A system dynamics approach to study virtual communities

Abstrac

Fine-grained Emotion Role Detection Based on Retweet Information

User behaviors in online social networks convey not only literal information but also one’s emotion attitudes towards the information. To compute this attitude, we define the concept of emotion role as the concentrated reflection of a user’s online emotional characteristics. Emotion role detection aims to better understand the structure and sentiments of online social networks and support further analysis, e.g., revealing public opinions, providing personalized recommendations, and detecting influential users. In this paper, we first introduce the definition of a fine-grained emotion role, which consists of two dimensions: emotion orientation (i.e., positive, negative, and neutral) and emotion influence (i.e., leader and follower). We then propose a Multi-dimensional Emotion Role Mining model, named as MERM, to determine a user’s emotion role in online social networks. Specifically, we tend to identify emotion roles by combining a set of features that reflect a user’s online emotional status, including degree of emotional characteristics, accumulated emotion preference, structural factor, temporal factor and emotion change factor. Experiment results on a real-life micro-blog reposting dataset show that the classification accuracy of the proposed model can achieve up to 90.1%

Identification of Online Users' Social Status via Mining User-Generated Data

With the burst of available online user-generated data, identifying online users’ social status via mining user-generated data can play a significant role in many commercial applications, research and policy-making in many domains. Social status refers to the position of a person in relation to others within a society, which is an abstract concept. The actual definition of social status is specific in terms of specific measure indicator. For example, opinion leadership measures individual social status in terms of influence and expertise in an online society, while socioeconomic status characterizes personal real-life social status based on social and economic factors. Compared with traditional survey method which is time-consuming, expensive and sometimes difficult, some efforts have been made to identify specific social status of users based on specific user-generated data using classic machine learning methods. However, in fact, regarding specific social status identification based on specific user-generated data, the specific case has several specific challenges. However, classic machine learning methods in existing works fail to address these challenges, which lead to low identification accuracy. Given the importance of improving identification accuracy, this thesis studies three specific cases on identification of online and offline social status. For each work, this thesis proposes novel effective identification method to address the specific challenges for improving accuracy. The first work aims at identifying users’ online social status in terms of topic-sensitive influence and knowledge authority in social community question answering sites, namely identifying topical opinion leaders who are both influential and expert. Social community question answering (SCQA) site, an innovative community question answering platform, not only offers traditional question answering (QA) services but also integrates an online social network where users can follow each other. Identifying topical opinion leaders in SCQA has become an important research area due to the significant role of topical opinion leaders. However, most previous related work either focus on using knowledge expertise to find experts for improving the quality of answers, or aim at measuring user influence to identify influential ones. In order to identify the true topical opinion leaders, we propose a topical opinion leader identification framework called QALeaderRank which takes account of both topic-sensitive influence and topical knowledge expertise. In the proposed framework, to measure the topic-sensitive influence of each user, we design a novel influence measure algorithm that exploits both the social and QA features of SCQA, taking into account social network structure, topical similarity and knowledge authority. In addition, we propose three topic-relevant metrics to infer the topical expertise of each user. The extensive experiments along with an online user study show that the proposed QALeaderRank achieves significant improvement compared with the state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, we analyze the topic interest change behaviors of users over time and examine the predictability of user topic interest through experiments. The second work focuses on predicting individual socioeconomic status from mobile phone data. Socioeconomic Status (SES) is an important social and economic aspect widely concerned. Assessing individual SES can assist related organizations in making a variety of policy decisions. Traditional approach suffers from the extremely high cost in collecting large-scale SES-related survey data. With the ubiquity of smart phones, mobile phone data has become a novel data source for predicting individual SES with low cost. However, the task of predicting individual SES on mobile phone data also proposes some new challenges, including sparse individual records, scarce explicit relationships and limited labeled samples, unconcerned in prior work restricted to regional or household-oriented SES prediction. To address these issues, we propose a semi-supervised Hypergraph based Factor Graph Model (HyperFGM) for individual SES prediction. HyperFGM is able to efficiently capture the associations between SES and individual mobile phone records to handle the individual record sparsity. For the scarce explicit relationships, HyperFGM models implicit high-order relationships among users on the hypergraph structure. Besides, HyperFGM explores the limited labeled data and unlabeled data in a semi-supervised way. Experimental results show that HyperFGM greatly outperforms the baseline methods on individual SES prediction with using a set of anonymized real mobile phone data. The third work is to predict social media users’ socioeconomic status based on their social media content, which is useful for related organizations and companies in a range of applications, such as economic and social policy-making. Previous work leverage manually defined textual features and platform-based user level attributes from social media content and feed them into a machine learning based classifier for SES prediction. However, they ignore some important information of social media content, containing the order and the hierarchical structure of social media text as well as the relationships among user level attributes. To this end, we propose a novel coupled social media content representation model for individual SES prediction, which not only utilizes a hierarchical neural network to incorporate the order and the hierarchical structure of social media text but also employs a coupled attribute representation method to take into account intra-coupled and inter-coupled interaction relationships among user level attributes. The experimental results show that the proposed model significantly outperforms other stat-of-the-art models on a real dataset, which validate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed model

