PureConnect: A Localized Social Media System to Increase Awareness and Connectedness in Environmental Justice Communities

Omar Hammad, Md Rezwanur Rahman, Gopala Krishna Vasanth Kanugo, Nicholas Clements, Shelly Miller, Shivakant Mishra, Esther Sullivan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Frequent disruptions like highway constructions are common now-a-days, often impacting environmental justice communities (communities with low socio-economic status with disproportionately high and adverse human health and environmental effects) that live nearby. Based on our interactions via focus groups with the members of four environmental justice communities impacted by a major highway construction, a common concern is a sense of uncertainty about project activities and loss of social connectedness, leading to increased stress, depression, anxiety and diminished wellbeing. This paper addresses this concern by developing a localized social media system called PureConnect with a goal to raise the level of awareness about the project and increase social connectedness among the community members. PureConnect has been designed using active engagement with four environmental justice communities affected by a major highway construction. It has been deployed in the real world among the members of the four environmental justice communities, and a detailed analysis of the data collected from this deployment as well as surveys show that PureConnect is potentially useful in improving community members' wellbeing and the members appreciate the functionalities it provides.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMISNC 2024 - 11th Multidisciplinary International Social Networks Conference
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages1-7
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9798400717550
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 Aug 2024
Event11th Multidisciplinary International Social Networks Conference, MISNC 2024 - Bali, Indonesia
Duration: 21 Aug 202423 Aug 2024

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference11th Multidisciplinary International Social Networks Conference, MISNC 2024
Country/TerritoryIndonesia
CityBali
Period21/08/2423/08/24

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 ACM.

Keywords

  • Civic Engagement
  • Environmental Justice Communities
  • Intervention
  • Local social media
  • Mobile app
  • Planned Disruptions
  • Smartphone
  • Well-being

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Software

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