Individual Social Networks Research Articles

Network Diversity and Health Change among International Migrants in China: Evidence from Foreigners in Changchun

Is the migration process likely to lead to sustained changes in individual social networks and health status? There are many controversies about the relationship between migrants' networks and migrants' health. An important reason may be that the constraints of specific social contexts on immigrant networks and health consequences are neglected. This study distinguished two types of social networks of international immigrants to China-their Chinese networks (Chinese-Net) and home-country networks (Motherland-Net). In addition, the study investigated the construction basis of immigrant social networks and health effects based on the Chinese context. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The survey was carried out by an on-site questionnaire survey of foreigners in China in the entry-exit hall of the National Immigration Administration. The survey asked foreigners about their immigration experience, labor and employment, social networks, and access to health care. Immigrants from more developed countries are more likely to succeed in establishing Chinese-Net and reduce the dependence on Motherland-Net. The Japanese and South Korean immigrants tended to be associated with their home-country compatriots, excluding the Chinese from social contacts and immigration networks. The mixed residence of non-home-country immigrants reduces both the Motherland-Net and Chinese-Net of international immigrants. From the perspective of the health effect, the establishment and expansion of Chinese-Net did not present the "bright side" of encouraging immigrants to reach a better health status. In contrast, Motherland-Net has a stronger explanatory power for the health changes in immigrants.

Income-related spatial concentration of individual social capital in cities

Social connections that span across diverse urban neighborhoods can support prosperity by mobilizing social capital. However, there is limited evidence on the spatial structure of individual social capital inside cities. This paper demonstrates that social capital measured by online social connections is spatially more concentrated for residents of lower-income neighborhoods than for residents of higher-income neighborhoods. We map the micro-geography of individual online social networks in the 50 largest metropolitan areas of the United States using a large-scale geolocalized Twitter dataset. We analyze the spatial dimension of individual social capital by the share of friends, closed triangles, and share of supported ties within circles of short distance radii (1, 3, 5, and 10 km) around users’ home location. We compare residents from below-median income neighborhoods with above-median income neighborhoods, and find that users living in relatively poorer neighborhoods have a significantly higher share of connections in close proximity. Moreover, their network is more cohesive and supported within a short distance from their home. These patterns prevail across the 50 largest US metropolitan areas with only a few exceptions. The found disparities in the micro-geographic concentration of social capital can feed segregation and income inequality within cities constraining social circles of low-income residents.

A General Framework to Forecast the Adoption of Novel Products: A Case of Autonomous Vehicles

Due to the unavailability of prototypes, the early adopters of novel products actively seek information from multiple sources (e.g., media and social networks) to minimize the potential risk. The existing behavior models not only fail to capture the information propagation within the individual's social network, but also they do not incorporate the impact of such word-of-mouth (WOM) dissemination on the consumer's risk preferences. Moreover, even cutting-edge forecasting models rely on crude/synthetic consumer behavior models. We propose a general framework to forecast the adoption of novel products by developing a new consumer behavior model and integrating it into a population-level agent-based model. Specifically, we extend the hybrid choice model to estimate consumer behavior, which incorporates social network effects and interplay between WOM and risk aversion. The calibrated consumer behavior model and synthetic population are passed through the agent-based model for forecasting the product market share. We apply the proposed framework to forecast the adoption of autonomous vehicles (AVs) in Nashville, USA. The consumer behavior model is calibrated with a stated preference survey data of 1,495 Nashville residents. The output of the agent-based model provides the effect of the purchase price, post-purchase satisfaction, and safety measures/regulations on the forecasted AV market share. With an annual AV price reduction of 5% at the initial purchase price of $60,000 and 90% of satisfied adopters, AVs are forecasted to attain around 80% market share in thirty-one years. These findings are crucial for policymakers to develop infrastructure plans and manufacturers to conduct an after-sales cost-benefit analysis.

