The Presentation of Selfie in Everyday Life:Considering the Relationship Between Social Media Design and User in the Online Actions and Interactions of Young People

Against a backdrop of young people increasingly using an array of social media platforms for a range of social activities [20], accessed through a variety of devices [27], this paper reports upon the findings of a research project considering the effect of these platforms upon the actions and interactions of young people. Reporting on findings from a series of interviews conducted over the course of a year with nine participants, the research discusses the participants' thoughts and impressions of the platforms, their uses of specific features, their social actions and interactions, and the effects of changes in their offline lives and their specific socio- cultural situations upon their online interactions. The findings reveal a range of social media engagements by young people across a wide array of platforms, with the participants' specific concerns and needs shaping how they engaged with social media. It was also found that the platforms played a role in shaping the actions and interactions of the young people, limiting what was possible for them and informing how they approached social interaction on each platform. As such, it was noted that online social interactions are increasingly nuanced and multi-faceted, and therefore an approach towards analyzing interactions online needs to account for the interplay between design and user from which unique and ongoing interactions emerge

Understanding the social in a digital age

Datafication, algorithms, social media and their various assemblages enable massive connective processes, enriching personal interaction and amplifying the scope and scale of public networks. At the same time, surveillance capitalists and the social quantification sector are committed to monetizing every aspect of human communication, all of which threaten ideal social qualities, such as togetherness and connection. This Special Issue brings together a range of voices and provocations around ‘the social’, all of which aim to critically interrogate mediated human connection and their contingent socialities. Conventional methods may no longer be adequate, and we must rethink not only the fabric of the social but the very tools we use to make sense of our changing social formations. This Special Issue raises shared concerns with what the social means today, unpicking and rethinking the seams between digitization and social life that characterize today’s digital age

Assessing quality of life in a clinical study on heart rehabilitation patients: how well do value sets based on given or experienced health states reflect patients' valuations?

Background: Quality of life as an endpoint in a clinical study may be sensitive to the value set used to derive a single score. Focusing on patients' actual valuations in a clinical study, we compare different value sets for the EQ-5D-3L and assess how well they reproduce patients' reported results. Methods: A clinical study comparing inpatient (n = 98) and outpatient (n = 47) rehabilitation of patients after an acute coronary event is re-analyzed. Value sets include: 1. Given health states and time-trade-off valuation (GHS-TTO) rendering economic utilities;2. Experienced health states and valuation by visual analog scale (EHS-VAS). Valuations are compared with patient-reported VAS rating. Accuracy is assessed by mean absolute error (MAE) and by Pearson's correlation.. External validity is tested by correlation with established MacNew global scores. Drivers of differences between value sets and VAS are analyzed using repeated measures regression. Results: EHS-VAS had smaller MAEs and higher. in all patients and in the inpatient group, and correlated best with MacNew global score. Quality-adjusted survival was more accurately reflected by EHS-VAS. Younger, better educated patients reported lower VAS at admission than the EHS-based value set. EHS-based estimates were mostly able to reproduce patient-reported valuation. Economic utility measurement is conceptually different, produced results less strongly related to patients' reports, and resulted in about 20 % longer quality-adjusted survival. Conclusion: Decision makers should take into account the impact of choosing value sets on effectiveness results. For transferring the results of heart rehabilitation patients from another country or from another valuation method, the EHS-based value set offers a promising estimation option for those decision makers who prioritize patient-reported valuation. Yet, EHS-based estimates may not fully reflect patient-reported VAS in all situations

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

All the Web’s a Stage: The Effects of Design and Modality on Youth Performances of Identity

Purpose: Online Social Networking Sites (SNSs) such as Facebook and Twitter have become increasingly popular in the last decade. Each SNS varies somewhat, with different forms of expression, communication and customization. Different sites may have different priorities, methods of interacting, social features and definitions of what it means to be ‘social’ on their sites. Methodology/approach: This paper reports on 2 months of exploratory observations and interviews with participants using two of the most popular SNSs; Facebook.com and Twitter.com. Paying attention to the modal nuances of the sites and their effect on social interaction and identity portrayal, the focus of analysis is upon how these two sites are interacted with as ‘stages’ for identity performances, and how the varying aspects of design and modality on these interactive sites can result in different multimodal identity performances and social interactions. Findings: Data revealed that youth are adeptly able to negotiate the different modal options presented to them online, yet the temporal aspects presented by the design of the site, the differing definitions and priorities in the framing of identity presented by the SNSs, and the modal choices present across the two sites resulted in markedly differing presentations of identity to markedly differing audiences. Originality/value: This research demonstrates the impact of modality and design on how we act and interact, and highlights that as Digital Sociologists and Researchers, we should be careful not to treat all Online SNSs the same, but pay attention to the plethora of nuances these sites offer as stages for identity performances

Chemical Control of the Dimensionality of the Octahedral Network of Solar Absorbers from the Cul-Agl-Bil(3) Phase Space by Synthesis of 3D CuAgBil(5)

[Image: see text] A newly reported compound, CuAgBiI(5), is synthesized as powder, crystals, and thin films. The structure consists of a 3D octahedral Ag(+)/Bi(3+) network as in spinel, but occupancy of the tetrahedral interstitials by Cu(+) differs from those in spinel. The 3D octahedral network of CuAgBiI(5) allows us to identify a relationship between octahedral site occupancy (composition) and octahedral motif (structure) across the whole CuI–AgI–BiI(3) phase field, giving the ability to chemically control structural dimensionality. To investigate composition–structure–property relationships, we compare the basic optoelectronic properties of CuAgBiI(5) with those of Cu(2)AgBiI(6) (which has a 2D octahedral network) and reveal a surprisingly low sensitivity to the dimensionality of the octahedral network. The absorption onset of CuAgBiI(5) (2.02 eV) barely changes compared with that of Cu(2)AgBiI(6) (2.06 eV) indicating no obvious signs of an increase in charge confinement. Such behavior contrasts with that for lead halide perovskites which show clear confinement effects upon lowering dimensionality of the octahedral network from 3D to 2D. Changes in photoluminescence spectra and lifetimes between the two compounds mostly derive from the difference in extrinsic defect densities rather than intrinsic effects. While both materials show good stability, bulk CuAgBiI(5) powder samples are found to be more sensitive to degradation under solar irradiation compared to Cu(2)AgBiI(6)