Use Of Social Technologies Research Articles

Impact of Social Technology Use on Loneliness, Relationship Quality, and Health Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the impact of social technology use on health outcomes through loneliness and relationship quality among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 Project, we conducted a structural equation model analysis to assess the effects of social technology use on loneliness, relationship quality, and physical and cognitive health outcomes, with a validated index construct of social technology use. Our findings revealed that more frequent social technology use was significantly associated with younger age, being male, being of White race/ethnicity, and living with a spouse/partner. Higher levels of social technology use and positive relationship quality were related to lower feelings of loneliness, respectively. Loneliness mediated the impact of social technology use on physical and cognitive health outcomes. These results underscore the importance of adopting social technology to enhance the psychological well-being of vulnerable older adults, especially during health crises.

Role of Meaningful Social Participation and Technology Use in Mitigating Loneliness and Cognitive Decline Among Older Adults.

Community social participation aids dementia prevention and alleviates loneliness among older adults. Incorporating occupational therapy using information and communications technology (ICT) could potentially delay dementia onset and reduce loneliness. To quantify how meaningful social participation, participation frequency, ICT use, and expanded social networks influence cognitive function and loneliness among socially active older Japanese adults. Cross-sectional exploratory study using structural equation modeling. Meetings organized by older adults at seven community gathering places in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. One hundred thirteen healthy older adult cohort members. Cognitive function assessed via Mini-Cog; loneliness assessed via the condensed UCLA Loneliness Scale. The final model demonstrated excellent fit, χ2(23) = 28.291, p = .205 (root mean square error of approximation = .045, 90% confidence interval [.000, .094]; confirmatory factor index = .995; Tucker-Lewis Index = .993). ICT use directly affected social networks (β = 0.472), which directly influenced participation frequency (β = 0.324) and meaningful social participation (β = 0.381). The indirect effect of meaningful participation significantly improved cognitive function (β = 0.237). The only indirect effect of meaningful interpersonal participation was a reduction in loneliness (β = -0.235). ICT use contributes to the expansion of social networks among elderly people. Furthermore, the frequency of social participation and the meaningfulness of such participation are related to reduction in loneliness and maintenance of cognitive function. Although the frequency of social participation was not directly related to these outcomes, the results suggest that meaningful social participation may play an important role in reducing loneliness and maintaining cognitive function. Plain-Language Summary: The promotion of social participation among older people is a global phenomenon, driven by the recognition of its positive relationship with cognitive function and the alleviation of loneliness. Nevertheless, older people's social participation is constrained by a combination of physical and social factors. To address this issue, there has been a push to promote social participation based on information and communications technology (ICT). However, no specific study has been conducted on occupational therapists' perspective in capturing social participation and the use of ICT. The findings of this study show that using ICT has the potential to enhance opportunities for social interaction for older adults, thereby improving the quality and quantity of social participation. The quality of social participation was identified as the sole factor that had a positive impact on cognitive function and loneliness. This study suggests the need for occupational therapists to consider means of facilitating the use of ICTs among older adults as well as interventions that use occupational therapy theory to enhance the meaningfulness of existing social participation opportunities.

Sleep health among youth outside of the gender binary: Findings from a national Canadian sample

ObjectivesSleep is important for adolescent health. The unique needs of suprabinary youth (youth with gender identities outside of the gender binary), along with the growing number of youth with these identities, underscores the need to better understand sleep health within this population. The current study’s objectives were to (1) examine differences in sleep health between suprabinary and binary youth and (2) explore how social support, peer victimization, and technology use accounted for these differences. MethodsData were drawn from the 2017/2018 Health Behavior in School Aged Children Survey. Adolescents (individuals ages 14 to 17, n = 10,186), indicated whether they were suprabinary (n = 182) or binary (n = 10,004), and completed measures of sleep health (difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying awake, weekday and weekend sleep length), covariates (age, family affluence, race/ethnicity, depressive symptoms), as well as variables that may account for differences between suprabinary and binary youth (family, friend, and teacher support, as well as peer victimization, and technology use before bed). ResultsSuprabinary youth reported worse sleep health on all outcomes, and differences persisted for both difficulty falling asleep and weekday sleep hours accounting for covariates. Significant indirect effects between suprabinary status were observed across all sleep outcomes for family support and school climate. Indirect effects for sleep quality were also observed via peer victimization. ConclusionsFindings support the relevance of looking at basic health processes like sleep to better understand how the stressors associated with suprabinary status impact health outcomes among this vulnerable population.

