Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Reliability and validity are key concerns for any researcher. We investigate these concerns as they apply to social network analysis programs. Six well-used and trusted programs were compared on four common centrality measures (degree, betweenness, closeness, and eigenvector) under a variety of network topographies. We identify notable inconsistencies between programs that may not be apparent to the average user of these programs. Specifically, each program may have implemented a variant of a given measure without informing the user of its characteristics. This presents an unnecessary obfuscation for analysts seeking measures that are best suited to the idiosyncrasies of their data, and for those comparing results between programs.
Under such a paradigm, the terms in use within the social network analysis community become less precise over time and diverge from the original strength of network analysis: clarity.

Building on theoretical foundations from communication and disability studies, we ran an online experiment to study the influence of online constructions corresponding to the medical and social models of disability on attitudes toward wheelchair users. We recruited students from a public university in the Mediterranean region and, after a pretest on their attitudes toward wheelchair users, we had them read social media posts and online news items that corresponded to the medical model (medical experimental group), the social model (social experimental group) or were neutral (control group). The participants received the stimuli via email during a five-day period after the pretest and were then posttested. Pro-social stimuli produced a significant mild change in the expected direction, while the corresponding effect of pro-medical stimuli was not significant. Both social and medical group posttest means were significantly different from the control group posttest mean, suggesting that exposure to online constructions based on both models influences attitudes toward disability. A repeat posttest, administered one week after the posttest, showed stability of the observed changes. The study adds to the limited existing knowledge about the influence of online constructions on attitudes toward persons with disabilities.

Funding: The Smartline project (www.smartline.org.uk, based in Cornwall, UK) received £6,930,810 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (Grant Numbers 05R16P00305, 05R18P02819) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Smartline project is also funded by the South West Academic Health Science Network, Cornwall Council, and Her Majesty (HM) Government, and is a partnership between University of Exeter, Coastline Housing, Volunteer Cornwall, Cornwall Council, and the South West Academic Health Science Network. ; Background: The mental wellbeing of those living in resource poor and rural localities is a public health priority. Despite evidence of a link between social networks and mental wellbeing, little is known about this relationship in the context of rural and resource poor environments. The current study uses novel social network methodology to investigate the extent to which social network size and composition is related to mental wellbeing in a social housing community in rural England. Methods: Data come from 88 individuals living in social housing in Cornwall. These participants are part of a larger study of 329 social housing households surveyed in 2017 and 2018. Mental wellbeing was measured by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). A series of multivariable linear regression models were used to test associations between social network characteristics and mental wellbeing. Results: Social network size was significantly associated with the SWEMWBS (b = 0.39, p < 0.01), such that individuals with larger networks reported better mental wellbeing, but after controlling for community social cohesion, this effect dissipated. Neither gender composition or talking with network members about health and wellbeing were significantly associated with the SWEMWBS. Conclusions: Findings suggest that both the quantity of social connections and perceptions of community cohesion are moderately associated with mental wellbeing ...

"Mexico's Drug War and Criminal Networks examines the effects of technology on three criminal organizations: the Sinaloa cartel, the Zetas, and the Caballeros Templarios. Using social network analysis, and analyzing the use of web platforms Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Nilda M. Garcia provides fresh insights on the organizational network, the central nodes, and the channels through which information flows in these three criminal organizations. In doing so, she demonstrates that some drug cartels in Mexico have adopted the usage of social media into their strategies, often pursuing different tactics in the search for new ways to dominate. She finds that the strategic adaptation of social media platforms has different effects on criminal organization's survivability. When used effectively, coupled with the adoption of decentralized structures, these platforms do increase a criminal organization's survival capacity. Nonetheless, if used haphazardly, it can have the opposite effect. Drawing on the fields of criminology, social network analysis, international relations, and organizational theory and featuring a wealth of information about the drug cartels themselves, Mexico's Drug War and Criminal Networks will be a great source for all those interested in the presence, behavior, purposes, and strategies of drug cartels in their forays into social media platforms in Mexico and beyond"--

The widespread incursion of the Internet into the daily lives of consumers, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, has contributed to a significant increase in the consumption of online content in the last few years. Opportunities for listening to music, reading e-books or watching favorite movies and series through the global network, the entertainment through online games and streaming leisure sports events are increasingly preferred in an epidemic situation and social distancing. In this regard, the problem of illegal downloading of digital content comes to the fore. The aim of this paper is to present the specifics and harms of the use of pirated online content, and based on a brief overview of this consumption within the European Union, the ways to limit it are outlined. The analysis uses data published in studies by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for the period 2017 - 2020.

This article suggests that those interested in both welfare theory and welfare policy cannot afford to overlook the emerging interactions between online and offline environments. It explores the main parameters of the debate relating to cyberspace, in particular, and Information and Communication Technologies more generally. It argues that the pervasiveness of free market capitalism means that the negative consequences of the Internet for society and social welfare reform are those most likely to prevail at present. The task of the social policy community, then, is to contribute to a 'cybercriticalism'. The article outlines a concept of 'virtual rights', the purpose of which is to reinvigorate the traditional categories of rights in an information society to which they often appear unsuited.