Headquarters Attention, Social Networks and Managerial Careers (WITHDRAWN)

Integrating insights from the literature on headquarters attention in the multinational corporation and the social capital of brokering and closed networks, we argue that the career performance of subsidiary managers depends on whether the manager’s individual social network is complementary with the level of headquarters attention received by the subsidiary in which the manager is located. By so doing, we expound on an “attention paradox,” in which we contend that that the same condition of operating in a subsidiary receiving a given level of headquarters attention could in principle facilitate as well as hamper the career performance of the individual managing that subsidiary. Our theory moves beyond the conventional view that links headquarters attention to unidirectional effects on performance, and offers a non-deterministic perspective that suggests that similar levels of attention may lead to opposite outcomes for the individual manager depending on the structural properties of the manager’s network.

The Complexity of Religious Traditions in Quanzhou 泉州 under Mongol Rule: An Inscription from Chunyang 純陽 Cave in Mt. Qingyuan 清源, Quanzhou

This paper discusses the complexity of the religious traditions in Quanzhou (Fujian, China), the largest international trade port under Mongol rule. The contribution of presumed Persian Muslim Pu Shougeng 蒲壽庚to the reconstruction of a Taoist-Buddhist shrine was taken as the case study. The external conditions surrounding his composite religious act (beyond private beliefs) were also observed in terms of individual goals, backgrounds, and social networks. For this purpose, the author presents the Chinese stone inscription from Quanzhou (in Fujian, China) titled “Zhong jian Qingyuan Chunyang dong ji 重建清源純陽洞記 (Record of Reconstruction of the Chunyang Cave in Qingyuan Mountain),” dated to the fourth year of Hou-Zhiyuan 後至元 (1338) during the Yuan period.

The Social Network Approach for Analyzing Political Participation in Indonesia during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review

This study is intended to conduct a scoping review of the application of social network analysis (SNA) in predicting political participation in Indonesia, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The literature shows that investigations into political participation are not new in Indonesia. However, research that uses the application of SNA as an approach to explain the behavior of political participation in Indonesia is still very rare. For this reason, a scoping review is needed to provide an overview of political participation using a social network lens. The scoping review implementation was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's 5-step framework. The results of the scoping review show that the political participation among Indonesians is considered at a sufficient level, especially at the regional level. However, investigations of political participation using the SNA method are shown to be very rare. This research is useful for showing topics that can be explored in the social and political fields, especially by using the individual social network approach.

Social Impact: The Role of Authentic Leadership, Compassion and Grit in Social Entrepreneurship

This study examines the influence of leadership on social entrepreneurs; specifically, the impact of authentic leadership, compassion and grit on entrepreneurial processes and performance outcomes with a sample of Americans social entrepreneurs ( n = 284). Entrepreneurial process dimensions include individual innovation, opportunity recognition and social networks, and performance outcomes encompass social and financial performance, capturing dual mission characteristics of social entrepreneurship. The differing impacts of authentic leadership, compassion and grit are demonstrated, where authentic leadership influences all the dependent variables listed above, while compassion has a lesser positive influence on outcomes, except economic performance. Grit, only has a positive influence on innovation and economic performance. This research highlights that authentic leadership through its meaningful engagement is a more effective driver of multiple outcomes in social entrepreneurship, confirming that this new social business form works well with this newer social entrepreneurship leadership style.

'I'm institutionalised … there's not much I can do': Lived experience of housing related delayed discharge.

Delayed discharge from inpatient mental health units is the continued hospitalisation of consumers after being assessed as ready to be discharged. This is common in adult inpatient mental health services and is usually due to a lack of appropriate housing for discharge. Research indicates a range of possible negative impacts, but no studies have explored consumers' perspectives on this issue. This study explores consumers' perspectives of the experience of housing related delayed discharge (HRDD). Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 consumers. All consumers were experiencing HRDD from inpatient mental health units in one Sydney local health district. The data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. A lack of choice and control was the central theme that characterised participants' experiences. The combined experience of being delayed in hospital and being homeless led to a lack of choice and control over the basics in life, how consumers spent their time and with whom, and their futures. This lack of autonomy was shaped by the features of the hospital and participants' personal circumstance. The hospital features included rules and routines, physical and social environments, resources, and support from staff. Personal circumstances included individual situations, social networks, and support from community organisations. Participants described a variety of impacts, including reduced mental and physical well-being, and anticipated difficulty transitioning back into the community. This study is the first of its kind and provides consumer perspectives on the impacts of HRDD on their well-being and recovery. The inability to participate in meaningful and necessary occupations is an occupational injustice and implies the need for occupational therapists to advocate for both the prevention of HRDD through government investment in affordable and readily available housing and the mitigation of its effects through modified hospital environments and practices.

