Structure of the social network of Beninese library and information professionals

This paper aims the Benin Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals’ access to individuals on the social network through the study of the structure and use of the network. Subscribers to the library association’s listserv participated in a web-based survey to identify the colleagues they could easily reach. The analysis uses social network techniques and Pajek, a social network analysis software, and focuses on centralities, prestige and sub-groups to identify the key actors required for effective information sharing within the network.The density of this is very low and suggests that intermediaries are important for the connectedness of subscribers (also referred to as actors); network centralisation is moderate and explains that some actors are central for communication among the subscribers. About 60% of the subscribers fall within one of two groups. In the first group, six subscribers are central to the network, because they are moderators of the listserv, members of the association board, or well-connected to other well-connected actors. The others fall within the isolates or had few connections.     

A regression analysis of researchers’ social network metrics on their citation performance in a college of engineering

Previous research shows that researchers’ social network metrics obtained from a collaborative output network (e.g., joint publications or co-authorship network) impact their performance determined by g-index. We use a richer dataset to show that a scholar's performance should be considered with respect to position in multiple networks. Previous research using only the network of researchers’ joint publications shows that a researcher's distinct connections to other researchers, a researcher's number of repeated collaborative outputs, and a researchers’ redundant connections to a group of researchers who are themselves well-connected has a positive impact on the researchers’ performance, while a researcher's tendency to connect with other researchers who are themselves well-connected (i.e., eigenvector centrality) had a negative impact on the researchers’ performance. Our findings are similar except that we find that eigenvector centrality has a positive impact on the performance of scholars. Moreover, our results demonstrate that a researcher's tendency toward dense local neighborhoods and the researchers’ demographic attributes such as gender should also be considered when investigating the impact of the social network metrics on the performance of researchers.     

Forming Oppositional Social Concord to California's Proposition 187 and Squelching Social Discord in the Vernacular Space of CHICLE

I examine the vernacular discourse of the CHICLE listserv, an academic site of inquiry that shifted its focus to operate as a site of opposition following California voters’ passage of Proposition 187, which aimed to restrict state services to undocumented immigrants. I identify the micro-level processes involved in forming a stance of opposition and reveal that a vernacular community's discourse tends to mirror the hegemonic characteristics of the dominant discourses it opposes, a tendency reinforced by homogeneous identity and a need to respond in opposition to dominant discourses. I also examine the role of dissent, or discord, among listserv members.     

Does site architecture matter? The political implications of public- versus private-oriented social network sites in China

Political communication researchers have shown that social network site (SNS) use and online network characteristics can impinge on people’s political attitudes and behavior. Nevertheless, individual SNSs have varying site architecture, basic design features, and functionalities, which may influence usage and online network characteristics. This study thus examines whether site architecture matters for understanding the political implications of SNSs. Specifically, this article conceptualizes the distinction between public-oriented and private-oriented SNSs. It contends that the two types of SNSs would have varying impact on political behavior through the kinds of online networks that they tend to sustain. Analysis of a survey of university students in Guangzhou, China (N?=?897), shows that respondents using public-oriented SNSs tended to have a relatively more ‘public’ online network – larger, involving more strangers, and with more connections to public actors. Some of these network characteristics in turn affected political discussion behavior. The analysis thus demonstrates how SNS architecture can indirectly impinge on individual-level political outcomes.     

Israeli public diplomacy toward the United States: a network and narrative approach

Israel’s public diplomacy efforts in the U.S. are aimed at garnering American public support for Israeli foreign policy. This study aims to identify the networks of Israeli public diplomacy toward the United States. Using the theoretical frameworks of networked public diplomacy and strategic narrative, the authors try to understand how network strategy is used and information is circulated to create a strategic narrative. Therefore, the two methods of social network analysis and qualitative content analysis are applied to identify the networks of Israeli public diplomacy in the United States and the content produced by it. The study finds that in Israel’s public diplomacy model, the networking method stands in contrast to its government-oriented strategic narrative. Thus, new forms of communication are applied to conduct old strategies. The research identifies four types of actors who apply new public diplomacy techniques and dissects the strategic narrative they employ to affect the American public in the service of Israeli interests. Despite the effort to apply new forms of public diplomacy, strategic narrative production and dissemination remain highly governmental and closed, which is indicative of the persistence of old forms of public diplomacy.     

Intertextuality and nationalism discourse: a critical discourse analysis of microblog posts in China

As an important dimension of contentious politics, online political discourse reveals crucial issues related to ideology, power, and identity in times of political struggle. Drawing on Norman Fairclough’s intertextual analysis approach within the paradigm of Critical Discourse Analysis in an online discursive context, this study examines the role of intertextuality in the discursive construction of social movements. It does so by analyzing how different social actors employ discursive tools to construct the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement in their online commentaries. Focusing on discourse, genre, and style, this study demonstrates how online texts draw from different intertextual resources and how they echo the broader nationalist discourse in China. In addition, this paper also uncovers how the circulation and combination of these intertextual resources in an authoritarian context form specific constructions of the Umbrella Movement.     

