An unabridged version of the presentation for ICWSM 2014, on the paper "Understanding Loneliness in Social Awareness Streams: Expressions and Responses" by Funda Kivran-Swaine, Jeremy Ting, Jed R. Brubaker, Rannie Teodoro, and Mor Naaman. Full paper at bit.ly/kivranswaine_loneliness
2. Jeremy Ting
@kingofting
Jed R. Brubaker
@whatknows
Rannie Teodoro
@rannieteo
Mor Naaman
@informor
presenting today:
Funda Kivran-Swaine
(@fundinha)
the work with wonderful co-authors:
2
4. loneliness
is common
everybody feels lonely at some point in their lives.
however, when prolonged, loneliness can lead to severe problems
like poor antibody response, depression, or even suicide ideation.
photo by Hartwig HKD / Flickr Creative Commons
4
5. loneliness
is social pain
occurs when there is a discrepancy between the quality or quantity of
people’s perceived relationships and their relationship standards.
photo by Hartwig HKD / Flickr Creative Commons
5
6. lonelinessis idiosyncratic
experience of loneliness varies greatly between people.
people’s reactions to loneliness also can differ a lot.
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photo by Hartwig HKD / Flickr Creative Commons
36. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
0
20
40
60
80
100
social context
physical context
romantic context
somatic context
offline
online
What do people talk about when they talk
about loneliness?
night
bed
home
room
school
date
cuddle
love
relationship
boyfriend
hungry
sick
hurt
tired
cry
eat
friend
wish
talk
text
person
36
39. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Who talks about loneliness?
70%
30%
men women
* matches known literature on emotional disclosure.
women talk about their emotional experiences more frequently than men.
39
40. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
experiences of loneliness range from
ephemeral and ordinary (transient) to
permanent and worrisome (enduring).
Transient
Enduring
* matches known literature on loneliness.
most experiences of loneliness spark and die out quickly.
40
44. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Expressions of transient loneliness
are more likely to call for
social interaction.
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons
(42.1% vs. 30%) (χ2 = 62.1, df = 2, p < .001),
44
understanding loneliness in social awareness streams
@fundinha
45. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Expressions of transient loneliness
are more likely to call for
social interaction.
initiating social action is a more common
reaction to milder experiences of loneliness.
45
(42.1% vs. 30%) (χ2 = 62.1, df = 2, p < .001),
understanding loneliness in social awareness streams
@fundinha
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons
46. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Women are more likely to express
enduring loneliness than men.
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons46
understanding loneliness
47. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons
Women are more likely to express
enduring loneliness than men.
(16% of women vs. 11% of men) (χ2 = 19.61, df = 2, p < .001)
women communicate about emotional
experiences more than men do.
47
understanding loneliness
48. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
People who express enduring
loneliness are less social on Twitter.
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons48
understanding loneliness
49. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
People who express enduring
loneliness are less social on Twitter.
photo by Michael J. Moeller / Flickr Creative Commons
0
0.078
0.155
0.233
0.31
49
transient
enduring
understanding loneliness
57. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Expressions of enduring
loneliness are less likely to
get responses.
likelihood of receiving a response
reduced by 37%.
57 photo by David / Flickr Creative Commons
understanding loneliness
60. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Expressions of enduring loneliness
are less likely to get responses that
dismiss loneliness.
60 photo by David / Flickr Creative Commons
understanding loneliness
61. @fundinha
understanding loneliness
Expressions of enduring loneliness
are more likely to get responses
acknowledging loneliness.
61 photo by David / Flickr Creative Commons
understanding loneliness