International Journal of Web Based Communities (11 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Social distancing close together: The rhizomatic role of WhatsApp in communities  
  by Johannes C. Cronje 
  Abstract: As Covid-19 hits its peak people who are not in close physical proximity but who do communicate regularly on social platforms such as WhatsApp groups often claim to feel a sense of closeness to others. This paper will consider the features and functioning for WhatsApp groups in terms of Preece’s (2000) characteristics of a virtual community: People, purpose, politics and computer systems, and filter them through Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) six principles of the rhizome : Connectedness, heterogeneity, multiplicity, asignifying rupture, cartography and decalcomania to see the relationship between the principles of the rhizome and the sense of closeness in a virtual community. Finally a six by four matrix is proposed for the analysis of various aspects of virtual communities.
  Keywords: Social distancing; Social closeness; rhizome theory; virtual community; WhatsApp.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10032198
   
  
• Method of Differential Privacy Protection for Web-Based Communities Based on Adding Noise to the Centroid of Positions  
  by Jun Hu, Chun Guan, Alexander Shatalov, Yu Zhou 
  Abstract: The research of location privacy protection has a very important significance for the emergence and sustenance of web-based communities in the big data era. The method of differential privacy for position is a privacy model strictly for the measurement of privacy. However, under the privacy protection for multi-positions, it will bring much bigger errors by adopting the method of adding noise to protect the privacy of multi-positions. In this paper, the author puts forward a new method of differential privacy for multi-positions based on mechanism of adding noise to the centroid of positions, and compares with the independent mechanism of adding noise. The experiment shows that the centroid mechanism of adding noise is better than the mechanism of independently adding noise.
  Keywords: Privacy; Privacy Protection; Web-based Communities; Location-based Services; Centroid; Multi-positions.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10032199
   
  
• Sustaining social capital online amidst social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Web-based communities, their mitigating effects, and associated issues  
  by Ardion Beldad 
  Abstract: COVID-19 prompted the enforcement of strict social distancing measures in most parts of the world. Such measures have serious implications for how people interact, socialize, and collaborate with one another. Social distancing contradicts the social nature of human beings; hence, social connections are still maintained even at a distance. Various forms of modern communication technologies (e.g. online social networking sites, video conferencing tools) allow people to sustain their social capital, even during a pandemic. Therefore, it is argued that web-based communities are instrumental in tackling the psychological costs of social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, people’s increasing dependence on these technologies during uncertain times are associated with several issues. COVID-19 is highlighting digital inequality, which makes it unthinkable for people in some parts of the world to proceed with their normal activities online. Moreover, increased use of these technologies has implications for people’s online privacy and mental well-being.
  Keywords: COVID-19; social distancing; social capital; online social networking sites; videoconferencing technologies; web-based communities.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10032200
   
  
• WEB-BASED COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED ONLINE EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC  
  by Eugenia Smyrnova-Trybulska, Nataliia Morze 
  Abstract: The article presents documents, measures, activities and initiatives at the state level, the levels of higher eduacation institutions in Ukraine, at the level of secondary education, the initiativeas of private firms, societies, communities in Ukraine and Poland in crisis situations, using the covid-19 pandemic - Polish - Ukrainian experience. A review of formal experience in the country and abroad concerning formal regulations, introduction of e-learning at different levels and description of its characteristics, properties, advantages and trends of further development of e-learning taking into account the specifics of the educational policy of the region, type of institution, training and so on. This article also focuses on the questions: How Web-Based Communities can mitigate the lack of f2f meetings during COVID-19 and similar pandemics in the future? How the current generation of Web-Communities lands in a transition: Do they get better tuned to fulfill the new needs during this pandemic?
  Keywords: Internet education; crisis situations; covid-19 pandemic; Polish and Ukrainian experience; Web based Communities; social media; ICT tools.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10032201
   
  
• Benefits and Challenges of Social Networking during COVID-19: Personal Perspective  
  by Tomayess Issa, Mohammed Al Jaafari, Abdullah Alqahtani, Sulaiman Alqahtani, Theodora Issa, Lydia Maketo, Sumaiya Pervaiz 
  Abstract: In December 2019, our lives changed forever, as a new virus
  Keywords: COVID-19; Social Networking; Benefits and Challenges; Personal Perspective.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10032453
   
  
• Framing social media and web-based communities within the COVID-19 pandemic: Enduring social isolation and subsequent deconfinement  
  by Pedro Isaias, Paula Miranda, Sara Pifano 
  Abstract: As images circulate of people, all around the world, watching their cities from their windows and balconies, a sense of solemnity emerges. The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to seclusion in an attempt to control contagion. The social isolation deriving from the adoption of containment strategies have displaced social interaction to online settings. Social media and web-based communities assume an increasingly central role in this scenario of pandemic, with an ever-growing number of people turning to these platforms to maintain social connection, to obtain information and to keep a sense of community. This paper aims to examine and frame the role of social media and web-based communities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reviews current literature to propose a framework based on five main purposes of social media use and web-based communities: preserving physical health, promoting mental health, tending to education/business, searching and sharing information and socializing.
  Keywords: Social media; COVID-19 pandemic; web-based communities; social distancing; deconfinement.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10033012
   
