TY - JOUR
T1 - Social Media Use as Urban Acupuncture for Empowering Socially Challenged Communities
AU - Messeter, Jörn
PY - 2015/10/2
Y1 - 2015/10/2
N2 - This article explores potential roles of social media in community empowerment, based on a study of a non-profit NGO in a socially challenged suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In particular, it focuses on the relation between on-line and off-line behavior, and how the use of social media can counteract negative influences in the community, e.g., drug abuse and gangsterism. Interviews with staff and participants reveal that use of social media in the context of a socially challenged community results in social media use, and connections between online and offline activities, that stands in contrast to earlier social media research. These differences may inform design and social innovation for disruptive interaction to address negative influences, such as drugs and gangsterism, in socially challenged communities.
AB - This article explores potential roles of social media in community empowerment, based on a study of a non-profit NGO in a socially challenged suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. In particular, it focuses on the relation between on-line and off-line behavior, and how the use of social media can counteract negative influences in the community, e.g., drug abuse and gangsterism. Interviews with staff and participants reveal that use of social media in the context of a socially challenged community results in social media use, and connections between online and offline activities, that stands in contrast to earlier social media research. These differences may inform design and social innovation for disruptive interaction to address negative influences, such as drugs and gangsterism, in socially challenged communities.
KW - Interaction design
KW - Social innovation
KW - Social media
KW - Urban acupuncture
U2 - 10.1080/10630732.2015.1040291
DO - 10.1080/10630732.2015.1040291
M3 - Journal article
VL - 22
SP - 79
EP - 96
JO - Journal of Urban Technology
JF - Journal of Urban Technology
SN - 1063-0732
IS - 3
ER -