Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/3954
Title: | Investigating social network patterns within an empathic online community for older people | Authors: | Pfeil, Ulrike Zaphiris, Panayiotis |
Major Field of Science: | Natural Sciences | Field Category: | Computer and Information Sciences | Keywords: | Empathic online communities;Older people;Social network analysis;Social interactions;Ageing;Online discussion board;CMC | Issue Date: | Sep-2009 | Source: | Computers in Human Behavior, 2009, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 1139-1155 | Volume: | 25 | Issue: | 5 | Start page: | 1139 | End page: | 1155 | Journal: | Computers in Human Behavior | Abstract: | In this paper, we study the social network structure of an online discussion board within SeniorNet, an empathic online community for older people. We apply Social Network Analysis (SNA) to analyse the communication patterns and relationships between members of the discussion board. In addition to looking at the structure of the exchanged messages within the discussion board as a whole, we also investigate associations between the communication content and the social network patterns. Our findings show distinct differences between the social network patterns of empathic and non-empathic communications. For example, members are more connected and closer to each other in the social networks that are based on empathic communication compared to non-empathic communication. Additionally our results show that the type of empathic communication (e.g. different kinds of support) is linked to the social network structure within the discussion board. | URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/3954 | ISSN: | 07475632 | DOI: | 10.1016/j.chb.2009.05.001 | Rights: | © Elsevier | Type: | Article | Affiliation : | City University London |
Appears in Collections: | Άρθρα/Articles |
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