Online Social Networking Technologies Research Articles

Drivers and barriers of using online social networking technologies among people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran

Introduction. Online social network technologies have been widely used to enhance HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment programs; however, little is known about the current use and potential drivers and barriers of these technologies among Iranian people living with HIV. Method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28people living with HIV/AIDS already using online social network technologies. Analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse interviews. Results. Results showed that the average time spent on online social network platforms was 3.5-5.7 hours daily. Peer groups and pre-existing platforms (groups) established by health care providers or community-based organisations were frequently used by people living with HIV/AIDS for communication. Seeking and sharing health information and personal experiences, staying connected with peers and care providers, and social support exchange were major drivers for using online social network platforms. Cross-posting of users or sharing irrelevant or disappointing posts, gender issues, and poor engagement of users were reported as major barriers to online social network use among respondents. Conclusions. Our findings indicated that online social network technologies have empowered Iranian people living with HIV/AIDS, making them more connected, safe, and able to access HIV/AIDS-related information and services. Future studies are needed to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of these interventions among key populations including sex workers and injection drug users

Using Retweets to Shape our Online Persona: A Topic Modeling Approach

Online social networking technologies have given rise to new social behaviors, with the like on Facebook being a prominent example. We study on a specific type of social behavior: the ability to reiterate a friend’s activity, that is, to redistribute an exact copy of content that he or she has posted online (e.g., words, videos, or pictures). Such reiteration tools enable the user to leverage someone else’s self-expression to enhance his or her own image as reflected by the online platform. We focus on the effects of such reiteration tools on the way users present themselves online. Specifically, using data from Twitter we ask: (1) Do users utilize retweets to expand the breadth of topics they discuss, by adding topics not discussed in their self-tweets, or do they use it to enhance their self-produced persona, adding further content relating to the topics they already discuss in their self-tweets? (2) Do users utilize the retweet option to change the distribution of the topics they discuss in their self-tweets? (3) We focus on users' heterogeneity by asking whether the behaviors we analyze differ between expert users and non-expert users.We analyzed data taken from Twitter over a period of 3 weeks in 2015, with regard to 2,435 non-expert core users (defined as users who tweet regularly and are likely to use the platform for personal rather than professional purposes), 415 expert users and the users whom they followed. We find that users rarely add new topics to their profile when retweeting; instead, they enrich their persona by deepening the discussion of topics that they address in their self-tweets. Furthermore, we find that a user's retweets do remarkably little to alter the distribution of topics she discusses in her self-tweets. Finally, we find that both non-expert and expert users tend to add few new topics via retweets, and that this tendency is stronger among expert users. Specifically, on average, experts retweet less often and add fewer topics per tweet, indicating that they rely more on their own words when engaging in impression management.

Impact of social media in security and crisis management: a review

Social media and more generally online social networking technologies have emerged as powerful tools to exchange information among a large variety of players, including the public, authorities, companies and journalists. In this paper, we review the present and potential uses of social media and how to value information they contain to manage security and safety matters. We present some examples of their uses during emergencies and crises, how relevant information can be extracted to support fighting against cybercrime and how security forces and emergency managers may benefit from integrating social media into their organisations. Finally we propose an overview of technical limitations and possible misuses of social media.

Can social networking be used to promote engagement in child maltreatment prevention programs? Two pilot studies.

Introduction:Child maltreatment is one of the United States' most significant public health problems. In efforts to prevent maltreatment experts recommend use of Behavioral Parent Training Programs (BPTs), which focus on teaching skills that will replace and prevent maltreating behavior. While there is research to support the effectiveness of BPTs in maltreatment prevention, the reach of such programs is still limited by several barriers, including poor retention of families in services. Recently, new technologies have emerged that offer innovative opportunities to improve family engagement. These technologies include smartphones and social networking; however, very little is known about the potential of these to aid in maltreatment prevention. The primary goal of this study was to conduct 2 pilot exploratory projects.Methods:The first project administered a survey to parents and providers to gather data about at-risk parents' use of smartphones and online social networking technologies. The second project tested a social networking-enhanced brief parenting program with 3 intervention participants and evaluated parental responses.Results:Seventy-five percent of parents surveyed reported owning a computer that worked. Eighty-nine percent of parents reported that they had reliable Internet access at home, and 67% said they used the Internet daily. Three parents participated in the intervention with all reporting improvement in parent-child interaction skills and a positive experience participating in the social networking-enhanced SafeCare components.Conclusion:In general, findings suggest that smartphones, social networking, and Facebook, in particular, are now being used by individuals who show risk factors for maltreatment. Further, the majority of parents surveyed in this study said that they like Facebook, and all parents surveyed said that they use Facebook and have a Facebook account. As well, all saw it as a potentially beneficial supplement for future parents enrolling in parenting programs.

S15.2 Social Networking and Diffusion of Risks and Interventions Among Youth

Use of online social networking technologies has been growing rapidly, especially among groups at risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as men who have sex with men (MSM), homeless...

