Browsing by Subject "Social Computing"
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Item “Against Marrying a Stranger:” Marital Matchmaking Technologies in Saudi Arabia(2016-10) Al-Dawood, AdelWebsites and applications that match and connect individuals for romantic purposes are commonly used in the Western world. However, there have been few previous investigations focusing on cultural factors that affect the adoption of similar technologies in religiously conservative non-Western cultures. In this study, we examine the socio-technical and cultural factors that influence the perceptions and use of matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia. We report the methods and findings of interviews with 18 Saudi nationals (9 males and 9 females) with diverse demographics and backgrounds. We provide qualitatively generated insights into the major themes reported by our participants related to the common approaches to matchmaking, the current role of technology, and concerns regarding matchmaking technologies in this cultural context. We relate these themes to specific implications for designing marital matchmaking technologies in Saudi Arabia and we outline opportunities for future investigations.Item Beyond Social Support: Spiritual Support as a Novel Design Dimension in Sociotechnical Systems(2020-12) Smith, C. EstelleFor people facing life-threatening physical and/or mental illness, matters of spirituality or religion often assume a role of elevated importance in their lives. However, spirituality is an understudied topic in Social Computing, and has largely been omitted or minimized in research narratives and trajectories related to online health. Taking a human-centered design approach that seeks to honor people's core values and beliefs, this dissertation contributes an empirically-derived theoretical perspective that views spirituality as a crucial underlying dimension in sociotechnical systems for online health and social support, such as Online Health Communities (OHCs). Because of their widespread adoption and ability to provide users with social support, OHCs are a topic of prominent interest in Human-Computer Interaction and Social Computing. OHCs have been studied across a variety of online spaces, ranging from disease-specific niches on larger social media platforms, to specialized platforms designed specifically for patients and caregivers--such as CaringBridge, a Minnesota-based nonprofit OHC that served over 300,000 people daily in 2019, including 40 million unique users from 237 countries. Two studies in this dissertation were completed in collaboration with CaringBridge, while the third presents Flip*Doubt, a novel prototypical system for crowd-powered cognitive reappraisal. Whereas prior work in OHCs has focused on conventional support categories, the first study provides a content analysis and survey of CaringBridge users that, together, quantitatively distinguish ``prayer support'' as an independent category of crucial importance to users. Because prayer indicates a deeper set of beliefs/values that cannot be captured quantitatively, the second study involves qualitative focus groups with CaringBridge stakeholders. This study contributes a definition of ``spiritual support,'' along with its design implications in OHCs. In particular, one implication is that designers should consider technical mechanisms to provide users with assistance with supportive communication. Thus, the final study of this dissertation, a field deployment of Flip*Doubt, can inform the development of future AI/ML-based systems in OHCs for mental health. All together, these contributions help to shift the lens through which we view social support online, and to guide future work towards creating systems that serve the deepest needs of users.Item A Comparison of Different Incentives in Peer-to-Peer Sharing Systems(2016-12) Li, ZhiyiTo be successful and sustainable, peer-to-peer sharing systems need their participants to actively provide under-utilized resources, from spare rooms and cars to expertise and time. The goal of this paper is to compare the effectiveness of different incentive strategies in motivating people to share their resources. In particular, we examined five strategies: altruism, money, gifting, experience, and reciprocity. To compare the five strategies, we conducted two studies in the context of a network hospitality service - Couchsurfing. The first study was a survey where we asked hypothetical questions. The second study was a field study where we tested people’s actual responses to the different incentive strategies. Results from the two studies diverge. The survey study suggests that people are averse to all compensations. However, the field study suggests that men are motivated by compensation strategies while women still protest them.