Digital communication engaged in by Spanish associations of social workers in social networking sites: coalition, hierarchisation, or isolation?

Abstract

In a context of accelerated digital transformation, social networking sites have changed the strategies used in organisational communication. In this article, netnography and social network analysis are used to analyse the connectedness, interaction, and leadership processes engaged in by Spanish associations of social workers in online social networks, specifically Facebook and Twitter. Algorithms were used to detect communities that form communication structures that determine the dynamics of cooperation and cohesion. The results show a strongly hierarchical communication structure, where communities tend to closure. Based on the results obtained, a series of strategies are presented to improve the cooperation between the Spanish associations of social workers in social networking sites.