Search results for "Online Communities"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Defence strategies in an online community of caregivers
2021
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand caregivers’ discursive constructions and responses to their unwanted (family and social) role as resulting in exchanges on social media. Online group platforms are understood as particularly suitable for the expression of intimate feelings among adults, for meeting and exhibiting stigma issues, and for the circulation of information and support (Suler, 2004; McCormack, 2010; Pounds et al., 2018). Design/methodology/approach This paper draws from digital Conversation Analysis (Giles et al., 2015), and considers data after combining quantitative (corpus analysis) and qualitative methods, from a critical discourse analysis perspective. The St…
Towards realistic artificial benchmark for community detection algorithms evaluation
2013
Many algorithms have been proposed for revealing the community structure in complex networks. Tests under a wide range of realistic conditions must be performed in order to select the most appropriate for a particular application. Artificially generated networks are often used for this purpose. The most realistic generative method to date has been proposed by Lancichinetti, Fortunato and Radicchi (LFR). However, it does not produce networks with some typical features of real-world networks. To overcome this drawback, we investigate two alternative modifications of this algorithm. Experimental results show that in both cases, centralisation and degree correlation values of generated networks…
Online Communities and Gambling Behaviors : a Systematic Review
2022
Abstract Purpose of Review The internet and virtual environments have enabled the formation of online communities around a variety of interests. Online communities focused on gambling are increasingly popular and attract users to interact and share ideas and experiences with likeminded others. This study reviews evidence from the latest research examining the role of online communities in gambling behaviors and gambling problems. Recent Findings A systematic literature search resulted in 17 studies. Research shows that online communities are used for diverse reasons like discussing gambling experiences and problems, sharing tips, and celebrating winnings with others. These reasons of online…
Social Ecological Model of Problem Gambling : A Cross-National Survey Study of Young People in the United States, South Korea, Spain, and Finland
2021
Problem gambling among young people is an emerging trend globally. The online environment in particular offers various possibilities for gambling engagement. This is the first cross-national survey study using the social ecological model to analyze problem gambling, especially in the online context. The study aimed to analyze how different social ecological spheres explain problem gambling. Participants were young people aged 15–25 in the United States (n = 1212), South Korea (n = 1192), Spain (n = 1212), and Finland (n = 1200). The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) instrument measured problem gambling. The regression models analyzed problem gambling with measures of intrapersonal, interper…
In rete la cucina è politica. Alcuni modelli di analisi e uno studio di caso.
2013
Gastronauti e chowhounds, ghiottoni, gourmand e gourmet, in una parola foodies: l’attuale megatrend culinario deve molto alle pratiche di socializzazione su Internet. Di cibo, in rete, si comincia a scrivere fin da subito (i board di Chowhound, per esempio, aprono i battenti già nel 97), la qual cosa dice anche molto su quanto la “grande conversazione” sia debitrice del discorso gastronomico. Il cibo e le chiacchere su Internet si presentano, infatti, come intrinsecamente legati, classico binomio inscindibile. In tutto il mondo, blogger e storyteller culinari diventano, pertanto, autori di culto, in grado di generare schiere di fedeli lettori pronti a seguire il proprio beniamino ovunque, s…
From the Blogosphere into Real Politics: The Use of ICT by the Five Star Movement
2014
Research on ICT and the public discourse often focuses on how ICT can be used to increase citizen participation in political decision-making processes. The Italian Five Star Movement (5SM) represents a novel approach to using ICT to include citizens, and a big challenge for the traditional political actors. The 5SM was initiated outside the established political systems, with the use of Internet tools as cornerstones to promote political actions based on the directly expressed will of citizens. In this paper, based on an exploratory case study approach and informed by the introduction of E-Democracy models, we investigate the role of ICT in various phases of the 5SM, from its birth through …
Tensions in Online Communities: The Case of a Mass Size eParticipation Initiative
2017
Part 4: Critical Reflections; International audience; While Online Communities (OCs) are increasingly used to involve people in organizations and societies, few studies focus on how OC influence political decision making within eParticipation initiatives. This issue is explored through an interpretive case-study of the Italian Five Star Movement (M5S), a mass-size eParticipation political initiative recently founded by private citizens. The use of OCs is a common strategy to involve groups of people to easily connect on-line, cooperating on common and shared interests. We here focus on understanding the internal and external forces influencing on the OCs, to better understand how to manage …
“I Am Your Fan; Bookmarked!” Members’ Identification Development in Founder-Led Online Communities
2019
In this study, we present the findings from an inductive and interpretive case study of a founder-led online community (OC), exploring how members’ identification develops within the community over time. Using a longitudinal study of an OC that was founded by a reputable individual, it is shown that members were first attracted to the OC through their affective and cognitive identification with the founder; however, over time, they developed identification through social interaction with other members. The findings show that this transformation was enabled by the founder’s communication behavior, which not only led to inspired and engaged members but also to the emergence of new leaders who…
Four essays on IT users' psychological states and behaviors
2016
This dissertation is intended to study information technology (IT) users’ psychological states and behaviors. It consists of four essays. The first essay examines how people react to social networking services (SNS). In this essay, we attempted to extend the existing model, which includes dedication- and constraint-based mechanisms, by additionally including the obligation-based mechanism underlying SNS-related behavior. The second essay is designed to investigate individuals’ smartphone use. In particular, we focused on the role of smartphone addiction in shaping individuals’ perceptions about their smartphone. The third essay is about online community behavior. Drawing on the model of eng…
How do online communities matter? Comparison between active and non-active participants in an online behavioral weight loss program
2016
This paper contributes to the discussion on the potential of different social media platforms in health behavior change programs. More specifically, it compares the outcomes of participation in different online community platforms in an online behavioral weight loss program. Results show that active participants on online community platforms perceive their service experience more positively, follow instructions more precisely, have a more positive perception of achieving their goals, and also feel that they receive more social support than do those who do not actively participate in online community channels, although no differences were found related to weight loss itself. Furthermore, int…