JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Social media platforms have gained popularity as communication tools for organizations to engage with clients and the public, disseminate information, and raise awareness about social issues. From a social capital perspective, relationship building is seen as an investment, involving a complex interplay of tangible and intangible resources. Social media-based social capital signifies the diverse social networks organizations can foster through their engagement on social media platforms. The potential of social media to nurture and sustain online-offline social capital is substantial, although its effectiveness varies across platforms and strategies. Literature underscores the great significance of further investigation into the scope and nature of social media usage, particularly within sectors dedicated to service delivery, such as sexual assault organizations.

Objective:

This study aims to fill a research gap by investigating the use of Twitter by sexual assault support agencies in Canada. It seeks to understand the demographics, user Activities, and social network structure within these organizations on Twitter, focusing on building social capital. The research questions explore the demographic profile, geographic distribution, and Twitter activity of these organizations, as well as the social network dynamics of bridging and bonding social capital.

Methods:

This study employed purposive sampling to investigate sexual assault centers in Canada with active Twitter accounts, resulting in the identification of 124 centers. Twitter handles were collected, yielding 113 unique handles, and their corresponding Twitter IDs were obtained and validated. A total of 294,350 tweets were collected from these centers, covering over 93.54% of their Twitter activity. The study conducted pre-processing to prepare the data and utilized descriptive analysis to determine center demographics and age. Furthermore, geolocation mapping was performed to visualize center locations. Social Network Analysis was employed to explore the intricate relationships within the network of sexual assault center Twitter accounts, employing various metrics to assess network structure and connectivity dynamics.

Results:

Results highlight the substantial presence of sexual assault organizations on Twitter, particularly in provinces like Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, underscoring the importance of tailored engagement strategies considering regional disparities. The analysis of Twitter account creation years shows a peak in 2012, followed by a decline in new account creations in subsequent years. Monthly tweet activity shows November as the most active month, while July had the lowest activity. The study also reveals variations in Twitter activity, account creation patterns, and social network dynamics, identifying influential ‘social queens’ and marginalized entities within the network.

Conclusions:

This study presents a comprehensive landscape of the demographics and activities of sexual assault centers in Canada on Twitter. The study suggests that future research should explore the long-term consequences of social media use and examine stakeholder perceptions, providing valuable insights to improve communication practices within the nonprofit human services sector and further the missions of these organizations.