The Effect of Dishonest Sellers on E-commerce: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach

Abstract This paper studies dishonest sellers in the e-commerce market, specifically their impact on the market under different conditions. We consider the role of consumers’ social and individual learning and social network branches on the market. We rely on a quality uncertainty market model (Izquierdo et al., 2007) and a trust game model (Wierzbicki et al., 2014) to establish an agent-based model. Our approach considers the proportion of honest and dishonest sellers, the reputation of sellers, and the expectation of quality among consumers after purchasing the goods. The results of the study reveal that when dishonest sellers appear in a market with a high degree of quality uncertainty, there is a negative impact on the market, including a decline in consumer expected quality of products in the market, a decrease in commodity transaction volume and market price, and a decrease in seller income. The impact is more pronounced in markets with a higher proportion of dishonest sellers. JEL classification numbers: C15, C63, D21, B82, B83. Keywords: Agent-Based modeling, E-commerce market, Dishonest sellers, Trust game, Reputation of sellers.

COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media: A Scoping Review.

Social media allows for easy access and sharing of information in real-time. Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, social media has been used as a tool for public health officials to spread valuable information. However, many Internet users have also used it to spread misinformation, commonly referred to as “fake news.” The spread of misinformation can lead to detrimental effects on the infrastructure of healthcare and society. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the sources and impact of COVID-19 misinformation on social media and examine potential strategies for limiting the spread of misinformation. A systemized search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science electronic databases using search terms relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, social media, misinformation, or disinformation was conducted. Identified titles and abstracts were screened to select original reports and cross-checked for duplications. Using both inclusion and exclusion criteria, results from the initial literature search were screened by independent reviewers. After quality assessment and screening for relevance, 20 articles were included in the final review. The following three themes emerged: (1) sources of misinformation, (2) impact of misinformation, and (3) strategies to limit misinformation about COVID-19 on social media. Misinformation was commonly shared on social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, messaging applications, and personal websites. The utilization of social media for the dissemination of evidence-based information was shown to be beneficial in combating misinformation. The evidence suggests that both individual websites and social media networks play a role in the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. This practice may potentially exacerbate the severity of the pandemic, create mistrust in public health experts, and impact physical and mental health. Efforts to limit and prevent misinformation require interdisciplinary, multilevel approaches involving government and public health agencies, social media corporations, and social influencers.

Community Management on Facebook: How to Solve Problems with Negative Reactions and Comments from Groundswell?

Social networks, by their very nature, have not only given people from around the world the opportunity to connect but also have allowed for a collective and global exchange of views and thoughts among all users. Such an exchange of views has a significant impact even on commercial players - on brands, for which presence and communication on social networks have become second nature. Through the functionality of individual social networking sites, users are given a wide range of opportunities to express their views on brands quickly and flexibly. Such a groundswell impact may be both positive and negative, but a negative effect poses a real and serious threat. Today the space of social networks is undoubtedly fuller of negative emotions than ever before. In communication, users blur the boundaries of what is acceptable, they prefer criticism in communication, and some thrive on creating and spreading hatred. This kind of behavior and user communication threatens brands on social networks. One negative remark leveled at the brand, and a negative post not resolved with its author, could trigger an avalanche of criticism, and have a devastating impact on the brand. Criticism that indirectly affected the brand may soon spread to all social network users in the country and around the world. The topic can also go beyond social networking websites and reach other mass media. For this reason, it is crucial that brands not only know how to communicate proactively in a social network environment but also know how to respond reactively to negative comments, criticism, and hate. The purpose of this article is to develop easy-to-use and generalized communicative approaches and rules, that are useful not only on Facebook and should make it easy for the brands to manage negative reactions of the audience and communication crisis. Brands that acquire a suitable and quick way to respond to such situations can thus be skillfully able to maintain a good reputation, build a brand and equally important, increase their competitiveness in the market.