Turning the tide? : The role of participation and learning in strengthening Tidal River Management in the Bangladesh Delta

This thesis analyses the role of participation and learning in enabling more sustainable land and water management processes in the southwest coastal delta of Bangladesh. A large portion of this coastal delta is frequently flooded, in part due to the waterlogging and drainage congestion caused by large-scale structural engineering (e.g. the creation of embankments and polders). To relieve drainage congestion and restore rivers and conserve tidal nature in this area, the Tidal River Management (TRM) approach has become the formally accepted strategy of Bangladesh’s public-sector water management. Local communities had earlier established the TRM process, which has its roots in indigenous knowledge, without the support of government authorities, but in 2001 it was approved formally as a novel re-interpretation of the polder concept. This thesis aims to explore whether this new shift in emphasis towards a centring of learning and participation for developing stakeholders’ capacity to flood risk reduction in Bangladesh delta. It focusses on innovative ‘delta triangular’ (Δ) relationships using a socio-eco-technical systems approach, social learning orientation, conflict and co-operation dynamics and multi-stakeholder process for exploring TRM as a modality of adaptive delta management. The people of the southwest part of Bangladesh delta have adapted to the forces of nature (storm surges-salinity-flooding) for generations. They have traditional wisdom and some practical knowledge to face the hazards. It would stand to reason that the community people have the right to take part in the delta management system in this area. However, effective participation and sustainable stakeholder co-ordination is still challenging in the existing management approach which is theoretically introduced as multi-stakeholder process, but is not functional in practice. Within this thesis, the General Introduction (Chapter 1) is concerned with defining the aim of the overall thesis as it intends to contribute to an understanding of how learning and change processes have developed (or, as the case may be, failed to develop) in adapting a delta management system and how multi-stakeholder approaches are utilized. The overall strategy includes documentary research, local surveys, multi-stakeholder focus groups both with subgroups and all aforementioned communities to enable social learning, dialogue and co-ordination. A historical analysis is made of the origins of TRM and the continuing struggles local stakeholders face with government agencies concerning this innovation. Chapter 2 explores the transitions of delta management in Bangladesh, following the history of the waterlogging hazard in the Southwest and strategies to deal with it. Transformation of the dynamic delta system is also outlined here under a multi-dimensional socio-eco-technical approach that shows bio-physical restoration, socio-economic transformation and socio-institutional adaptation due to TRM implementation in the southwest delta in Bangladesh. Evolution and formalization of Tidal River Management (TRM) has restored the river’s capacity, reduced waterlogging and improved agricultural land in the study area. The developed land reforms made tremendous changes in the production system, introducing large-scale agro-fisheries mixed cultivation in most of the beel (depression) areas. Due to the intensive shrimp aquacultures in saline water, severe environmental degradation and ecological imbalance occurred in this sensitive area. This chapter also discusses community institutionalization, change in conflict and complexities within adaptive delta management. To improve the understanding of Tidal River Management in the Southwest delta in Bangladesh, Chapter 3 analyzes four cases of TRM from a social learning perspective. Formal and informal TRM cases were investigated following an integrated participatory evaluation based on individual and organizational learning outputs regarding the adaptation of TRM. Individuals and groups of community stakeholders have gained and shared knowledge through their experiences and efforts. Although government agencies and other involved organizations leave some space for experimenting and monitoring, they rarely practice knowledge sharing and exchange with others due to their entanglement in a complex bureaucratic system. Social learning processes in most cases of TRM that seem to dominate, represent individual and single-loop learning, that is, learning to improve existing practices. Only a few instances of double-loop learning were found. Hence, a rethinking of assumptions and strategies to change the process was rare. It was found hard to ascertain double or triple-loop learning particularly, because of stakeholders’ fixation on pre-determined TRM goals, leaving little room for deeper reflection. Chapter 4 analyses the conflicts and cooperation in a local (and regional) delta management system with planning and practicing Tidal River Management (TRM) by applying a modified Transboundary Water Interaction Nexus model which provides a clearer understanding of the conflict and co-operation dynamic in local water governance. Applying the model, revealed that the recently the conflict continuum has become more “powerized” and “violized” than before while co-operation has declined significantly. This research indeed found conflict and cooperation to coexist, with a predominance of conflict, and recommends incorporation of