E-government policy and practice: A theoretical and empirical exploration of public e-procurement

The purpose of this paper is to theoretically and empirically explore how public e-procurement policies are translated into practice. The theoretical argument draws on actor network theory (ANT), coupled with Colebatch’s [Colebatch, H. K. (2002). Policy (2nd ed.). Maidenhead, Open University Press.] social construct of policy, to analyze the actors, actions, and circumstances through which understanding of public e-procurement comes to stabilize (or not) into a coherent policy for action. Drawing on three case studies of central government agencies in Italy, Scotland, and Western Australia, we suggest new intellectual perspectives and methodological heuristics that may assist researchers and practitioners analytical efforts in examining sociotechnical change and the implications for policy development and implementation.     

科学合作网络中节点合作效果评测与分析

指出科学合作网络中节点重要性鉴别通常是利用社会网络分析中的节点程度中心性或中介中心性来进行。这类指标并未考虑科学合作网络中的引文特性,因而并不能完全体现节点在合作网络中的重要性。比较和分析科学合作网络中各种节点影响力指标,并在B-rner提出的引用强度指标基础上进一步提出节点合作收益指标,最后以禽流感合作网络为例评测和分析科学合作网络中具有重要意义的节点。     

社交网络用户信息交互行为的伦理取向研究

论文选择微博为代表的社交媒介,从网络公共事件入手,以群体视角论述用户信息交互行为的社会责任取向,通过个案分析,阐明社交网络用户社会责任的实现途径。结果发现,在网络场域中,传统道德权威并未瓦解,社交网络中的个体行为并非完全以个人情感和利益为中心。网络用户的道德感和网络社会正义得以持续源于2个激励因素:个体的被认同感以及网络言论的公共化。社交网络用户的信息交互行为仍受传统道德、规则的约束,但存在群体极化的风险。     

Communication network dynamics during organizational crisis

Communication network is a personal or professional set of relationships between individuals or organizations. In other words, it is a pattern of contacts which are created due to the flow of information among the participating actors. The flow of information establishes various types of relationships among the participating entities. These relationships eventually form an overall pattern that could form a gestalt of the total structure within organizational context. In this paper, we analyze the changing communications structure in order to investigate the patterns associated with the final stages of organizational crisis. Organizational crisis has been defined as organizational mortality, organizational death, organizational exit, bankruptcy, decline, retrenchment and failure to characterize various forms of organizational crisis. We draw on theoretical perspectives on organizational crisis proposed by social network analysts and other sociologists to test 5 key propositions on the changes in the network communication structure associated with organizational crisis: (1) a few actors, who are prominent or more active, will become central during the organizational crisis period; (2) reciprocity within the organizational communication network will increase during crisis period; (3) organizational communication network becomes less transitive as organizations experience crisis; (4) number of cliques increases in a communication network as organizations are going through crisis; and (5) communication network becomes increasingly centralized as organizations go through crisis.     

Freshmen Engagement Through Communication: Predicting Friendship Formation Strategies and Perceived Availability of Network Resources From Communication Skills

First-time freshmen completed communication skills questionnaires at the beginning of a fall semester. Approximately 6 weeks later they completed another questionnaire regarding friendship formation strategies and the perceived availability of resources from their new social network. Results suggest that different profiles of communication skills predicted how much freshmen reported using group involvement, online social networking, disclosure, responsiveness, and invitations as friendship formation strategies. Communication skills and friendship formation strategies were also associated with the perceived availability of social, personal, and instrumental resources. Implications for freshmen's social integration into a new university environment are discussed.     

论网络语言对个体情绪社会化传播的作用

从社会建构论的角度来看,人的情绪虽然以生物性反应为基础,但主要是社会建构的结果。文化和语言是建构情绪的重要手段。个体情绪借助语言在社会网络间传播,实质是一场以情绪理解为内核的群体情感互动仪式。互联网群体传播帮助人们通过建立弱关系扩大社会网络,促进个体情绪在传播范围上的量变和情绪性质上的质变,形成社会情绪型舆论。网络语言具有表层和深层双重情绪基因,通过模因复制进行群体传播。在此过程中,网络语言具有三重效应:一是凝合效应,促进深层情绪整合,形成社会舆论;二是转移效应,其表层的娱乐性、游戏性特征能推动情绪转化,疏导社会舆论;三是沉淀效应,累积社会情绪氛围,沉淀社会参与基因,建构网络语言所诞生和维护的社会文化。     

Does Facebook Use Predict College Students’ Social Capital? A Replication of Ellison,Steinfield, and Lampe’s (2007) Study Using the Original and More Recent Measures of Facebook Use and Social Capital

In 2007 Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe published an article on the positive association between Facebook use and social capital that started a decade of research on the social outcomes of social network site use. Although cited almost 9,000 times, it received critique on the conceptualization and operationalization of Facebook use and social capital. In this study we replicate Ellison et al.’s study with original and alternative measures of social capital and Facebook use, thereby shedding light on the robustness, stability, and ecological validity of the original findings. We found that Facebook intensity positively predicts the original social capital measures, lending support to the validity of the original findings. Its relationship with structural measures, however, was weak for bridging and absent for bonding social capital.     

