Successful Social Network Research Articles

Social innovation for sustainable and equitable transport: the case of Commons Cargo Bikes

Socially innovative civil society initiatives are seen as promising to address societal and environmental problems such as those encountered in the transport sector. However, many social innovators struggle when it comes to growth and achieving broader system-level impact. These problems are often ascribed to challenges associated with organizational structures. This paper investigates the scaling process and organizational development of a European social innovation in the transport sector, Commons Cargo Bikes. Empirically, the study primarily builds on two quantitative surveys with initiatives and users as well as qualitative interviews with spokespersons of an overarching network. The results indicate that social innovations can provide important complements to technological and market-based innovations by providing alternative solutions that reach geographical regions and users not typically addressed by traditional services. Furthermore, the study highlights that rather formal structures can be necessary for successful social innovation networks at a certain point. As the present case study indicates, tensions associated with organizational changes might, however, be anticipated and addressed proactively by combining different organizational archetypes in one structure.

TikTok Use in Municipal Elections: From Candidate-Majors to Influencer-Politicians

TikTok is without any doubt the most successful social network among Gen Zers and, consequently, is increasingly becoming their preferred place to discuss, share opinions, rally around social issues, and express political alignments. Accordingly, both politicians and political parties around the world are joining the platform to connect with young voters: previous exploratory studies, however, have shown that most political actors struggle to adapt to the platform’s affordances, appearing cringy, out of touch, or simply using TikTok as an «old medium», without utilizing it to enhance interaction with citizens. This article contributes to the emerging stream of literature looking at the political uses of this platform in electoral campaigns by studying its application in a local election, focusing on how Ada Colau, candidate mayor for the 2023 Barcelona Municipal elections, has integrated TikTok in her communication strategy. Applying an affordance-based multimodal content analysis of all the tiktoks posted during the campaign, the paper discloses that, although not fully exploiting the platform’s affordances –in particular its participatory potential– the candidate optimally adapts to its vernaculars and cultural environment, constructing a highly recognizable personal style, which seems to borrow and implement the marketing techniques used by influencers and internet celebrities. Therefore, the study concludes that Ada Colau can be considered an example of a new category of celebrity politician, the «influencer-politician», suggesting that future research should dig deeper into this novel dynamic of hybridization and cross-pollination between politics and digital cultures.

Graph-based relevancy-redundancy gene selection method for cancer diagnosis

Nowadays, microarray data processing is one of the most important applications in molecular biology for cancer diagnosis. A major task in microarray data processing is gene selection, which aims to find a subset of genes with the least inner similarity and most relevant to the target class. Removing unnecessary, redundant, or noisy data reduces the data dimensionality. This research advocates a graph theoretic-based gene selection method for cancer diagnosis. Both unsupervised and supervised modes use well-known and successful social network approaches such as the maximum weighted clique criterion and edge centrality to rank genes. The suggested technique has two goals: (i) to maximize the relevancy of the chosen genes with the target class and (ii) to reduce their inner redundancy. A maximum weighted clique is chosen in a repetitive way in each iteration of this procedure. The appropriate genes are then chosen from among the existing features in this maximum clique using edge centrality and gene relevance. In the experiment, several datasets consisting of Colon, Leukemia, SRBCT, Prostate Tumor, and Lung Cancer, with different properties, are used to demonstrate the efficacy of the developed model. Our performance is compared to that of renowned filter-based gene selection approaches for cancer diagnosis whose results demonstrate a clear superiority.

News Sharing Using Self-destructive Content in Digital Native Media from an International Perspective

ABSTRACT Native digital media use of self-destructive content for the dissemination of news is investigated. This new format, characterized by its ephemerality, has become fashionable within the most successful social networks. Spanish media outlets are analysed and compared with European and American ones. The results indicate that native cybermedia is disseminating content through this format, increasing audience engagement, especially within the youth. Interestingly, these media focus intently on Instagram while neglecting Facebook and Youtube. Models of transmedia, like swiping up, cross-media and cross-promotion narratives are valued, and made apparent is the usefulness of the format to improve the general public’s participation, and in the sending of user-generated content. This work delves into an under-researched field, offering a valuable perspective for communication companies to influence the daily spaces of social interaction by offering bite-size portions of information.