Longitudinal Use Patterns of Technology Subtypes During the Transition Into Early Adolescence: Results From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

PurposeAdolescents encounter a complex digital environment, yet existing data on youth technology use rarely differentiates technology subtypes. This study maps the evolution and intricacies of youth engagement with technology subtypes. MethodsN = 11,868 participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study followed from ages ∼9/10 to ∼13/14. We examined youths' self-reported hours per day (hr/day) of technology subtypes: TV/Movies, video games, YouTube, social media, video chat, and texting. We used descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression to assess cross-sectional and longitudinal use patterns of technology subtypes, agreement between child and parent reports on the child's technology use, and associations between each technology subtype and sociodemographics (child's biological sex, parent education, income, and marital status). ResultsAt age 9/10, ∼75% of youth reported minimal (<30 min/day) social technology use (social media, video chat, texting) and up to ∼1.5 hr/day of TV, video games, and YouTube. By age 13/14, TV trajectories were converging to >2 hr/day, but social technology trajectories “fanned out” into a wide range of usage rates. Child and parent reports were weakly correlated (rs range: 0.13–0.29). Using child-reported hours of technology use, increases in the subject-specific odds of using a technology >2 hr/day ranged from 25% (YouTube; 95% CI: 1.16–1.35) to 234% (social media; 95% CI: 3.14–3.55). Compared with males, females had ∼100–200% greater odds of >2 hr/day of social technologies, but ∼40–80% reduced odds of >2 hr/day of video games and YouTube. Higher parent education and income predicted significantly lower odds of >2 hr/day of use – regardless of technology subtype. DiscussionDistributions of youths' self-reported technology engagement are highly contingent on technology subtype, age, and biological sex. Future research on youth development and technology may benefit from considering youths' varied digital experiences.

Komunikasi Politik Pemerintahan Desa dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Pelayanan Masyarakat Raya Palka Sindangsari

The results of this research show that effective political communication in Raya Palka Sindangsari Village has succeeded in increasing transparency and accountability in village government, accelerating public services, and increasing community participation and satisfaction. The village government implements various communication strategies such as regular meetings, use of social media and information technology, as well as public awareness campaigns to actively involve the community in decision making. Implementation of budget transparency programs and public consultation forums are examples of initiatives that have succeeded in increasing public trust and participation. However, this research also found several obstacles, such as limited access to technology in several areas and low digital literacy in society. Overall, this research highlights the importance of political communication in creating village government that is effective and responsive to community needs. The recommendations given include increasing access to technology and digital literacy education to support effective political communication in this village.

How education professionals manage personal and professional boundaries when using social technologies

AbstractThis study investigates how education professionals balance their private and professional lives when using social technologies. Based on boundary theory and interviews with 57 education professionals, we identify which tactics they use to separate or integrate their private and professional life. We identified twice as many segmentation tactics compared to integration tactics and found that the education professionals struggled most with finding segmentation tactics that work. We argue that this is because social technologies are designed to support integration and therefore teachers using these technologies must work harder to separate their private and professional roles. There is a need to further investigate how boundary theory can be used, and segmentation tactics understood, when the object of study is social technology, which is specifically built to integrate time and professional and private spaces. For practice, there is a need to better support teachers in their use of social technologies.

Strategi Komunikasi Pemkot Depok Dalam Kampanye 3R Melalui Bank Sampah Menuju Lingkungan Yang Bersih Dan Sehat

The research objective is to explain and evaluate the Depok City Government's communication strategy in the 3R campaign through the Waste Bank to create a clean and healthy environment. This research uses a qualitative approach with a case study design to explore the Depok City Government's communication strategy in the 3R campaign through the Waste Bank. Primary data was obtained through in-depth interviews and FGDs with City Government officials, Waste Bank managers and the community, while secondary data was taken from official documents and media publications. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis techniques to identify key themes, patterns and relevant relationships, providing a comprehensive picture of the success of the 3R campaign in Depok. The result of this work is that the Depok community's awareness of the importance of 3R has increased significantly with active participation in seminars, workshops and training organized by the Depok City Government. The effectiveness of the Waste Bank and the use of social media and information technology has succeeded in reducing the amount of waste in landfills and empowering the community in managing household waste. Collaboration between the City Government, the private sector and local communities through CSR support and active participation of environmental communities has had a positive impact. Regular evaluation and improvement of infrastructure is a priority for the Depok City Government, with incentives and rewards to encourage community participation, ensuring the sustainability of the 3R program.