Biased into posting: interactions with social media network political posts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election

The 2016 U.S. presidential election saw social media continue to play an important role in citizens’ political engagement. This study examines the effect of seeing social media political post sharing on individuals’ own political post sharing. Results from a two-wave survey suggest the interplay within the network is important. Seeing others share political posts and perceiving posts were biased towards a candidate predicted sharing political posts.     

“It’s On Us.” The Role of Social Media and Rape Culture in Individual Willingness to Mobilize Against Sexual Assault

Stopping sexual violence has become a key issue in the public and media agenda. This study examines the role of social media and bystander intervention in predicting an individual’s willingness to engage in collective action against sexual violence. Two surveys were conducted in fall 2014 and early 2015 examining young adults’ views of social networking sites, rape culture, and collective action. Results indicated that gender and bystander intervention were key predictors of willingness to engage in collective action, along with the privacy concerns of social network users. Views supporting rape culture were found to have a negative association. Implications are discussed.     

Social network analysis: An approach and technique for the study of information exchange

Social network analysis is an approach and set of techniques used to study the exchange of resources among actors (i.e., individuals, groups, or organizations). One such resource is information. Regular patterns of information exchange reveal themselves as social networks, with actors as nodes in the network and information exchange relationships as connectors between nodes. Just as roads structure the flow of resources among cities, information exchange relationships structure the flow of information among actors. Social network analysis assesses information opportunities for individuals or groups of individuals in terms of exposure to and control of information. By gaining awareness of existing information exchange routes, information providers can act on information opportunities and make changes to information routes to improve the delivery of information services.     

Information networks and social media use in public diplomacy: a comparative analysis of South Korea and Japan

This article examines how South Korean and Japanese public diplomacy organizations employ digital media to embrace the principle of ‘networked public diplomacy’ through analyses of the web and social media practices. A network analysis was used to map interorganizational information networks among core public diplomacy organizations in each country. To reveal the key organizations' communication strategies on Facebook, a content analysis was also conducted. The findings indicate that Japan had a strong internal network infrastructure achieved through dispersed connections and partnerships; however, Korea had a centralized network, including a limited number of dominant actors. The results of content analysis suggest that both South Korea and Japanese public diplomats focused on promoting their cultural products and national values through their use of texts and visual images. In addition, user profile analysis gaged the degree of users' engagement in the organizations' profiles and identified the demographic features of users. Comparative data suggest the Korean public diplomacy organization was more successful at attracting and engaging with foreign public than the Japanese public diplomacy organization. These results imply that although these two countries had similar sociopolitical backgrounds and perspectives of public diplomacy, they had distinct forms of internal information networks, communication strategies, and social networking performances with public.     

Fear of Isolation and Perceived Affordances: The Spiral of Silence on Social Networking Sites Regarding Police Discrimination

The spiral of silence (SoS) framework elaborates the factors that determine whether individuals are willing to express their opinions in public. Although previous scholarship has examined differences in between face-to-face and computer-mediated communication, research studies have rarely tested how perceived affordances of the channel influence whether individuals express opinions or self-censor. In this study (N = 399), we examine several propositions of SoS within the context of discussing police discrimination on Facebook. To extend the theory’s relevance to social networking sites, we examined how users’ perceptions of network association, social presence, anonymity, and persistence related to opinion expression. Findings indicate support for some of the theory’s original tenets, as well as the role of multiple perceived affordances in determining whether people will express an opinion to their online social network. We discuss the implications for measuring and understanding political expression and silencing on social media as well as offline.     

Top-down or Bottom-up? A Network Agenda-setting Study of Chinese Nationalism on Social Media

The extent to which nationalist discourse is transferred between the authority and the people remains unclear. Taking Chinese nationalism on Weibo as a research context, this study differentiated Weibo accounts into (1) individual users, (2) influencers, and (3) organizational accounts, and it applied a network agenda-setting (NAS) approach to analyze how nationalist issues are transferred among different actors. Based on large-scale data, supervised machine learning was employed to identify issue categories, while semantic network analysis was completed to construct issue networks. The results indicate that media agenda influences individuals’ agenda while the construction of nationalism follows a bottom-up direction.     

Career Paths of Distance Education Librarians

ABSTRACT

A growing number of institutions are offering courses and degrees via distance education; however, distance education librarianship is a relatively new and often less defined field of librarianship. This paper will present the results of a survey to discover career paths leading to distance education librarianship. Based on a survey of subscribers to the OFFCAMP listserv, it asked questions such as: Is there a “typical” career path? Does previous or continuing work in other library units benefit a distance education librarian? What are the most important qualifications for a distance education librarian? Profiles of the education and experience of distance education librarians were analyzed for commonalities. The study concluded that distance education librarians come to their positions from a variety of experience, not always in libraries, but predominantly from library public service departments. A typical career path for distance education librarians is not evident at this time.