Perceptions of and hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination in older Chinese adults in Hong Kong: a qualitative study

BackgroundCOVID-19 vaccination is recommended for older adults by the World Health Organization. However, by July 15, 2021, only 26% of individuals over 60 years old in Hong Kong had received a first dose of the vaccine. The health belief model and the theory of planned behavior have been used to understand the determinants for COVID-19 vaccination in past literature. However, vaccination determinants can be complex and involve social and cultural factors that cannot be explained by micro-individual factors alone; hence, the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior cannot provide a complete understanding of vaccine hesitancy. Few studies on the barriers to, hesitancy toward, and motivations for COVID-19 vaccination among older Chinese adults have been performed. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive analysis of this subject using the critical medical anthropology framework, extending the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior in understanding vaccination determinants among the older adult population.MethodsBetween November 2020 and February 2021, 31 adults (24 women and 7 men) over the age of 65 took part in semi-structured, one-on-one interviews. The data we gathered were then analyzed through a phenomenological approach.ResultsTwo major themes in the data were examined: barriers to vaccination and motivations for vaccination. The participants’ perceptions of and hesitancy toward vaccination demonstrated a confluence of factors at the individual (trust, confidence, and social support networks), microsocial (stigma toward health care workers), intermediate-social (government), and macrosocial (cultural stereotypes, civic and collective responsibility, and economic considerations) levels according to the critical medical anthropology framework.ConclusionsThe decision to receive a COVID-19 vaccination is a complex consideration for older adults of low socioeconomic status in Hong Kong. Using the critical medical anthropology framework, the decision-making experience is a reflection of the interaction of factors at different layers of social levels. The findings of this study extend the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior regarding the understanding of vaccination perceptions and relevant behaviors in an older adult population.

The Moderating Role of Context: Relationships between Individual Behaviors and Social Networks

ABSTRACT A social context can be viewed as an entity or unit around which a group of individuals organize their activities and interactions. Social contexts take such diverse forms as families, dwelling places, neighborhoods, classrooms, schools, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and sociocultural events or milieus. Understanding social contexts is essential for the study of individual behaviors, social networks, and the relationships between the two. Contexts shape individual behaviors by providing an avenue for non-dyadic conformity and socialization processes. The co-participation within a context affects personal relationships by acting as a focus for tie formation. Where participation in particular contexts confers status, this effect may also lead to differences in popularity within interpersonal networks. Social contexts may further play a moderating role in within-network influence and selection processes, providing circumstances that either amplify or suppress these effects. In this paper we investigate the joint role of co-participation via social contexts and dyadic interaction in shaping and being shaped by individual behaviors with the context of a U.S. high school. Implications for future study of social contexts are suggested.

Networking Behavior as a Mediation in University Graduates’ HEXACO Personality Effects on Job Search Outcomes

Based on the individual difference and social network theory, this research proposed the mediation model, with job search networking behavior as a mediator in the links between six HEXACO personality dimensions and job search outcomes. A survey was implemented in a sample of 773 university graduates. The findings suggest that honesty-humility, extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience were positively, while emotionality was negatively, related to networking behavior. In turn, networking behavior was positively related to number of job interviews obtained and number of job offers received. Furthermore, the results showed the mediating role of networking behavior in the personality traits-job search outcomes relationships. The findings are discussed in both theory and practical implications.

Group and individual social network metrics are robust to changes in resource distribution in experimental populations of forked fungus beetles.

