking platforms are more frequently used to provide reviews related to services, and based on these reviews, how service providing organizations can enhance the level of service quality and purchase intention of customers.Design/methodology/approachThe research approach for this study is based on interpretivism assumptions and qualitative research design. The semi-structured and non-directive interviews were conducted to collect data from customers and marketing team of internet service provider and banking organization. These selected organizations have major shares in markets and a large number of customers. The participants were selected based on purposive sampling technique and their contribution in services-related discussion on social networking platforms.FindingsFindings of this research highlighted that social networking platforms such as official Facebook page of selected service providing organizations, closed public discussion groups on Facebook, WhatsApp groups of family and friends and YouTube videos comment section are more frequently used to create service reviews and purchase intention of customers. Above all, results also reveal that customers are more frequently used Facebook discussion groups (public or private) for generating services reviews for selected bank and internet service provider.Research limitations/implicationsThe effective and efficient use of these social networking platforms can enhance interactive communication, services reviews, feedbacks, intention to purchase, social influence, social trust and services quality. Furthermore, social media platforms required lower level of advertisement cost and offered huge amount of enquires, discussions, transactions, word of mouth, services stories and interactions of consumers.Originality/valueThere is rare research available on how and which social networking applications can enhance the level of service quality of services sector organizations especially in the context of Islamic countries. Most of the available literature has been investigated the link of social media and traditional marketing related constructs. This research is exploratory in nature because it investigates under-researched issue regarding the use of social networking applications to enhance the level of service quality and purchase intention of customers.

An analysis of popular justice on Polish Facebook discussion groups

&lt;i&gt;The subject of this article is the efficiency of popular justice as the informal mechanism of public safety production on the example of Polish users of facebook.com. The investigation was based on the empirical data collected from Polish public discussion groups on the facebook website. The qualitative analysis of digital data allowed a presentation of what forms popular justice takes today and what kind of reconceptualisation it undergoes in comparison to its previous forms. The theory that backed up the study was the concept of informal institutions which allowed the most important characteristics and their changes to be demonstrated. The results show that popular justice is an ineffective mechanism of public safety production because of its selectivity and the high level of emotions related to judging people, which makes a just judgment impossible.&lt;/i&gt;

The Effects of Using Facebook As a Discussion Forum in an Online Principles of Economics Course: Results of a Randomized Trial

This paper makes a comparison between the use of social media and traditional Course Management System (CMS) discussion groups in fully online Microeconomic Principles courses. Students within the same sections of the classes were randomly assigned to a discussion forum in either Facebook or in the CMS (Blackboard) to discern a difference in the level of engagement (as measured by frequency and length of posts as well as rated post content) and learning outcomes (measured by overall course average). The popular hypothesis is that students using social media (Facebook discussion group here) have greater engagement with the class and higher learning outcomes relative to students not using that platform for coursework (the CMS control group here) because of the ease of use and student familiarity with social media, which allows them to make more connections and gain a deeper understanding of the course material through discussions with others. The results of this study suggest that membership in the treatment group (Facebook) is associated with declining student engagement and a reduction in the semester course average of 3 to 4 points on a 100-point scale.

The mediation of childbirth: ‘Joyful’ birthing and strategies of silencing on a Facebook discussion group

The mediation of parenting has recently occupied sociologists and media, communication and cultural studies scholars alike. This article locates itself within this developing strand of research, as it explores discourses of intensive motherhood on a Facebook discussion group that provides support and advice for a specific approach to and philosophy of childbirth. Presenting findings from an analysis of main posts and comments made on them, I tease out the brighter and darker sides of the performance of motherhood in anticipation of birth on social media - reading these against discussions about the self-managing, intensive mother who is responsible for making the very best decisions for her child.

Facebook Discussion Groups Provide a Robust Worldwide Platform for Free Pathology Education.

- Facebook (Menlo Park, California) is one of many online sites that provide potential educational tools for pathologists. We have each founded Facebook groups dedicated to anatomic pathology, in which members can share cases, ask questions, and contribute to discussions. - To report our experiences in founding and maintaining these Facebook groups and to characterize the contributed content. - We circulated a survey among the group founders, then compiled and analyzed the responses. - The groups varied in membership and in the quality of member contribution. Most posts were of pathology cases, although other topics (such as research articles) were also shared. All groups remained active and received posts from users all over the world, although all groups had many noncontributing members and received unwanted messages (which were screened and removed). Most founders were glad they had founded the groups because they provided an opportunity to both teach and learn. - Each analyzed Facebook group had a different character, and some downsides exist, but the groups all provided a no-cost way for pathologists and others across the world to interact online with many colleagues.