multiple-scales of analysis of conflict and cooperation (i.e. political, local/regional and policy scale) in this complex delta management system. Since Chapter 3 showed that social learning only took place sporadically in formal and informal TRM cases, Chapter 5 looked at the presence of social learning in stakeholder participation in management transitions and at the levers and obstacles that emerge. Using a participatory evaluation methodology, problems and prospects of effective stakeholder participation in the delta management focusing on Tidal River Management in Bangladesh were investigated. The result shows that multi-stakeholder partnerships have rarely functioned in government-implemented delta management projects. In regional water governance, trust and commitment is even declining in the social network due to a gap in learning integration. It appears that a generative learning partnership needs to exist both horizontally and vertically, and needs to be more equitable to enable more effective participation, successful social learning and, ultimately, sustainable delta management. Chapter 6 delineates and integrates main findings, reflections and recommendations. The thesis, as a multi-purposive learning process, led to a clearer understanding of the complexities of implementing and supporting multi-stakeholder networks and communities, and of creating societal impact in the context of TRM adaptation. The challenges in this delta management are connected as much to or even more to institutional, social and political aspects than to the physical domains. The final chapters of the thesis focus on some of the cross-cutting issues that are emerging and on some of the difficulties encountered during the research. The major restrictions this research reveals are the gaps in actions and interactions between communities, authorities and other development agencies, but also the limitations of learning between individuals’ and organizations. This chapter recommends to integrate social learning in multi-stakeholder partnerships within the delta management system as a way to facilitate multi-actor participation and to improve the effectiveness of delta water management practices.</p

Factors influencing information service quality of the information platform of Wenzhou Municipal People's Hospital

Along with the global trend of informatization, Internet has become a new mainstream media form following such forms as print media, television and broadcast media, via which people can access information services. As a country with the largest number of netizens around the world, China enjoys improving social information services based on the Internet. With such a large quantity of network users, it is inevitable for China's hospitals at various levels to provide patients and the public with information services by setting up their own official websites. This research investigates the factors affecting the information service quality of Wenzhou People's Hospital (WZPH) and by means of Delphi method, statistical analysis and other research methods, formulates the Evaluation Indicator System for the Information Service Quality of WZPH's Information Platform. The research applies this system to the empirical research on the information service quality of the hospital's website and then makes a comparative analysis between the research results and traffic data of the websites of other hospitals over the same period. Next, the research identifies the factors affecting the information service quality of WZPH's website and finds out how the hospital may increase its website users and traffic through improving its service quality. This research starts with the determination of the objectives, significance, research problems, framework, contents and methods of the research. In the following literature review, the research sorts out papers on hospital websites and theories on service quality, users' information needs and customer satisfaction in a systematic way. Based on the literature review as well as expert consultations and theoretical review, the research determines the approach to examining the information service quality of WZPH's information platform and works out the initial set of evaluation dimensions and indicators of the information service function and quality of the hospital's website. Then, via two rounds of expert consultations, the research figures out the weights of these indicators and further assigns values to each of them. On this basis, the research establishes a research framework and a comprehensive evaluation model for the information service quality of WZPH's information platform. In the end, the research conducts two surveys respectively on the information service quality of WZPH's information platform before and after its overall revision by using Hospital Website Information Service Evaluation Form and Virtual User Questionnaire, and makes a correlation analysis based on the survey results and the flow data of other hospitals' websites over the same period. The analysis draws a conclusion that the website of WZPH, as the information platform of the hospital, is the only carrier to deliver information service, thus playing a vital role in WZPH's overall service quality. In other words, the website of WZPH affects the hospital's overall service quality to a large extent. The comprehensive service function of WZPH's website are important to the quality improvement of the hospital's information service and directly affect the information service quality, the number of users as well as utilization rate of the website