Social interactions drive many important ecological and evolutionary processes. It is therefore essential to understand the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that underlie social patterns. A central tenet of the field of behavioural ecology is the expectation that the distribution of resources shapes patterns of social interactions.We combined experimental manipulations with social network analyses to ask how patterns of resource distribution influence complex social interactions.We experimentally manipulated the distribution of an essential food and reproductive resource in semi‐natural populations of forked fungus beetles Bolitotherus cornutus. We aggregated resources into discrete clumps in half of the populations and evenly dispersed resources in the other half. We then observed social interactions between individually marked beetles. Half‐way through the experiment, we reversed the resource distribution in each population, allowing us to control any demographic or behavioural differences between our experimental populations. At the end of the experiment, we compared individual and group social network characteristics between the two resource distribution treatments.We found a statistically significant but quantitatively small effect of resource distribution on individual social network position and detected no effect on group social network structure. Individual connectivity (individual strength) and individual cliquishness (local clustering coefficient) increased in environments with clumped resources, but this difference explained very little of the variance in individual social network position. Individual centrality (individual betweenness) and measures of overall social structure (network density, average shortest path length and global clustering coefficient) did not differ between environments with dramatically different distributions of resources.Our results illustrate that the resource environment, despite being fundamental to our understanding of social systems, does not always play a central role in shaping social interactions. Instead, our results suggest that sex differences and temporally fluctuating environmental conditions may be more important in determining patterns of social interactions.

Resting functional connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction reflects the social network size for active interactions.

The size of an individual active social network is a key parameter of human social behavior and is correlated with subjective well‐being. However, it remains unknown how the social network size of active interactions is represented in the brain. Here, we examined whether resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity is associated with the social network size of active interactions using behavioral data of a large sample (N = 222) on Twitter. Region of interest (ROI)‐to‐ROI analysis, graph theory analysis, seed‐based analysis, and decoding analysis together provided compelling evidence that people who have a large social network size of active interactions, as measured by “reply,” show higher fMRI connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction, which represents the core of the theory of mind network. These results demonstrated that people who have a large social network size of active interactions maintain activity of the identified functional connectivity in daily life, possibly providing a mechanism for efficient information transmission between the brain networks related to language and theory‐of‐mind.

Seeking a deeper understanding of 'distributed health literacy': A systematic review.

BackgroundPrevious research suggests that it would be useful to view health literacy as a set of ‘distributed competencies’, which can be found dispersed through the individual's social network, rather than an exclusively individual attribute. However, to date there is no focused exploration of how distributed health literacy has been defined, conceptualized or assessed in the peer‐reviewed literature.AimsThis systematic review aimed to explore: (1) definitions and conceptual models of distributed health literacy that are available from the peer‐reviewed literature; and (2) how distributed health literacy has been measured in empirical research.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Scopus, ERIC and Web of Science using truncated versions of the keywords ‘literacy’ and ‘distributed’ (within five words' distance). We collated the definitions and conceptual models of distributed health literacy, and report on how health literacy has been measured in empirical research studies. Findings related to distributed health literacy from included manuscripts were synthesized using thematic synthesis.ResultsOf the 642 studies screened, 10 were included in this systematic review. The majority were empirical manuscripts reporting on qualitative research in one of five countries, with two reviews, one conceptual analysis and one quantitative study. Edwards' definition of distributed health literacy, which emphasizes the health literacy abilities, skills and practices of others that contribute to an individual's level of health literacy was widely applied in a variety of clinical and geographical settings. However, we did not identify any quantitative instruments which directly measured distributed health literacy. There was significant variability in questions used to explore the concept qualitatively, and discrepancies across studies in regard to (a) what constitutes distributed health literacy and what does not (e.g., general social support), and (b) the relationship between distributed health literacy and other constructs (e.g., public health literacy).ConclusionAlthough there is a widely applied definition of distributed health literacy, our review revealed that the research space would benefit from the development of the concept, both theoretically for example via conceptual distinctions between distributed health literacy and other types of social support, and empirically for example through the development of a quantitative measurement instrument.Patient or Public ContributionThis paper is a systematic review and did not involve patients or the public.

Association of Condom Use Advocacy with Perceived Condom Use Among Social Network Members: The Mediating Role of Advocates' Internalized HIV Stigma and Own Condom Use.