The Relationship between Online Social Networking and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)

Online social networking usage is growing rapidly, especially among at-risk populations, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). However, little research has studied the relationship between online social networking usage and sexual risk behaviors among at-risk populations. One hundred and eighteen Facebook-registered MSM (60.1% Latino, 28% African American; 11.9% other) were recruited from online (social networking websites and banner advertisements) and offline (local clinics, restaurants and organizations) venues frequented by minority MSM. Inclusion criteria required participants to be men who were 18 years of age or older, had had sex with a man in the past 12 months, were living in Los Angeles, and had a Facebook account. Participants completed an online survey on their social media usage and sexual risk behaviors. Results from a multivariable regression suggest that number of sexual partners met from online social networking technologies is associated with increased: 1) likelihood of having exchanged sex for food, drugs, or a place to stay within the past 3 months; 2) number of new partners within the past 3 months; 3) number of male sex partners within the past 3 months; and 4) frequency of engaging in oral sex within the past 3 months, controlling for age, race, education, and total number of sexual partners. Understanding the relationship between social media sex-seeking and sexual risk behaviors among at-risk populations will help inform population-focused HIV prevention and treatment interventions.

The Influence of Social Networking Photos on Social Norms and Sexual Health Behaviors

Two studies tested whether online social networking technologies influence health behavioral social norms, and in turn, personal health behavioral intentions. In Study 1, experimental participants browsed peers' Facebook photos on a college network with a low prevalence of sexually suggestive content. Participants estimated the percentage of their peers who have sex without condoms, and rated their own future intentions to use condoms. Experimental participants, compared to controls who did not view photos, estimated that a larger percentage of their peers use condoms, and indicated a greater intention to use condoms themselves in the future. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to view sexually suggestive or nonsexually suggestive Facebook photos, and responded to sexual risk behavioral questions. Compared to participants viewing nonsuggestive photos, those who viewed sexually suggestive Facebook photos estimated that a larger percentage of their peers have unprotected sexual intercourse and sex with strangers and were more likely to report that they themselves would engage in these behaviors. Thus, online social networks can influence perceptions of the peer prevalence of sexual risk behaviors, and can influence users' own intentions with regard to such behaviors. These studies suggest the potential power of social networks to affect health behaviors by altering perceptions of peer norms.

Social media: The new opiate of the masses?

This study argues that the relationship between new information and communication technologies (ICT) and social movements should be done from a socio-technical perspective. In the present study, we broaden this perspective and use Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to better understand the relationship between social media (as a new ICT) and social movements. From the perspective of ANT, one cannot define unidirectional causal relationships between the social and the technical. New technical developments create opportunities to change the social order and in the meantime technologies are transformed and are adapted differently by humans. Preliminary findings examining the use of Facebook among Iranians, applying the aforementioned relational sociology perspective based on ANT, suggest that the role new ICTs play in social movements and social change is not linear and constant through time. The impact of new ICTs might be different considering different stages in a social movement timeline. In fact, there may be a stage where ICTs actually function as a sort of pressurerelease value, allowing individuals to remain content within the status quo rather than choosing to pursue more radical goals. We propose the utilization of the two concepts of “durability” and “mobility”, from ANT literature, to better understand the potential of online social networking technologies for social change. We suggest three different time stages as short (emergence of movements), mid (development or decline of movements), and late stage (the movement’s continuation, survival or disappearance through time) to be considered in the study of relationship between social media and social change.

Online Social Networking Technologies, HIV Knowledge, and Sexual Risk and Testing Behaviors Among Homeless Youth

This study evaluates associations between online social networking and sexual health behaviors among homeless youth in Los Angeles. We analyzed survey data from 201 homeless youth accessing services at a Los Angeles agency. Multivariate (regression and logistic) models assessed whether use of (and topics discussed on) online social networking technologies affect HIV knowledge, sexual risk behaviors, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). One set of results suggests that using online social networks for partner seeking (compared to not using the networks for seeking partners) is associated with increased sexual risk behaviors. Supporting data suggest that (1) using online social networks to talk about safe sex is associated with an increased likelihood of having met a recent sex partner online, and (2) having online sex partners and talking to friends on online social networks about drugs and partying is associated with increased exchange sex. However, results also suggest that online social network usage is associated with increased knowledge and HIV/STI prevention among homeless youth: (1) using online social networks to talk about love and safe sex is associated with increased knowledge about HIV, (2) using the networks to talk about love is associated with decreased exchange sex, and (3) merely being a member of an online social network is associated with increased likelihood of having previously tested for STIs. Taken together, this study suggests that online social networking and the topics discussed on these networks can potentially increase and decrease sexual risk behaviors depending on how the networks are used. Developing sexual health services and interventions on online social networks could reduce sexual risk behaviors.

What happens when organisations embrace social networking? Knowledge sharing at a multinational business solutions corporation

Amid widespread resistance to online social networking tools, their effectiveness in promoting knowledge sharing in a knowledge-driven organisation was demonstrated in the study. Usage patterns, user attitudes and perceptions regarding online social networking technologies as a professional application for knowledge sharing within the workplace were investigated. Self-administered questionnaires were administered to a sample of IBM Global Business Services employees in South Africa. Upon completion of the questionnaire analysis an interview was conducted with the knowledge manager for verification and clarification purposes. The results revealed the respondents' positive attitudes regarding the use of social networking tools for knowledge sharing. The culture of knowledge sharing at IBM and the contribution that social networking tools makes within the company were uncovered. Findings disclosed that the online social networking tools were effective and that management at IBM encourages employees to make more and more use of the tools for knowledge sharing and knowledge creation. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of online social networking tools and serve as encouragement to hesitant organisations to adopt social networking in their business practices.