Communication Balance in the Telematic Society and Users’ Technical Imagination

Diese Studie ist eine explorative Forschungsarbeit die darauf abzielt, Stimmen und Ansichten von NutzerInnen sozialer Medien, im Zusammenspiel mit dem theoretischen Gerüst von Flussers Kommunikationstheorie, zu beleuchten. Konkreter gesprochen wird diese Studie empirisch untersuchen, wie Menschen soziale Medien als dialogische Kommunikationsmedien im Vergleich zu Massenmedien als diskursives Kommunikationsmedium wahrnehmen und nutzen. Auf Ergebnissen empirischer Untersuchung beruhend, wird diese Studie die Folge davon für das Kommunikationsgleichgewicht erschließen. Diese Studie führte ein Fokusgruppeninterview mit koreanischen NutzerInnen sozialer Medien durch. Insgesamt wurden für das Interview 24 koreanische NutzerInnen von sozialen Medien durch das Stichprobenverfahren befragt. Die Befragten waren KoreanerInnen in den 20igern bis 30igern, die in der Provinz Seoul und Gyeonggi, Südkorea, leben. Die Analyse des Inhaltes wurde gemäß der Methode der qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse (Mayring, 2000) durchgeführt. Diese Studie erweist, dass die Entwicklung von sozialen Medien uns die Möglichkeit für das Wachsen von dialogischer Kommunikation gibt, um ein Gegengewicht zur Dominanz des diskursiven Medienkomplexes zu sein. Nicht desto trotz ist um dieses Ideal zu erzielen noch viel zu beheben. Es scheint dringend und wichtig für die Entwicklung von sozialen Medien zu sein, die Techno-Imagination des Nutzers herauszubilden, wenn man die Ergebnisse dieser Studie betrachtet. Die Forschung über die Nutzerwahrnehmung und -Aktivität von sozialen Medien hat verdeutlicht, das dass Potential von sozialen Medien durch die Techno-Imagination des Nutzers voll ausgeschöpft werden kann. Die Wege öffnen sich für uns entweder zu einer telematischen Gesellschaft, wo die diskursive und dialogische Kommunikation ausgeglichen ist oder zum Totalitarismus, der von einem diskursiven Medienkomplex, wie Flusser darlegt, dominiert wird. In welche Richtung wir gehen hängt von den Bemühungen ab den aktiven Nutzer mit Techno-Imagination zu entwickeln.:1. Introduction to the Study 1.1 The Problem Statement and Purpose of Study 1.2 Research Questions 1.3 Structure of the Thesis 2. Flusser’s Theory of the Telematic Society 2.1 Major Themes of Flusser’s Communication Theory 2.1.1 Proposition of Communication 2.1.2 Historical Typology of Communication 2.1.3 Balance of Communication 2.2 Imbalance in Communication in the Age of Technical Images 2.2.1 A Mechanism and a Function of Technical Images 2.2.2 The Media System in the Age of Technical Images 2.2.3 Domination of Technical Images and Mass Deception 2.3 Prospects for Communication Balance in the Telematic Society 2.3.1 A Communication Structure of the Telematic Society 2.3.2 Users of the Telematic Society 2.3.3 Socio-Cultural Characteristics of the Telematic Society 3. Development of the Telematic Society 3.1 Current State of the Telematic Technology 3.1.1 The Emergence of Social Media 3.1.2 A Growth in Social Media Users 3.2 The Development of Dialogical Media Culture 3.2.1 Diversification of Information Media Use 3.2.2 A Growth of Dialogical Information Activity 3.2.3 The Development of Networked Political Activism 3.3 Current Obstacles to the Telematic Society 3.3.1 Users’ Passivity in Social Media 3.3.2 New Power Concentration of the Web 3.3.3 The Rise of National Webs and Danger of State’s Control on the Web 4. Users’ Perception and Practice in the Telematic Society 4.1 Research Method and Analysis 4.2 Analysis of Focus Group Interviews 4.2.1 Use of Social Media 4.2.2 Users’ Perception and Evaluation of Social Media 5. Implication of Users’ Technical Imagination and Communication Balance 5.1 A Typology of Social Media Users and Technical Imagination 5.1.1 Critical Active Users 5.1.2 Pragmatic Users 5.1.3 Critical Information Seekers 5.1.4 Skeptical Users 5.1.5 Conservative Users 5.2 Implication for Communication Balance 5.2.1 Possibility of the Growth of Telematic Users 5.2.2 Promotion of Users’ Competences for Communication Balance 6. Conclusion and Recommendations for Further Study 6.1 Conclusion 6.2 Recommendations Bibliography Appendix Abstrac

Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Organisations: The Case of Open Source Software Communities

The knowledge-based economy, where everything and everybody is just one click away, has formed the foundation for a new organisational form. The term ‘virtual organisation’ (VO) reflects the emergence of a new organisational form with a record of success in the modern business environment, where knowledge has become a key component. Managing knowledge is the main driver in the knowledge-based economy. One of the best examples of such organisational forms with successful knowledge sharing processes is open source software (OSS) communities. This justifies my thesis, which undertakes primary research in OSS communities via qualitative and quantitative studies to find out how and to what extent knowledge is shared in those communities, in order to develop a Model for successful knowledge sharing processes in the VOs. The following factors in the Model, which influence the level of personal contribution in the OSS communities, were found. The level of personal contribution as an indicator to knowledge sharing for product innovation is a result of a combination of individual factors as well as individual opinion on the organisational factors. Factors such as an education level/explicit knowledge, incentives/benefits for the future and monetary reward do not play a role on their own, but they influence the level of roles and the level of activeness, which in turn influence the level of knowledge sharing, which is important for the level of personal contribution on product innovation. Personal and work related motivations are important factors to successful knowledge sharing inside OSS communities. However, most importantly, the level of personal contribution towards product innovation is a result of the satisfaction of individuals by the management of the OSS communities, identification with these communities and trust inside of these communities. The developed Model shows that organisational factors are more important than individual factors for successful knowledge sharing inside OSS communities from an individual’s perspective

Themes and Participants’ Role in Online Health Discussion: Evidence From Reddit

Health-related topics are discussed widely on different social networking sites. These discussions and their related aspects can reveal significant insights and patterns that are worth studying and understanding. In this dissertation, we explore the patterns of mandatory and voluntary vaccine online discussions including the topics discussed, the words correlated with each of them, and the sentiment expressed. Moreover, we explore the role opinion leaders play in the health discussion and their impact on participation in a particular discussion. Opinion leaders are determined, and their impact on discussion participation is differentiated based on their different characteristics such as their connections and locations in the social network, their content, and their sentiment. We apply social network analysis, topic modeling, sentiment analysis, machine learning, econometric analysis, and other techniques to analyze the collected data from Reddit. The results of our analyses show that sentiment is an important factor in health discussion, and it varies between different types of discussions. In addition, we identified the main topics discussed for each vaccine. Furthermore, the results of our study found that global opinion leaders have more influence compared to local opinion leaders in elevating the health discussion. Our study has important theoretical and practical implications