School of Social and Political Sciences - Research Publications
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ItemWhat is ‘publicly available data’? Exploring blurred public-private boundaries and ethical practices through a case study on Instagram(SAGE Publications (UK and US), 2020)This article adds to the literature on ethics in digital research by problematizing simple understandings of what constitutes “publicly available data,” thereby complicating common “consent waiver” approaches. Based on our recent study of representations of family life on Instagram, a platform with a distinct visual premise, we discuss the ethical challenges we encountered and our practices for moving forward. We ground this in Lauren Berlant’s concept of “intimate publics” to conceptualize the different understandings of “publics” that appear to be at play. We make the case for a more reflexive approach to social media research ethics that builds on the socio-techno-ethical affordances of the platform to address difficult questions about how to determine social media users’ diverse, and sometimes contradictory, understandings of what is “public.”
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ItemSocial capital and Internet use in an age-comparative perspective with a focus on later life(PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2018-02-26)Older adults (aged 65+) are still less likely to adopt the Internet when compared to other age groups, although their usage is increasing. To explore the societal effects of Internet usage, scholars have been using social capital as an analytical tool. Social capital pertains to the resources that are potentially available in one's social ties. As the Internet becomes a prominent source of information, communication, and participation in industrialized countries, it is critical to study how it affects social resources from an age-comparative perspective. Research has found a positive association between Internet use and social capital, though limited attention has been paid to older adults. Studies have also found a positive association between social capital and wellbeing, health, sociability, and social support amongst older adults. However, little is known about how Internet usage or lack thereof relates to their social capital. To address this gap, we used a mixed-methods approach to examine the relationship between Internet usage and social capital and whether and how it differs by age. For this, we surveyed a representative sample of 417 adults (18+) living in Lisbon, Portugal, of which 118 are older adults. Social capital was measured through bonding, bridging, and specific resources, and analyzed with Latent Class Modeling and logistic regressions. Internet usage was measured through frequency and type of use. Fourteen follow-up semi-structured interviews helped contextualize the survey data. Our findings show that social capital decreased with age but varied for each type of Internet user. Older adults were less likely to have a high level of social capital; yet within this age group, frequent Internet users had higher levels than other users and non-users. On the one hand, the Internet seems to help maintain, accrue, and even mobilize social capital. On the other hand, it also seems to reinforce social inequality and accumulated advantage (known as the Matthew effect).
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ItemNão-alinhados? Jovens não utilizadores de sites de redes sociais: uma abordagem weberiana(Instituto Universitario de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), 2017)Responding to the dominant body of research on young people and their use of social networking sites, this article analyzes narratives of non-use. Drawing on 30 interviews with young adults, we explored meanings of voluntary exclusion of digital platforms that seem to be progressively embedded in the daily life of this cohort. Findings show that non-use is diverse and transient, being deeply connected to identity(ies) and social actions. As such, we identify four types of non-users: rejecters, resisters, surrogate users, and potential converts. This typology challenges the dichotomies present in the literature around use and non-use, access and non-access, and consumption and non-consumption. We suggest and discuss the sociological perspective and “ideal type” of Max Weber as a valuable analytical approach to deconstruct such dichotomies.
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ItemAdoption and feasibility of a communication app to enhance social connectedness amongst frail institutionalized oldest old: an embedded case study(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2018)