Social Connectivity, Sentiment and Participation on Twitter during COVID-19.

In a transnational context defined by the irruption of COVID-19 and the social isolation it has generated around the world, social networking sites are essential channels for communicating and developing new forms of social coexistence based on connectivity and interaction. This study analyzes the feelings expressed on Twitter through the hashtags #YoMeQuedoEnCasa, #stayhome, #jeresteàlamaison, #restealamaison, #stoacasa, #restaacasa, #ficaemcasa, #euficoemcasa, #ichbleibezuHause and #Bleibzuhause, and the communicative and social processes articulated from network participation, during the lockdown in 2020. Through Gephi software, the aspects underlying the communicative interaction and the distribution of the network at a global level are studied, with the identification of leaderships, communities and connectivity nodes. As a result of this interaction, the emergence of social and organizational links derived from community participation and motivated by the common interest of preserving health and general wellbeing through collective action is detected. The study notes the presence of feelings of solidarity, a sense of community and social support among connected crowds who, despite being in geographically dispersed settings, share similar concerns about the virus effect.

Connectedness, engagement, and learning through social work communities on LinkedIn / La conectividad, la implicación y el aprendizaje mediante comunidades de trabajo social en LinkedIn

Social networking sites have enabled a high connectedness leading to unprecedented interactive dynamics. Social workers are using these digital means and are generating communities of practice through which they cooperate and shareinformation. Through netnography and analysis of social networking sites we have observed the presence, identity, and connectedness, and interaction patterns on LinkedIn of 170 social workers who worked at 41 organizations from specificcontexts. Implicit communities were identified through various algorithms, thus analyzing leadership and cohesion of their members. Results show connectedness and interaction patterns that lead to the creation of communities of practice on LinkedIn based on social work domains and practices. The possibility of establishing and maintaining relationships on LinkedIn and applying social networking sites to social intervention as an innovative strategy to improve information exchange and cooperation between professionals and organizations is addressed in the discussion

La mayor conectividad que ofrecen las redes sociales online ha posibilitado el auge de dinámicas interactivas inéditas hasta hace poco. Los trabajadores sociales están utilizando estos medios digitales, generando comunidades de práctica desdelas que intercambian información y cooperan. Utilizando netnografía y análisis de redes sociales hemos observamos la presencia, la identidad y las pautas de conectividad e interacción en LinkedIn de 170 trabajadores sociales que trabajabanen 41 organizaciones en un contexto determinado. Mediante determinados algoritmos hemos identificado comunidades implícitas, analizando la cohesión entre los miembros. Los resultados revelan pautas de conectividad e interacción que dan lugar a comunidades de práctica en LinkedIn en torno a dominios y prácticas de los trabajadores sociales. Se discuten las posibilidades de establecer y mantener relaciones en LinkedIn y la oportunidad de incorporar las redes sociales onlinea la intervención social como fórmula de innovación social que mejore el intercambio de información y la cooperación entre profesionales y organizacionen

Social Networking Sites and Youth Transition: The Use of Facebook and Personal Well-Being of Social Work Young Graduates.

Research on youth transitions, and the well-being of young people, has to take into consideration the digital context in which they are immersed. Digital interaction of young people increase year by year, social networking sites play a key role in their personal and professional relationships, and a very high percentage of jobs require digital skills. According to Eurostat (2019), participating on social networking sites (one of the most common online activities in the EU-28), is growing every year [more than half (56%) of individuals aged 16-74 used the internet for social networking sites], and this percentage increases among the younger generations. In this article, we present the results of our research on the digital skills and well-being of young people on Facebook, based on a survey with a sample of 126 young people graduated from the University of Málaga (School of Social Work) (Spain). Based on certain scales, the level of digital skills that students have on Facebook was measured, considering strategic aspects for information search, level of use and presence of Facebook in life, maintenance of relations and tolerance to diversity. Variables of psychosocial well-being were also measured (social capital, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and personal well-being). Variables of digital skills on Facebook were subsequently related to well-being variables. Results show that certain digital skills relate to the well-being of young people. In this sense, we deem it crucial to develop education policies that could provide young graduates with general digital skills to be used on social networking sites.