Modern social support structures: online social networks and their implications for social workers (original) (raw)

Using Facebook as a Tool for Informal Peer Support: A Case Example

Social Work Education, 2016

The social media site Facebook can provide social workers with a method to engage in informal peer support. Scholars to date have mainly focused on social media sites such as Facebook as they pertain to clinical interactions with clients, maintaining professionalism especially among social work students, using them for professional or organizational promotion, and using them as an educational tool. Informal peer groups have been found to be an effective tool to combat burn-out in high-stress professions such as social work. The use of a social media site such as Facebook for informal peer support could provide additional benefits to social workers beyond what they would experience from offline contact. This article fills a gap in the literature by describing how a group of practicing social workers use a private Facebook group for peer support, informal consultation, emotional support, and personal social connection. Given the continual high rates of job stress and burnout, social workers should consider new and innovative ways to use social media sites such as Facebook to enhance their self-care efforts.

Walter, N. (2018). Online Social Support

Interdisciplinary Contexts of Special Pedagogy, 23/2018, p. 23-52, 2018

New media are the tools that support human's intellectual functioning. For many people with disabilities they may become the sole opportunity for accessing information , communicating, learning or working. On the other hand, new media also provide a space for social interactions that could affect the process of coping with critical events both, ordinary and traumatic ones. The key concept for the discussion consists in internet-based social support, defined as support available online to a person dealing with a critical event which needs to be overcome with external resources coming from virtual groups comprising people experiencing difficulties of a similar nature, in the past or currently. The author posed the question whether online social support is ubiquitous, and what it manifests itself. To answer this, she conducted quantitative and qualitative research. The data collected then became the basis for analysis and theoretical considerations.

Social Media for Social Support

Journal of International Students, 2021

Based on 15 in-depth interviews, the present study aims to understand the common challenges international graduate students face and the coping strategies they employed, types of SNS used, and social support sought from their relationship during graduate school. Common challenges faced are loneliness, stress, feeling overwhelmed with graduate school, and difficulties adjusting to a new culture. Coping strategies include sharing experiences with relations whom they trust and understand their situation, and joining online communities via SNS. The participants use both public and private SNS to seek social support depending on the various functionalities offered. SNS use depends on the affordances such as convenience, affordability, trust issues, and privacy. Most sought-after type of social support are emotional and informational via SNS.

Supporting Child Welfare Traineeship Students through an Online Peer Network

This article describes the implementation of an online peer network for social work traineeship students pursuing or continuing careers in child welfare. Literature on best principles and practices for facilitating an online community is reviewed, and an explanation of how these best practices were used is provided. Initial program design and program developments, which took place over four years, are described. An overview of the evaluation data and how the program evaluation was carried out is presented. The article concludes with a discussion about successes and challenges experienced in building the peer network and further research needed to understand benefits of the use of online communities and social media in social work education.

Educational and Social Benefits of Social Network Sites

Concepts and Cases

Online social network sites present opportunities for human service educators, practitioners, and clients. Human services education students can collaborate through multimedia networks, sharing ideas and experiences. Human services professionals can leverage online networks to problem solve, socialize and develop common resources, and clients can use such networks to engage in self-reflection and get support from those facing similar challenges. This chapter offers an introduction to online social network sites, summarizing their features, uses, demographics, and trends, and presents emerging research on their social and educational potential. An accompanying case study reveals how young adults might use online social network sites to further personal and educational goals. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how such sites might be employed by human services education students, practitioners and clients.

Exploring and Developing an Instrument for Online Social Support Construct

International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, 2023

In this study, a social support tool for online communities was looked into to examine how doctoral students connected, communicated, and supported one another. Thus, thirteen online social support items from previous research and diverse industries were gathered for this study. These items were then modified to be especially helpful to PhD candidates in the education sector. 100 randomly selected students from an online social support group made up of PhD students from public universities around Malaysia participated in this study after the items had undergone expert validation. Internal reliability was attained for both of the components that were produced using the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).

The social support networks of internet users

New Media & Society, 2006

The available research indicates mixed results regarding the internet's role in social relations. The article contributes to this research by studying the provision of support in egocentred social networks. Data regarding size, structure and communication channels were assessed through two specially designed surveys. The results show that the internet has a relatively limited impact on social relationships. Internet users have slightly larger social networks only in certain socially de-privileged segments (e.g. divorced, less educated). However, they reveal some specifics with respect to the structure of networks (more friends and less kin, weaker ties) and communication channels (typically the internet is used as a complement).