Digital dimension of human capital development

Methods. When conducting the research, the following methods were used: scientific generalization – when determining the essence of the categories «digitalization», «digital economy», «human capital»; analysis and synthesis – when clarifying trends and forms of development of digitalization processes; logical analysis – when establishing the correlation between indicators of the development of the digital economy and human capital. Results. The article analyzes theoretical approaches to defining the concepts of «digitalization» and «digital economy». The importance of digital transformation processes in modern society is emphasized, in particular as a transition to new ways of working and thinking with the use of digital, social, mobile and new technologies. The main digital systems of the digitized environment are characterized. It is emphasized that the functioning of the digital economy based on digital systems is due to, firstly, the presence of a special infrastructure formed with the help of hardware, software, telecommunications, and secondly, specific business models that function based on the use of computer networks within virtual interactions and, thirdly, electronic commerce, through which trade operations are implemented within the global Internet network. The essence of human capital, its types and conditions of formation are analyzed. The existing approaches to the evaluation of human capital are considered, the need to take into account aspects of information technology ownership when measuring its level of development is emphasized. The indicators of the development of the digital economy and human capital were considered, a direct correlation between them was established. Novelty. Correspondence between the indicators of the development of human capital and the digital economy has been established. Practical value. The results of the study can be used in the process of assessing the level of development of national human capital.

What aspects of the pandemic had the greatest impact on adolescent mental health: duration of lockdown or subjective experience?

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted global mental health, with adolescents experiencing disproportionate effects. Limited research has explored the impact of different pandemic restrictions on adolescent mental health, and only a few studies have examined the longer-term impacts of the pandemic on adolescent mental health. These investigations are crucial for informing public health policies, particularly the integration of mental health care in future public health emergencies.MethodsThis study aimed to investigate the impact of lockdown duration and the impact of adolescents’ subjective experiences of the pandemic on their wellbeing, internalising symptoms, and externalising symptoms. Australian adolescents (N = 1,001, mean age = 14.2 years) completed a baseline survey in 2021, shortly after pandemic lockdowns were lifted (Time 1), and a follow-up survey approximately 12 months later (Time 2). Predictors of interest were the total duration of COVID-19 lockdowns across 2020–2021, and adolescents’ subjective experiences of the pandemic on their social connections, learning, technology use and family relationships. A range of covariates were included in analyses to examine subgroup differences.ResultsLinear mixed-effects models indicated that total duration of the lockdown was not associated with any of the outcomes at Time 1 or Time 2 (all ps > 0.017). Negative subjective experience of the pandemic on learning was associated with greater externalising symptoms at both Time 1 (t = 5.17, df = 980, p <.001) and Time 2 (t = 2.72, df = 708, p =.007). Negative subjective experience of the pandemic on social connection was associated with greater internalising symptoms at Time 2 only (t = 3.20, df = 709, p =.001). Negative subjective experience of the pandemic on family relationships or technology use was not associated with any of the outcomes at Time 1 or Time 2 (all ps > 0.017).ConclusionsAdolescents’ negative subjective experience of the pandemic on learning and social connections was associated with greater internalising and externalising symptoms after the lockdown had been lifted. Duration of lockdowns was not associated with any of the primary outcomes. During future public health emergencies, mental health interventions should be tailored to assist adolescents to adapt to new learning environments, and to build and maintain social connections.

Time for Medicine and Public Health to Leave Platform X.

For more than 50 years, digital technologies have been employed for the creation and distribution of knowledge in health services. In the last decade, digital social media have been developed for applications in clinical decision support and population health monitoring. Recently, these technologies have also been used for knowledge translation, such as in the process where research findings created in academic settings are established as evidence and distributed for use in clinical practice, policy making, and health self-management. To date, it has been common for medical and public health institutions to have social media accounts for the dissemination of novel research findings and to facilitate conversations about these findings. However, recent events such as the transformation of the microblog Twitter to platform X have brought to light the need for the social media industry to exploit user data to generate revenue. In this viewpoint, it is argued that a redirection of social media use is required in the translation of knowledge to action in the fields of medicine and public health. A new kind of social internet is currently forming, known as the "fediverse," which denotes an ensemble of open social media that can communicate with each other while remaining independent platforms. In several countries, government institutions, universities, and newspapers use open social media to distribute information and enable discussions. These organizations control their own channels while being able to communicate with other platforms through open standards. Examples of medical knowledge translation via such open social media platforms, where users are less exposed to disinformation than in general platforms, are also beginning to appear. The current status of the social media industry calls for a broad discussion about the use of social technologies by health institutions involving researchers and health service practitioners, academic leaders, scientific publishers, social technology providers, policy makers, and the public. This debate should not primarily take place on social media platforms but rather at universities, in scientific journals, at public seminars, and other venues, allowing for the transparent and undisturbed communication and formation of opinions.

Enhancing the participation intention and improving customer satisfaction in the banking industry by utilizing social media technology due to the mediating role of value perceived by customers

This research was designed to examine the effect of using social media technology on improving participation and customer satisfaction in the banking industry due to the mediating role of value perceived by customers of the studied banks. The present study was an applied and descriptive-surveying research in terms of objective and methodology, respectively. The research statistical sample consisted of 235 senior managers of state and private banks in the banking industry of Iran. A questionnaire was employed to collect the research data, and its validity and reliability were con and Cronbach's alpha indices. The structural equation modelling method was used in the SmartPLS software to test the research hypotheses once the data was gathered. The results of testing the hypotheses demonstrated that the use of social media technology has a positive impact on improving participation intention, satisfaction, and value perceived by customers of the studied banks, which directly predicts 0.486, 0.551, and 0.568 of changes related to the participation intention, satisfaction, and perceived value, respectively. The results analysis also revealed that social media technology has a positive impact on participation intention and customer satisfaction through the value perceived by customers. Hence, the use of social media technology through the mediating variable indirectly predicts 0.517 and 0.449 of changes related to participation intention and customer satisfaction, respectively. Accordingly, one may acknowledge that the studied banks can move towards sustainable improvement of customer participation and satisfaction by accurately utilizing social media technology such as social networks aimed at boosting the continuous relationship with their customers as well as improving the capabilities of customer relationship management by related technologies.

Understanding the Role of Technology in Older Adults' Changing Social Support Networks

Technologies that facilitate communication between older adults and those around them have the potential to strengthen older adults' connections with their support network. In this paper, we present findings from interviews with 16 older adult participants in the United States about their social network composition and related technology use during a challenging life event, the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a decrease of in-person meetings and increase in communication technology adoption. Using the convoy model of social relations, we sought to better understand the roles different technologies play in older adults' social connections. Participants chose what communication tools to use depending on social and situational contexts and overcame accessibility issues to adopt new technologies that supported continued engagement with their support networks. However, when others positioned technologies as ways for the older adults to receive social support, they resisted. A more comprehensive view of older adults' evolving social convoys can help designers and researchers better create technologies that help expand and maintain older adults' social support networks. Further, to facilitate older adults' social connectivity, the design of technology should encourage older adults' support networks to see those older adults as support providers, not just potential support recipients.

Medical and social support for children with disabilities in hospitals

Children constitute a special category among the disabled and people with disabilities. Restoration or compensation of impaired functions cannot be achieved in full, but thanks to medical and social support and technical means of rehabilitation, adaptation to existing living conditions, it is possible to achieve a higher level of quality of life. Medical and social support for children with disabilities is considered from the perspective of the available resource potential of the hospital system itself - the competent application of medical and social technologies and the functional capabilities of inpatient or semi-stationary type institutions. The leading criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of medical and social support for children with disabilities in hospital and semi-stationary care was the criterion of satisfaction of the medical and social needs of rehabilitators and their family members (parents/legal representatives). The author used analysis of documents, questioning of children with disabilities and parents (legal representatives) to identify needs, assessment of satisfaction of medical and social needs of children with disabilities and their parents (legal representatives) using comprehensive medical and social support (interviewing). In the course of the work, the purpose of the study was achieved – a sociological analysis of medical and social support for children with disabilities was carried out. Based on the research data, it can be concluded that the most relevant in meeting the needs of children with disabilities in hospital and semi-hospital settings are the socio-pedagogical and socio-psychological components of medical and social support, while the medical and social components fade into the background. The explicit needs must be met not through a ready-made solution, but by teaching the child himself to accept and work with them until an optimal level of compensation is achieved, the use of medical and social support technology as a system in hospital and semi-stationary conditions, on the one hand, has stable invariance properties, on the other, has variability.