A Scalable Platform to Collect, Store, Visualize, and Analyze Big Data in Real Time

Twitter has withstood the test of time as a successful social networking platform. In many circles globally, the majority of users choose Twitter when choosing a social media outlet for reliable scientific information and news. However, the Twitter application programming interface (API) limitations do not allow for low-cost data science options for academia. It becomes very expensive for academic researchers to gain the full potential of data analytics available from Twitter using a free API account. In this article, we present our big data analytics platform developed at our DaTALab at Lakehead University, Canada, that allows users to focus on their Twitter search criteria and gain access to large amounts of Twitter data at the touch of a button. The platform supports the collection of social media data and applies many filters for cleaning and further use for machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems. Our focus has been primarily on healthcare-related research, which shows the strength of the presented platform. However, the platform itself is malleable to any topic of interest. Data collected and processed are suitable for further AI/ML analysis. We present our platform using a specific healthcare search topic to emphasize the power of our system for future research endeavors in the healthcare field.

Refugees Hosting Other Refugees: Endurance and Maintenance of Care in Ouzaii (Lebanon)

Abstract This article examines the socio-spatial mechanisms that emerge when refugees host other refugees. It argues that there is an underlying social infrastructure of care that impacts the refugees’ choice of destinations and modes of survival. When refugees host other refugees from close networks of relatives and neighbours, they create their own spatial clusters. In the process, the social infrastructure of care offers one mode of security to vulnerable refugees. Care as a concept and an approach is related to ideas of endurance and maintenance. It facilitates multiple dimensions, from space, to affection and to the everyday. It is able to reconfigure a life possible, life-enduring and a life meaningful in an urban setting. We focus on Ouzaii in Beirut, Lebanon. Ouzaii has been a destination for multiple displaced groups over different periods of time. Ouzaii currently hosts an approximate 10,000 Syrian refugees. They chose Ouzaii as their destination after they were helped by existing refugees who offered shelter and access to jobs. The resultant socio-spatial practices, flourishing businesses and leisurely facilities are evidence of successful social networks that form an infrastructure of care. They also play a role in the reconstitution of Ouzaii itself. We conclude with reflections on how urban informality may offer refugees an alternative right to the city while allowing them to escape the gaze of the humanitarian-aid apparatus that can signify their vulnerability by reducing them to only being aid recipients. Instead, they form protective socio-spatial networks that have proved to be powerful in sustaining their livelihoods, guarding them from possible social discrimination or political threats.

Identifying Influence Agents That Promote Physical Activity Through the Simulation of Social Network Interventions: Agent-Based Modeling Study.

BackgroundSocial network interventions targeted at children and adolescents can have a substantial effect on their health behaviors, including physical activity. However, designing successful social network interventions is a considerable research challenge. In this study, we rely on social network analysis and agent-based simulations to better understand and capitalize on the complex interplay of social networks and health behaviors. More specifically, we investigate criteria for selecting influence agents that can be expected to produce the most successful social network health interventions.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to test which selection criterion to determine influence agents in a social network intervention resulted in the biggest increase in physical activity in the social network. To test the differences among the selection criteria, a computational model was used to simulate different social network interventions and observe the intervention’s effect on the physical activity of primary and secondary school children within their school classes. As a next step, this study relied on the outcomes of the simulated interventions to investigate whether social network interventions are more effective in some classes than others based on network characteristics.MethodsWe used a previously validated agent-based model to understand how physical activity spreads in social networks and who was influencing the spread of behavior. From the observed data of 460 participants collected in 26 school classes, we simulated multiple social network interventions with different selection criteria for the influence agents (ie, in-degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and random influence agents) and a control condition (ie, no intervention). Subsequently, we investigated whether the detected variation of an intervention’s success within school classes could be explained by structural characteristics of the social networks (ie, network density and network centralization).ResultsThe 1-year simulations showed that social network interventions were more effective compared with the control condition (beta=.30; t100=3.23; P=.001). In addition, the social network interventions that used a measure of centrality to select influence agents outperformed the random influence agent intervention (beta=.46; t100=3.86; P<.001). Also, the closeness centrality condition outperformed the betweenness centrality condition (beta=.59; t100=2.02; P=.046). The anticipated interaction effects of the network characteristics were not observed.ConclusionsSocial network intervention can be considered as a viable and promising intervention method to promote physical activity. We demonstrated the usefulness of applying social network analysis and agent-based modeling as part of the social network interventions’ design process. We emphasize the importance of selecting the most successful influence agents and provide a better understanding of the role of network characteristics on the effectiveness of social network interventions.

