Building relationships on social networking sites from a social work approach |
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| Authors: | Joaquín Castillo De Mesa Luis Gómez Jacinto Antonio López Peláez Maria De Las Olas Palma García |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asian Studies, University of Málaga , Málaga, Spain jcastillodemesa@uma.es!["ORCID]("//:0" "\"ORCID") https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5022-6794;3. Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asian Studies, University of Málaga , Málaga, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0270-5405;4. Department of Social Work, National Distance Education University , Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0908-4821;5. Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asian Studies, University of Málaga , Málaga, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1271-5604 |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Our current age of connectedness has facilitated a boom in interactive dynamics within social networking sites. It is, therefore, possible for the field of Social Work to draw on these advantages in order to connect with the unconnected by strengthening online mutual support networks among users. The aim of this article is to examine whether ‘connectedness’ in social networking sites improves online social capital and resilience of social service users. Through our analysis of social networks carried out on an experimental model, we observed the patterns of connectedness on Facebook of 50 social service end-users from Málaga, Spain. The detection of online communities through the modularity algorithm has allowed us to ascertain whether individuals’ offline realities mirror their online realities. At the same time, we examined the influence certain interactions (likes, comments, etc.) have on leadership through online ethnography. Finally, online social capital, understood as the combination of connectedness and online interaction, has been correlated with users’ resilience. The results reveal that both connectedness and interaction feed themselves and have correlations with resilience. |
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| Keywords: | Relationships connectedness interaction communities social mirror social work |
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!["ORCID]({"type":"image","src":"/templates/jsp/images/orcid.png"} "\"ORCID")
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5022-6794;3. Department of Social Psychology, Social Work, Social Anthropology and East Asian Studies, University of Málaga , Málaga, Spain