In this paper we discuss the general approach and choices we made in developing a prototype of a social media monitor. The main goal of the museum monitor is to offer museum professionals and researchers better insight in the effects of their own social media usage and compare this with other actors in the cultural heritage sector. It gives researchers the opportunity to consider communication within the sector as whole. In the research project “Museum Compass” we have developed a prototype of a social media monitor, which contains data of current and historic online activities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and Flickr of all registered Dutch museums. We discuss – mostly in a practical sense – our approach for developing the monitor and give a few examples as a result of its usage.
The use of social networking and e-health technology through mobile (and other) devices, like smartphones and tablets, has been increasing in the last 20 years. This is equally true for people in marginalized situations, like homeless people. Earlier research shows that the majority of homeless people own a smart phone (Heaslip et al., 2021) and that mobile technology has the potential to support the health and wellbeing of persons who are homeless (Calvo & Carbonell, 2019). In our presentation, we will explore this potential further and shed light on how and why online social networking is used by homeless people and their social workers.We will present findings from our two-year qualitative research project ‘Social Network First?’ on network support offered to homeless people in Amsterdam and Haarlem, two cities in the Netherlands. In the recent decade, the Netherlands has seen the number of homeless people doubled (CBS, 2021) and the urgency to support this disadvantaged group has increased. Whereas policy in previous years focused predominantly on a ‘housing first’ approach, in which the main priority is to accommodate homeless people, the belief grows that this approach is not sufficient. For that reason, in addition to housing, Dutch shelter organizations are implementing a novel network support approach in the care of homeless people. With this approach, loosely based on the resource group method, social workers attempt to empower their homeless clients by involving and strengthening their clients’ social contacts. To understand the network support approach and its contribution to the empowerment of homeless people, we have conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with homeless people, their relatives and friends, social workers, and other professionals involved. The analysis of the interview data reveals that online social networking is of crucial importance for the network support approach. Our (preliminary) results show that especially WhatsApp is used by social workers to connect the homeless person to his/her social network in two ways. Firstly, WhatsApp is used for thoroughly mapping the social network of the client. Secondly, WhatsApp is used to create an online support group, which offers the client and his/her network possibilities for (re)connection and mutual support. In addition, WhatsApp is used extensively by social workers to easily maintain contact with homeless clients. This is important because, especially with clients who are not ready yet to work on their recovery, using WhatsApp allows social workers to just check in once in a while, while giving control of the process to the client. Whereas these results are predominantly positive, we will also discuss the cons of social networking technology, like privacy issues. In conclusion, our presentation offers a comprehensive exploration of the opportunities of social networking technology in the context of supporting homeless people. By examining the implications for social workers, we aim to inspire attendees with insights in how digital communication methods can be used to improve their social work practice. Subsequently, we aspire this contributes to developing pathways out of homelessness with the help of others.
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Worldwide, a third of all adults is suffering from feelings of loneliness, with a peak at young adulthood (15-25 years old). Loneliness has serious consequences for mental and physical health and should therefore be urgently addressed. However, existing interventions targeting loneliness mainly focus on older adults [1], and rarely consider the physical living environment, while studies prove that the physical environment (e.g. amenities, green, walkability, liveliness) has a significant impact on loneliness. Collaboration between the psychosocial and physical domains is key, to gain insight into the mechanisms and pathways linking characteristics of the physical living environment and loneliness among young adults and which spatial interventions are effective in managing loneliness. The main research questions are thus: how are physical environment and loneliness related, and which interventions should be implemented? The I BELONG proposal aims to build a European consortium that will address these questions. WP1 encompasses collaboration and networking activities that will form the basis for future collaboration, for instance a European research grant application. WP2 will provide insight in the pathways linking spatial attributes and loneliness. This will be achieved by doing a systematic literature review, a photovoice and interview study to collect data on specific locations that affect young people’s experiences with loneliness, and Group Model Building with experts. Building on this, WP3 aims to co-create spatial interventions with partners and young adults, and test ‘proof of concept’ interventions with virtual environments among young adults. WP3 will result in a spatial intervention toolkit. This project has both societal and scientific impact, as it will provide knowledge on pathways between physical environment characteristics and feelings of loneliness among young people, evidence of what spatial interventions work, and design guidelines that can be used in urban design and management that can contribute to managing loneliness and related health risks.
ILIAD builds on the assets resulting from two decades of investments in policies and infrastructures for the blue economy and aims at establishing an interoperable, data-intensive, and cost-effective Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO). It capitalizes on the explosion of new data provided by many different earth sources, advanced computing infrastructures (cloud computing, HPC, Internet of Things, Big Data, social networking, and more) in an inclusive, virtual/augmented, and engaging fashion to address all Earth Data challenges. It will contribute towards a sustainable ocean economy as defined by the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Ocean, a hub for global, multi-stakeholder co-operation.