We examined the association of HIV prevention advocacy with social network members (alters) on alter condom use behavior, and factors that may mediate and moderate this relationship, among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Uganda. Ninety PLWH completed all assessments (baseline and 5- and 8-month follow-ups). Internalized HIV stigma, HIV disclosure self-efficacy, positive living behavior (i.e., condom use), and advocacy self-efficacy were examined as mediators (at 5-month follow-up) of the association between condom use advocacy and perceived alter condom use. Individual socio-demographic and social network characteristics at baseline were examined as moderators. Among alters who received condom use advocacy in the months prior to both baseline and 5-month follow-up, 69.9% (51/73) were perceived to mostly/always use condoms at either the 5- or 8-month follow-up, which was significantly higher than the 36.4% (235/645) of alters who received none or less advocacy. Participants' internalized HIV stigma and consistent condom use mediated the association of advocacy and perceived consistent condom use among alters; the participant having any secondary education and the alter being male were associated with increased magnitude of the associations between advocacy and alter condom use. These findings highlight the importance of sustained advocacy to promote consistent condom use, and the value of anti-stigma and positive living interventions as mechanisms for enhancing effective advocacy.

Feasibility, usability, and acceptability of personalized web-based assessment of social network and daily social support interactions over time.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to test the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of implementing a web-based method for collecting social network and longitudinal daily interaction data from cancer survivors and their caregivers.MethodsYoung adult and sexual/gender minority cancer survivors and their informal caregivers were recruited as dyads. Feasibility data, including enrollment and retention, were captured. Individual social network data were collected at baseline and used to individualize daily electronically delivered surveys assessing characteristics of daily social support-related interactions with identified network members for 14 days. Follow-up questionnaires assessing usability and exit interviews assessing acceptability were completed at the end of the 2-week study period.ResultsFourteen survivor-caregiver dyads (28 individual participants) were enrolled and completed all baseline and final measures. Participants completed 85.2% of daily diary reports and reported excellent usability ratings. Acceptability was also high. In qualitative interviews, participants reported enjoying the daily reflection on social support facilitated by our methods.ConclusionsOur method has been shown to be highly feasible, usable, and acceptable.Implications for Cancer SurvivorsDeveloping better data collection tools can lead to better understanding of the social support cancer survivors and their caregivers receive, and how the social network structure facilitates or creates barriers to accessing this support.

Social network characteristics moderate associations between cortical thickness and cognitive functioning in older adults

AbstractBackgroundAlthough prior research suggests that brain health is associated with cognitive functioning in later life, the strength of brain‐cognition associations varies. Lifestyle factors may alter these associations by either increasing or decreasing the probability of exhibiting cognitive symptoms at any given level of brain pathology. One lifestyle factor that prior clinicopathologic research has found to influence the association between greater Alzheimer’s disease pathology and lower cognitive performance is an individual’s total social network size. However, little is known about distinct social relationship types (i.e., family vs. friends).MethodThe current cross‐sectional study used data from the Washington Heights‐Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP; n = 654, 63‐96 years old, 62.40% Female) to examine whether distinct social network characteristics moderate associations between cortical thickness in regions implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive performance. Initial linear regression models examined the effects of total social network size, cortical thickness and their interaction on global cognitive functioning and individual cognitive domains (memory, language, speed/executive functioning, visuospatial function). Subsequent models tested the effects of distinct social relationship types (i.e., spouse/partner, number of children, other relatives, friends).ResultAlthough there were no main effects of cortical thickness or individual social network components on cognition, there was an interaction between cortical thickness and the size of friend networks. Specifically, lower cortical thickness was associated with lower global cognition among individuals with smaller friend networks, but not individuals with larger friend networks. When broken down by individual cognitive domains, this pattern of results was most prominent for language and speed/executive functioning. Total social network size and family networks (spouse/partner, number of children or relatives) did not moderate associations between cortical thickness and cognition.ConclusionResults are consistent with a growing body of literature suggesting that maintaining more friendships may promote cognitive reserve in older adulthood. Longitudinal, intervention, and functional neuroimaging studies are needed to determine whether interacting with friends strengthens neural networks that can support cognitive performance in the context of poorer brain health.