  
• “Do I Want to Work for Him?” The Effects of Variations in Content, Source, and Age of Managers’ Social Networking Information on Prospective Job Applicants’ Attitudes  
  by William H. Ross, Christopher Ballweg, Davide Secchi 
  Abstract: Does personal Social Networking Website (SNW) content influence prospective job applicant reactions to their probable supervisor? A 2 x 2 x 2 design varied whether (a) the prospective manager’s SNW comments emphasized alcohol abuse vs. professional activities, (b) his friends emphasized alcohol vs. professional activities, and (c) SNW information was five days vs. five years old. Findings indicated that alcohol-oriented information on personal SNWs
  Keywords: Social Networking Website; Organizational Attraction; Social Media; Personnel Selection; Alcohol Abuse; Facebook; Brunswick Lens Model; Warranting; Negativity Hypothesis; Information Congruence.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2021.10033013
   
  
• Browser simulation-based crawler for online social network profile extraction  
  by Suhail Iqbal Bhat, Tasleem Arif, Majid Bashir Malik, Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh 
  Abstract: The rapid proliferation and extensive use of online social networks (OSNs) like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., has attracted the attention of academia and industry, since these networks store massive information in them. But, acquiring data from these OSNs, which is a prerequisite for conducting any research on them, is a daunting task, which can be because of privacy concerns on one hand and complexity of underlying technologies of these complex networks, on the other. This paper presents the design and implementation of a crawler based on browser simulation for extraction of Facebook users profile data while preserving the privacy. The breadth-first-search (BFS) algorithm approach was also adopted for sampling of around 0.235 million Facebook users. Though the main purpose of this work is the design of a crawler still, the results have been briefly presented in terms of various social network metrics and analysed from different aspects of privacy.
  Keywords: online social networks; OSNs; Facebook; crawler; Python; selenium; data analytics.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2020.10032582
   
  
• Factors affecting web-based customer loyalty: evidence from B2B online recruitment users' perspectives  
  by Bushra Mahadin, Mamoun N. Akroush, Ola J. Haddad 
  Abstract: This study examines the impact of e-SQ dimensions on e-satisfaction and e-trust, as well as examining the effect of e-satisfaction on e-trust. The effect of both e-satisfaction and e-trust on e-loyalty were also examined in the online recruitment industry in Jordan. An online survey with a sample of 139 business customers. Structural path analysis was used to test the hypothesised relationships between the research constructs. The findings indicate that fulfilment and efficiency are the strongest predictors of e-trust and e-satisfaction. E-trust and e-satisfaction are strong drivers of e-customer loyalty. Finally, 74% of variation in e-loyalty was caused by the e-trust-e-satisfaction path. An online recruitment service provider need not only build a job board or a website but a web-based community to achieve e-satisfaction since it is a major predictor of e-loyalty. From originality perspective, this study extends our understanding of online concerns and experiences of online recruitment website users.
  Keywords: e-service quality dimensions; e-satisfaction; e-trust; e-loyalty; online recruitment.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2020.10032583
   
  
• Persistence of social media on political activism and engagement among Indonesian and Pakistani youths  
  by Rachmah Ida, Muhammad Saud, Musta'in Mashud 
  Abstract: In recent years, the emergence of social media has encouraged and influenced our youth to participate in political matters. The current study was conducted in Indonesia and Pakistan. The objective of the study was to analyse the persistence of social media and youth political participation in democratic activities. The study opted quantitative research design through an offline and online survey to obtain data from 400 individuals (falling in age group 18th to 29th), having political experience and knowledge of participation. The data gathered through structured questionnaires using scales to compile the results, and data was carried out through Excel and SPSS software. The results show that social media is a persuasive medium in providing platform to youth to participate in political activism. Youth healthy engagement in such activities plays a significant role in the political structure of states. It was also observed that youth participation is essential for prosperity and growth of nation. The study suggests that the Government of Indonesia and Pakistan have a good opportunity to socialise youths through online spheres.
  Keywords: youth engagement; social media activism; Indonesia; Pakistan; youth in politics.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2020.10028448
   
  
• Social media for web-communities of female entrepreneurs: a PRISMA-compliant exploration  
  by Tareq Rasul, Md. Rakibul Hoque, Md. Shamsul Arefin 
  Abstract: Pursuing businesses through social media platforms has become an interesting trend for female entrepreneurs in the last few years and in modern society. It appears as a beneficial online tool to promote new entrepreneurial ideas and a key factor for innovation, poverty reduction, employment, and economic growth in many global rising economies, as well as a way of life among disadvantaged families. The aim of this study is to articulate the role of web-communities for closing the current gaps in knowledge regarding the effects of social media on female entrepreneurs and how the utilisation of such a platform assists in promoting their economic welfare and their social well-being. We have adopted an extensive key search strategy on different databases, including Scopus, EBSCO Academic Search Premier and ProQuest. Our findings confirm that social media has a direct contribution to empowering females in many countries to pursue business through such platforms. Our review further provides practical implementations and future recommendations as regards to the current existing gaps in knowledge and supports conducing systematic research leading to more extensive inclusion of social media studies and their relation to female empowerment as entrepreneurs.
  Keywords: social media; web-based communities; social capital; female entrepreneurs; female empowerment.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2020.10032584