Taiwanese Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions and Barriers to Adopting Facebook

Social media is an effective tool used in extension services and mass/distance education. Facebook is a successful social network site for information gathering and sharing. Facebook's penetration rate is higher in Taiwan than in any other Asian country. The purpose of this study was to determine the influences of selected factors on the adoption of Facebook by Taiwanese smallholder farmers. The study examined smallholder farmers’ perceptions of Facebook according to Rogers’ (2003) characteristics of an innovation and smallholder farmers’ perceptions of potential barriers to adopting Facebook. Three hundred and fifty one smallholder farmers participated in the survey research. Respondents were asked to rate their perceptions of Facebook and potential barriers to adopting Facebook: relative advantages, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability, financial concerns, concerns about time, concerns about incentives, planning issues, and technology concerns. Respondents held positive perceptions of compatibility, complexity, observability, relative advantage, and trialability as characteristics of Facebook. Respondents neither agree nor disagree with respect to technology concerns, financial concerns, concerns about time, planning issues, and concern about incentives for the adoption of Facebook. Future research should focus on perceptions of potential barriers by smallholder farmers who were in early and middle stages of the innovation-decision process. This may help extension services understand better the barriers that slow down the speed of Facebook adoption by smallholder farmers.

Social Network Usage in the Hiring Process

Social Network usage in hiring practice is a valuable tool for employers to learn more about an applicant than what can be found on a resume or application. Social Network usage is controversial as it can provide a variety of information to an employer that could impact the hiring process. The responsibility falls on the employer to implement a Social Network screening policy to ensure proper usage of this hiring tool. In combination with current legislation and HR professional recommendations, employers have the resources they need to develop a successful Social Network screening policy.

Establishing a Framework for Successful Social Network Site Use in the Community College

ABSTRACTMany colleges and universities have created college-sponsored communities on Facebook and Twitter as a means to interact, connect, and build community online (Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2009; Wankel & Wankel, 2011). However, the literature provides no clear picture of how community college students use social network sites (SNS) or whether the use of SNS is associated with student outcomes as social integration into the campus environment, institutional commitment, and persistence (Davis, Deil-Amen, Rios-Aguilar, & González Canché, 2012; Junco, 2012). The purpose of this quantitative research investigation was to examine the relationship between Social Networking Site use and social integration, institutional commitment, and persistence among students at a suburban community college. Findings revealed a significant relationship between SNS and social integration and institutional commitment; there was no significant relationship between SNS use and persistence. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are offered.

The generation of virtual needs: Recipes for satisfaction in social media networking

Successful social media networks motivate people to engage in behaviors that speak to their most basic psychological needs through citizenship in a virtual society. These environments provide individuals with the ability to build relationships (relatedness), exercise competence, and express autonomy. Recipes for satisfying these basic needs are vital to the success of virtual societies. This research contributes to existing literature by framing social media interaction using the self-determination theory (SDT); the study analyzes a sample of 570 social networking participants using the generations of baby boomers, generation X, and millennials with fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings indicate that affinity, belonging, interactivity, and innovativeness are all base expectations for social media networking usage, depending on the generational cohort. Indeed, understanding the motivational needs of unique generational cohorts allows marketers to more effectively design precise adaptive strategies for their social media, which can impact engagement and thereby loyalty.

Dealing with Dead Ends

Darknets, membership-concealing peer-to-peer networks, suffer from high message delivery delays due to insufficient routing strategies. They form topologies restricted to a subgraph of the social network of their users by limiting connections to peers with a mutual trust relationship in real life. Whereas centralized, highly successful social networking services entail a privacy loss of their users, Darknets at higher performance represent an optimal private and censorship-resistant communication substrate for social applications. Decentralized routing so far has been analyzed under the assumption that the network resembles a perfect lattice structure. Freenet, currently the only widely used Darknet, attempts to approximate this structure by embedding the social graph into a metric space. Considering the resulting distortion, the common greedy routing algorithm is adapted to account for local optima. Yet the impact of the adaptation has not been adequately analyzed. We thus suggest a model integrating inaccuracies in the embedding. In the context of this model, we show that the Freenet routing algorithm cannot achieve polylog performance. Consequently, we design NextBestOnce , a provable poylog algorithm based only on information about neighbors. Furthermore, we show that the routing length of NextBestOnce is further decreased by more than a constant factor if neighbor-of-neighbor information is included in the decision process.