The Trend of Using Social Media Technology for Business Actors for the Branding Process

The development of social media has changed the business landscape, where businesses increasingly rely on this platform to develop brand identity and interact with consumers. The purpose of this study was to investigate trends in the use of social media technology in the branding process. This research stems from the importance of understanding how businesses are leveraging social media technology to achieve branding goals in an ever-changing environment. This study used online survey techniques to collect data from various industries and analyze it using descriptive statistical techniques. It was found that the most effective type of content for achieving branding goals was video, followed by images and graphics. Metrics like follower count, engagement rate, sales conversions, and website traffic are often used to measure the success of social media branding campaigns. In conclusion, social media technology plays a central role in branding success. Continuous adaptation and innovation are key to maximizing the potential of social media in achieving branding goals in an ever-evolving and changing business world.

La información y facilidad de uso del comercio social: antecedente de la confianza para la intención de compra

Social commerce is the natural evolution of electronic commerce, in which some scientific studies have focused on analyzing the factors that impact consumers to make their purchases through the Internet. As such, the objective of this research is to determine the influence of the information posted on social media and the ease of use of social commerce technology, with the purpose of generating trust in the consumer's commercial operations as a precedent in their intention to purchase through the Internet. The proposed method is the administration of a questionnaire to 182 users of social commerce in the northeastern region of Mexico. The SmartPLS v4 software was used for inferential analysis. The main findings show that trust is essential in purchase intention. Likewise, the information quality is the main prerequisite for consumers to shop trusty social commerce.

Creative collaborations can support students’ mental health

BURLINGTON, VERMONT — The traumas and losses of the pandemic combined with the pressures and pervasiveness of social media and technology use combined to create the perfect storm in college students’ lives. That left many students’ mental health in tatters, placing more demand on counseling centers, which were already stretched thin. And it's not going away soon. It takes about seven years to work through a trauma and about one to two years to work through the loss of a loved one — but that's when support systems are available to help, according to Jeremy Butler, Chief Innovation Officer at Integrated Community Alternatives Network, a nonprofit organization (www.ican.family).

Creative collaborations can support students’ mental health

BURLINGTON, VERMONT — The traumas and losses of the pandemic combined with the pressures and pervasiveness of social media and technology use to create the perfect storm in college students’ lives. That left many students’ mental health in tatters, placing more demand on counseling centers, which had already been stretched thin. And it's not going away soon. It takes about seven years to work through a trauma and about one to two years to work through the loss of a loved one — but that's when support systems are available to help, according to Jeremy Butler, Chief Innovation Officer at Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN), a nonprofit organization (www.ican.family).

Creative collaborations can support students’ mental health

BURLINGTON, VERMONT — The traumas and losses of the pandemic combined with the pressures and pervasiveness of social media and technology use to create the perfect storm in college students’ lives. That left many students’ mental health in tatters, placing more demand on counseling centers, which were already stretched thin. And it's not going away soon. It takes about seven years to work through a trauma and about one to two years to work through the loss of a loved one — but that's when support systems are available to help, according to Jeremy Butler, Chief Innovation Officer at Integrated Community Alternatives Network, a nonprofit organization (www.ican.family).

Conceptualization of information warfare in the context of the development of modern social networks

In this paper, the author examines the main theoretical directions in the study of information wars as a phenomenon of the modern political process in the world. Much attention is paid to the analysis of domestic approaches to determining the components of information wars, their goal-setting and mechanisms. Separately, the paper examines the phenomenon of social networks as the most important component of information warfare. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the increasing use of political propaganda in today's informational and increasingly digitalised world. The paper operationalises the concepts of "information warfare" and "political propaganda", studies technologies and methods of political influence, factors and stages of development of political propaganda, and describes the role of social networks as tools of political propaganda. As a result of the conducted research, the close relationship between social networks and information warfare technologies was confirmed. This is facilitated by the following factors: a large number of users, lack of control over the virtual space, imitation of real communication by virtual. The study conceptualised the main concepts in the works of Russian scholars to analyse the use of social networking technologies in political propaganda and information warfare. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the the fact that in the modern information and increasingly digitalizing world. The paper operationalizes the concepts of "information warfare" and "political propaganda", examines technologies and methods of political influence, factors and stages of development of political propaganda, and describes the role of social networks as tools of political propaganda. &amp;#8195;

Creative collaborations can support students’ mental health

BURLINGTON, VERMONT — The traumas and losses of the pandemic combined with the pressures and pervasiveness of social media and technology use to create the perfect storm in college students’ lives. That left many students’ mental health in tatters, placing more demand on counseling centers, which were already stretched thin. And it's not going away soon. It takes about seven years to work through a trauma and about one to two years to work through the loss of a loved one — but that's when support systems are available to help, according to Jeremy Butler, Chief Innovation Officer at Integrated Community Alternatives Network, a nonprofit organization (www.ican.family).