Analysis of social innovation on social networking services

ABSTRACT

Social network services are allowing more social connectivity and making possible sharing information and knowledge of a different nature. This article analyses if social workers related to active social policies from Malaga province (Spain) are using social network services to share information and knowledge and if there is a mirror between online and offline relationships. Since it is an experimental model, through virtual ethnography and through social network analysis methodology, we observed the presence, connectivity and analysed the structure of relationships that keep 235 professionals from 52 organizations in Facebook®. Moreover, the model uses the statistical technique of modularity for detecting online communities, which are compared with distribution of professionals in their organizations. Results show how social network services applied to social intervention are massively and frequently used by professionals. On the other hand, the detected communities reflect existence of analogy between online and offline relationships. The online structure shows a high degree of cohesion and how certain professionals have higher capacity of influence and diffusion depending on position in the online structure. It argues about the opportunity to incorporate social network services towards social intervention as a manner of social innovation to improve cooperation and diffusion of information and knowledge.

RESUMEN

Los servicios de redes sociales virtuales están permitiendo mayor conectividad social y hacienda possible dinámicas interactivas de distinto tipo. Este artículo analiza si los trabajadores sociales están usando las redes sociales virtuales para compartir información y conocimiento relacionado con el ámbito de la intervención social. Desde un modelo experimental y a través de la técnica de la etnografía virtual y de la metodología de análisis de redes sociales se observa la presencia y conectividad que mantienen en Facebook@ 235 profesionales que trabajan para 52 organizaciones de Málaga (España). Se analiza la estructura de relaciones que forman estos profesionales en Facebook@ y se indaga quiénes son los nodos líderes e intermediadores y se estas posiciones influyen en cómo y cuándo se adopta y difunde esta innovación social. Se utiliza el algoritmo de modularidad para detectar comunidades online, las cuales son comparadas con la distribución de los profesionales en sus organizaciones para comprobar si las relaciones online son un reflejo de las relaciones offline. Finalmente se investiga si se acortan las distancias sociales en Facebook@. Los resultados demuestran cómo los servicios de redes sociales virtuales aplicados a la intervención son adoptados y usados de forma frecuente y masiva por los trabajadores sociales. Se evidencia que existencia analogía, en base a ciertas similitudes, entre el universe online y offline. La estructura online muestra un alto grado de cohesion y cómo ciertos profesionales tienen mayor capacidad de influencia y diffusion en función de su posición en la estructura. Se discute acerca de la oportunidad de incorporar las redes sociales virtuales como una formula de innovación social que mejore la cooperación y la diffusion de información y conocimiento.

KEYWORDS:

• Social innovation
• communities
• social network analysis
• virtual ethnography
• big social data
• social work

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Innovación social
• Comunidades
• Análisis de redes sociales
• etnografía virtual
• Big data
• trabajo Socia

Acknowledgements

I am extremely grateful for the voluntary participation of those professionals from Málaga, Spain with active social policies. I would also like to thank Andrew Morrow for his special collaboration in the fields of translation and interpretation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Joaquín Castillo de Mesa Ph.D. has been an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Málaga (Spain) since 2010 and a member of the Research Group of Quality of Life and Community and Organizational Intervention. He has been a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, and at Anglia Ruskin University. His publications include analysis of social innovations, social networks, detection of communities, combining analysis methodology of social networks with big data and applying the results to social work and intervention.

Maria de Las Olas Palma García Ph.D. is a full professor of social work and social services in the Department of Social Studies and Work at the University of Málaga (Spain) and a member of the Research Group of Quality of Life and Community and Organizational Intervention. Her publications and investigative work are principally centered on social services, resilience, social work, professional resilience in social intervention, and emergent social needs.

Luis Gómez Jacinto Ph.D. earned his B.S. in Psychology at the University of Salamanca and his Ph.D. at the University of Málaga (Spain), where he has been a full professor of social psychology since 1999. He has directed numerous dissertations and is the author and coauthor of several scientific publications related to social psychology. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Social Studies and Work at the University of Málaga. His research is centered on the application of the theory of evolution to the analysis of psychosocial processes as well as social and community intervention.