Evaluating Facebook pages for small hotels: a systematic approach

Social networking websites play an increasingly important role in hotel promotion and marketing. However, designing effective social networks profiles still presents quite a challenge. To support the development of quality hotels’ profiles, we introduce a systematic approach based on an evaluation model that includes a number of heuristic factors and user ratings. The model was developed for Facebook, the most successful social networking website. The evaluation scheme was developed via (1) an online brainstorming with influential bloggers and experienced web designers and (2) the classification and integration of the evaluation characteristics and criteria. To test the applicability of the model, we performed an exploratory study on selected Facebook pages of small hotels in Italy and submitted them to a user evaluation. The results validated our model and highlighted that hotels can implement the model to optimize their pages in a number of ways to better exploit their Facebook presence.

Curating in the Postdigital Age

Curating in the Postdigital Age

A Pinch of This and Salt to Taste: An Iterative Approach to Social Media

A Pinch of This and Salt to Taste: An Iterative Approach to Social Media

Identifying the topology of the K‐pop video community on YouTube: A combined Co‐comment analysis approach

YouTube is a successful social network that people use to upload, watch, and comment on videos. We believe comments left on these videos can provide insight into user interests, but to this point have not been used to map out a specific video community. Our study investigates whether and how user commenting behavior impacts the topology of the K‐pop video community through analysis of co‐commenting behavior on these videos. We apply a traditional author cocitation analysis to this behavior, in a process we refer to as co‐comment analysis, to detect the topology of this community. This involves: a) an analysis of user co‐comments to elicit the inclination of user homophily within the community; b) an analysis of user co‐comments, weighted frequency of co‐comments, to detect user interests in the community; and c) an analysis of user co‐comments, weighted sentiment scores, to capture user opinions by polarity. The results indicate that users who comment on specific K‐pop videos also tend to comment on topically similar YouTube videos. We also find that the number of comments made by users correlates with the degree of positivity of their comments. Conversely, users who comment negatively on K‐pop videos are not inclined to form specific user groups, but rather present only their opinions individually.

Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries

Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries

El Facebook, estrategia didáctica para apoyar el aprendizaje de asignaturas en inglés

This research study was established from 2011 to 2013 to show that the Facebook, currently the most popular and successful social network, could be used as a teaching tool, to solve the problem of evaluating subjects in English. Hypothetical deductive method and Excel for statistical data were used. A sample of 65 students was selected, from a total of 200 students from the sixth and seventh Semester of the Business Management Career, of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences of the University of Guayaquil. Results showed that the initial goal was fulfilled but also many more were achieved, like: developing critical thinking, argumentation , collaborative and meaningful learning , motivating them towards reading , research, enabling personal growth, taking advantage of the many applications that the page offers, which were controlled and managed exclusively by the professor who performed the role of the classroom and virtual tutor , responsible for organizing all the activities , making the teaching-learning process interesting ,funny, enjoyable , entertaining , different and new. A teacher of any subject or area will find this strategy, very helpful and informational for his classes.

ICT and entrepreneurship: social network marketing

The article takles ICT impact on entrepreneurship by putting emphasis on theoretical aspects of social network, social network marketing and social marketing strategy. The social network has opened a whole New World of opportunity for even the smallest home-based business owner. There are countless numbers of new self-made millionaires that achieved their newfound success on the Internet. They started their Internet businesses from the scratches, found a niche and built their success. Developing a successful social network marketing strategy is an essential part of online successs and one of preconditions of successful entrepreneurship. In order to succeed, you must develop and implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following constituents: a great product, a website specifically designed to sell, a good marketing strategy. The paper provides overview of contemporary practices of suggest generalizations.

Sources: Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries

Sources: Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries