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Predicting seizure spread andneurosurgical outcomes in epilepsy bycombining neuroimaging, machinelearning, and computer modelling
Get PDFPhD ThesisBackground: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of abnormal brain network in which
seizures originate and spread via patient-specific spatial and temporal pathways. Disrupting
these epileptic networks can enable seizure control; therefore, it is crucial to map, quantify,
and understand these networks. This thesis aims to quantify the whole-brain structural
network abnormalities of patients with focal and generalised epilepsy along with patientspecific
network disruptions caused by epilepsy surgery.
Method: We developed a novel patient-specific metric to quantify structural network abnormality
at every brain region by standardising whole-brain structural networks of patients
with healthy structural networks. To quantify local changes in the white-matter structure, we
applied quantitative neuroimaging techniques and a computational model for making predictions
on mechanisms of epilepsy development. We combined the network-based measures
in robust cross-validated machine learning models to predict neurosurgical outcomes and
seizure spread.
Results: In drug-resistant focal epilepsy patients, structural network abnormality associated
with post-surgical seizure recurrence and patient history of focal to bilateral tonic-clonic
seizures. Combined with routinely acquired clinical variables, we predicted the patientspecific
probability of seizure recurrence after surgery. In patients with idiopathic generalised
epilepsy, we found localised abnormalities in major white-matter fascicles. The thalamocortical
computer model of spike-wave seizures implicated the role of cortico-reticular
connections in mechanism of epileptogenesis.
Significance: This thesis highlighted the heterogeneity between patients that may be making
them susceptible to a varied response for the same treatment. We offer practical tools to
quantify these heterogeneities to complement clinical decision-making for effective patient
stratification and tailored treatments
Sharing Economy Platforms: A study of Social Exchange, Reciprocity and Commitment
Get PDFPhD ThesisA sharing economy is a socio-economic ecosystem enabling collaborative use of resources
through online platforms. It is different from other economic forms of relations in that the
exchange of resource may be free or for any other form of compensation. Growing transactions
through sharing economy platforms reflects a change in individuals’ values and preferences in the
consumption of resources. The use of platforms has implications in terms of redefining the
behaviour of people and their interactions with each other. Also, it brings a social impact through
providing people with access to resources that otherwise would not be affordable and
redistributing underused ones. Given the assumed importance of the sharing economy in
contributing to collective benefits, it is imperative to examine the drivers motivating the use of
sharing economy platforms, the perceived outcomes of use behaviour and users’ commitment to
platforms. This will make it possible to understand how to fuel the interest of users and will
contribute to the development of the crowd-based economy.
The literature on the sharing economy provides a limited view of the drivers which make people
participate in sharing economy transactions. It lacks an overarching approach in examining the
psychological and social factors that may facilitate or inhibit social exchange through platforms.
When it comes to the impacts of the sharing economy on individuals, the literature has a
speculative nature, lacking empirical evidence about the users' perspective on the outcomes of
relations in terms of their social benefits and wellbeing. In addition, reciprocity in relations
between the members of platforms has remained untouched by empirical scrutiny. While the
literature has debated the importance of reciprocity norms in sharing economy relations, the
determinants and outcomes of perceived reciprocity in the sharing economy have been left
unexplored.
Given the above, this thesis used a Social Exchange Theory framework for examining the drivers
of participation in the sharing economy by exploring the effects of social capital factors and
social values. Also, the research aimed to examine the contribution of the sharing economy to the
perceived wellbeing of and social inclusion by users. To shed light on the determinants of
perceived reciprocity, the thesis adopted the Equity Theory perceptive. That enabled us to
examine the effect of social factors (social identity and social comparison), justice perception and
individual personality traits on the formation of reciprocity perception. As far as the outcomes of
perceived reciprocity are concerned, the research hypothesised the effect of perceived reciprocity
on relationship commitment and coping mechanisms that people employ after comparing the
outcomes against the contributions that they have made to exchange relations. To enrich the
understanding of the potential variance in the relationships between the determinants of perceived
reciprocity, perceived reciprocity and behavioural outcomes, the thesis aimed to test the
moderating role of situational and personal factors (i.e. the value of exchange, social influence,
response efficacy and self-efficacy).
The research adopted a cross-sectional research design to collect data. To examine the proposed
relationships, two surveys were conducted. The data were collected from the users of sharing
economy platforms in the United States, who had access to the surveys through a URL. The
questionnaires were designed in such a way as to provide detailed guidelines on completing the
survey. It collected the demographic profile of the respondents and measured the constructs of the
proposed research model, by preserving the anonymity of respondents. As a result of the first
survey, 487 responses were collected. The final sample for the second survey consisted of 398
responses. A structural equation modelling approach was used to test the research model.
The findings indicated that the use of the sharing economy was conditioned by the positive effect
of egoistic belief, reciprocity norm, social value, and the negative effect of identification. The
results made it possible to conclude that participation in the sharing economy is motivated by the
need to create an image that would help people perform particular roles in the community. It was
important for users that the exchange would be reciprocated either immediately or in future
transactions and that the exchange satisfied personal selfish needs. The strong relationships
between use behaviour, social inclusion and wellbeing, moderated by age, use frequency and use
intensity, were confirmed. The analysis of the effects of the determinants on perceived reciprocity
confirmed the importance of social identity, ingroup comparison, procedural justice and
predisposition towards outcome maximisation. The effect of perceived reciprocity on relationship
commitment and coping mechanisms (i.e. emotion-focused and problem-focused) moderated by
individual and situational factors (the value of exchange, social influence, response efficacy and
self-efficacy) was also supported.
The results of the research contribute to the literature on the sharing economy. This research
broadens the understanding of the social and psychological underpinnings of sharing economy
practices. The results provide evidence about the role of community-oriented motives, which
have long been debated in the literature. The adoption of the overarching social capital
framework provided new insight into the nature of collaborative relations, which goes against the
common and established representation of the sharing economy. In addition, the thesis provides
empirical evidence about the effect of the sharing economy on social inclusion and subjective
well-being, which had been speculated about before. The results contribute to the literature by
explaining the determinants of perceived reciprocity in the sharing economy context, which have
been under-researched previously. The examination of social factors and justice perception
reconciles social and rational perspectives, while the effect of reciprocity on relationship
commitment through coping behaviour sheds new light on the application of equity theory.
From a practice perspective, the results provide insight into the psychological patterns of the
sharing economy users, which might help regulate relations and increase collaborations. The
strong relationship between use behaviour, social inclusion and subjective well-being equip
policy-makers with evidence that can be set against the discussions on potential socio-economic
disruptions incurred by the sharing economy. The thesis also offers implications for practice by
informing practitioners about ways to ensure the loyalty of the users of sharing economy
platforms
Longitudinal changes following acute brain injuries
Get PDFPhD ThesisAlthough it is known the human brain can recover after a brain lesion, the response
mechanisms of recovery are not yet fully understood. Using longitudinal data, our aim
was first to characterise the ways in which brain networks change after an acute brain lesion
either as a result of trauma/insult or following brain surgery. Secondly, we investigated
if those changes are associated with recovery or disease progression.
In this thesis, we analyse longitudinal structural changes in mild TBI, and epilepsy patients following temporal lobe resection using graph theory and connectometry. Alterations in brain structure were later related with cognitive recovery or seizure freedom
using regression models. In addition, we analysed longitudinal, functional changes following moderate to severe TBI using clustering algorithms. We investigated the network
flexibility over functional connectivity patterns/states by calculating the entropy of time
spent in these states. Shifts in entropy were compared with longitudinal white matter
integrity and blood biomarkers using linear models.
In patients who underwent temporal lobe resection, we found alterations in structural
connectivity and in the density of anisotropic diffusing water over time. Some of the
observed changes were related with seizure freedom. Similarly, we found that a set of
alterations in structural connectivity following mild TBI were related with changes in
cognitive trajectory. When investigating longitudinal functional changes in moderate to
severe TBI patients, we found a set of cognitive functional connectivity patterns. Changes
in entropy after TBI were related to alterations in the concentration of plasma tau.
Our studies suggest that early alterations in brain structure and function occur following
acute brain lesions such as TBI or those as result of temporal lobe resection. While some
of these alterations are the result of the injury itself in the network, other alterations may be a result of brain reorganisation and promote patient recovery
Ghosts on the Tyne : the past as a resource for young working-class men in the post recessionary present
Get PDFPhD ThesisThis thesis explores how young working-class men living in a former shipbuilding
community – Walker in the East End of Newcastle-upon-Tyne - think about the
interlinked and overlapping eras of industrialism and deindustrialisation. This includes
the ways in which they remember industrial work and its loss, the strategies that they
use to frame and comment upon this shared past, and how they draw on and invoke
this history to help them understand the present and imagine the future. The
experiences of thirty participants are explored to understand how their engagement
with the shared past impacts upon their everyday lives and lived experiences in the
post-industrial city. I argue that the young men who I researched remain connected to
the past in multifarious ways and that they invoke and mobilise this history to help
them navigate a socio-economic landscape whose contours have been shaped by the
‘Crisis Decades’ of deindustrialisation and our present ‘Age of Austerity’.
This thesis makes three significant contributions. The first is demonstrating that the
industrial past remains an important aspect of the lives of my participants. This builds
on existing research and argues that although some of the young men with whom I
worked tended towards thinking about the past in atavistic and reactionary ways, they
were just as capable of engaging with it in a critical and nuanced manner. The second
contribution explores the myriad of ways in which the participants remain connected
with their shared past. These links to the past include familial connections, sensory
recollections that are part of their personal biographies and engagements with material
cultures of the home. Together this has established ongoing connections with
industrial work in a community in which it is difficult to draw a clear division between
an industrial past and a post-industrial present. The third contribution reveals how
deindustrialisation represents an equally important part of the lived experiences of
participants. Of particular interest is that although the closures and redundancies of
industrial decline continue to cast a long shadow in Walker, the young men with whom
I worked engaged with in creative ways, drawing on the past to imagine themselves
as more than passive and victimised cogs in the machinery of capital
Exploring persistent throat symptoms
Get PDFM.D. ThesisBackground
Patients commonly present with a range of persistent throat symptoms. There is still much research to be done to understand how the individual symptoms relate to each other. An improved understanding of any symptom relationships could aid in identifying groups of patients for particular treatments. An opportunity to explore throat symptoms in detail was provided by a clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of stomach acid lowering medication on patients’ throat and voice complaints. The aim was to identify a clinically meaningful classification of patients’ symptoms.
Methods
Baseline data for all patients entering the Trial of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Throat Symptoms (TOPPITS) was provided by the Newcastle University Clinical Trials Unit. Data included: demographics, three separate symptom questionnaires and a scoring assessment of throat appearances. The relationships between patient demographics, symptom scores and throat appearances were explored with scatter plots and pairwise correlation. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the combined symptom questionnaires was conducted. Cluster analysis of patients using the factors generated by the EFA was then performed.
Results
Data for 344 patients analysed. The distributions of the questionnaire scores were comparable with published literature. The total scores from the three questionnaires were positively related with each other. No relationship was observed between the throat appearances and any of the three symptom questionnaires in this population. The EFA led to a seven factor model comprising factors of: voice, cough, gastrointestinal symptoms, airway symptoms and dysphagia, throat clearing, life events, and lump in the throat sensation. Cluster analysis failed to identify clinically meaningful groups of patients.
Conclusions
The TOPPITS baseline data confirmed that patients recruited to the trial reflect the wider population of patients presenting with persistent throat symptoms. No evidence of an association between throat appearances and patient reported symptoms was found in this
study. Dimension reduction offered a simplified classification of symptoms, but clusters of patients based on this classification could not be identified. These results imply that individual throat symptoms cannot be used to define patient groups and that the term “persistent throat symptoms” to encompass all symptoms is appropriate to use in clinical practice
Intrusion detection system for IoT networks for detection of DDoS attacks
Get PDFPhD ThesisIn this thesis, a novel Intrusion Detection System (IDS) based on the hybridization of the
Deep Learning (DL) technique and the Multi-objective Optimization method for the detection
of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in Internet of Things (IoT) networks is
proposed. IoT networks consist of different devices with unique hardware and software
configurations communicating over different communication protocols, which produce huge
multidimensional data that make IoT networks susceptible to cyber-attacks. The network IDS
is a vital tool for protecting networks against threats and malicious attacks. Existing systems
face significant challenges due to the continuous emergence of new and more sophisticated
cyber threats that are not recognized by them, and therefore advanced IDS is required.
This thesis focusses especially on the DDoS attack that is one of the cyber-attacks that has
affected many IoT networks in recent times and had resulted in substantial devastating losses.
A thorough literature review is conducted on DDoS attacks in the context of IoT networks,
IDSs available especially for the IoT networks and the scope and applicability of DL
methodology for the detection of cyber-attacks. This thesis includes three main contributions
for 1) developing a feature selection algorithm for an IoT network fulfilling six important
objectives, 2) designing four DL models for the detection of DDoS attacks and 3) proposing a
novel IDS for IoT networks. In the proposed work, for developing advanced IDS, a Jumping
Gene adapted NSGA-II multi-objective optimization algorithm for reducing the dimensionality
of massive IoT data and Deep Learning model consisting of a Convolutional Neural Network
(CNN) combined with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for classification are employed. The
experimentation is conducted using a High-Performance Computer (HPC) on the latest
CISIDS2017 datasets for DDoS attacks and achieved an accuracy of 99.03 % with a 5-fold
reduction in training time. The proposed method is compared with machine learning (ML)
algorithms and other state-of-the-art methods, which confirms that the proposed method
outperforms other approaches.Government of Indi
Professional-parent collaboration in behavioural interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders in Saudi Arabia
Get PDFPhD ThesisProfessional-parent collaboration is a crucial issue for the success of behavioural interventions (BI) for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many studies have been conducted in western countries related to professional-parent collaboration in education and BI for children with ASD. However, as a new phenomenon in the Saudi literature, professional-parent collaboration is rarely discussed or researched within this specific context. Therefore, this study explores and explains parents’ and professionals’ perspectives on the practice of professional-parent collaboration in the planning, design and implementation of BI for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia (SA) from the perspective of educational professionals and parents. A mixed-methods approach is employed over two phases. In Phase One, an online questionnaire was administered with 353 educational professionals across SA. Phase Two was a series of semi-structured interviews with eight professionals and eight parents from SA’s Eastern Province.
The findings from both phases generally suggest that parents and professionals value professional-parent collaboration and professionals expect parents to participate at all stages of BI. However, the findings also suggest that parents and professionals are seldom involved in the collaborative planning and delivery of BI. The findings from the interview phase identify perceived facilitators to professional-parent collaboration, including emotional support for parents and mutual trust between parents and professionals. Additionally, these findings suggest perceived barriers to collaboration. Parent-related barriers include a parental lack of understanding of ASD and parental preference for rapid solutions to their child’s behavioural issues. School-related barriers include poor school arrangements regarding flexible approaches to professional-parent collaboration, overcrowding in classrooms, and the lack of assistant teachers. Professional-related barriers include a lack of motivation for professionals to work collaboratively. Finally, the findings suggest a lack of BI training and collaboration skills for both professionals and parents. The study suggests various practical implications for practice, policy, and future research
Discrete element method to study biofilm deformation in fluid flow
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Biofilms are the assemblage of one or more types of microorganisms, which are usually found
attached and grew on surfaces, embedded in their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS).
They could form diverse morphologies to adapt to different environments, especially in a flow
system such as water filtration. Hydrodynamic conditions have a significant impact on the
deformation and detachment of biofilm, which has been primarily investigated by the
experiments. However, relevant modelling research is lacking. Therefore, the individual based
model (IbM) is adopted to study the biofilm-fluid interaction in present work.
In the first part of this work, the discrete element method was utilized to simulate the biofilm
growth, deformation and detachment, where the fluid was mimicked by applying a simple shear
force. Due to the fact that the biofilms would also affect the flow pattern in return, the simply
one-way approach was then extended to a two-way coupled computational fluid dynamic –
discrete element method (CFD-DEM) model. Biofilm deformation and detachment was
investigated at varied inlet flow velocity. We have also studied the effect of the EPS content on
the deformation and detachment of biofilms. Furthermore, the strain-stress curves during
biofilm deformation have been captured by loading and unloading the fluid shear stress.
Biofilm streamer (filamentous structure of biofilm) motion under different flow conditions is
important for a wide range of industries as well. The flow-induced oscillations and cohesive
failure of single and multiple biofilm streamers have been investigated based on the CFD-DEM
model. In this section, we have studied the effect of streamer length on the oscillation at varied
flow rates. The predicted single biofilm streamer oscillations in various flow rates agreed well
with experimental measurements. We have also investigated the effect of the spatial
arrangement of streamers on interactions between two oscillating streamers in parallel and
tandem arrangements. Besides, cohesive failure of streamers was studied in an accelerating
fluid flow, which is important for slowing down biofilm induced cloggingEPSRC, BBSR
A mixed methods study of the follow up of extremely preterm babies in the North East of England
Get PDFM.D Thesis1. Background
Neonatal intensive care medicine has improved
considerably over time, leading to increased neonatal
survival, and improved survival of preterm babies (babies
born before 37 weeks gestation). In 2012, the WHO
declared their commitment to reducing the mortality and
morbidity related to prematurity by several
interventions, including updated approaches to
community-based follow up care for preterm babies.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS),
2,490 babies were born in England and Wales in 2018
between 23- and 27- weeks gestation, accounting for
approximately 0.3% of all live births. The 2017 National
Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline
made recommendations for the developmental follow up
of children and young people
born preterm and acknowledged the conditions linked to
preterm delivery. The follow up of preterm babies
determines the baby’s outcomes, their parents’ needs,
and informs planning of health and social care
resources.
Previous research on barriers and facilitators to neonatal
follow up showed that the birth of a preterm baby is a
stressful event, for both mothers and fathers. Parents
develop a different pattern of parenting, stemming from
the concept of increased vulnerability of the preterm
baby. The communication between parents and health
professionals is important, and poor communication
increases parental stress levels. Studies underlined the
relevance of the relationships established between
parents and neonatal staff to parents’ experiences.
2. Aim
This study used a mixed methods design to assess the
neonatal follow up of extremely preterm babies, focusing
on attendance rates in relation to morbidities and
demographic characteristics, as well as parents’ and
health professionals’ perceptions of the neonatal follow
up.3. Methods
This study involved two phases. Phase one was an
analysis of demographic, morbidity, mortality, and 2-
year neurodevelopmental outcomes data of a cohort of
babies born before 28 weeks gestation in the North East
of England, over a 12-month period between July
2015 and June 2016, recorded in the Badger database.
Phase two was a qualitative study of parents’ and health
professionals’ (HPs) views, perceptions, and experience
of the follow up of extremely preterm babies. Parents
were recruited to the study during their attendance for
their baby’s follow up appointments and were
interviewed using a topic guide. Seventeen semistructured
interviews were carried out with 23 parents of
babies born before 28 weeks completed gestation,
between January and December 2018. Thematic
analysis based on the Braun and Clarke model was used.
Twenty one-to-one, semi-structured interviews were
carried out with HPs involved in the follow up care of
preterm babies, between October and December 2018.
Data were analysed using thematic analysis.4. Results
The recruitment rate for phase one was 61%
of the eligible babies; 86.2% of the babies included were
born after 24 weeks gestation, with a mean gestation age
(GA) of 25+3 weeks and a mean birth weight (BW) of 805
grams. More than three quarters of babies were
discharged home on oxygen. Of the cases where
information was available, half of the babies showed
developmental delay, with half of these cases showing
moderate to severe delay. There was no formal diagnosis
of cerebral palsy recorded in the Badger database.
The analysis of the parents’ interviews identified two key
themes: ‘Emotions’ and ‘Here and now’.
The first theme, ‘Emotions’, included three subthemes:
‘The emotions related to the preterm birth - a
rollercoaster’, ‘The post-traumatic stress syndrome’ and
‘The overprotective parent’. Following the birth of their
preterm baby, parents experienced mixed and
contradictory emotions, compared to a rollercoaster,
which may contribute to developing symptoms
suggestive of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Parent
participants developed an overprotective type of
parenting, as previously described in literature.
4. Results
The recruitment rate for phase one was 61%
of the eligible babies; 86.2% of the babies included were
born after 24 weeks gestation, with a mean gestation age
(GA) of 25+3 weeks and a mean birth weight (BW) of 805
grams. More than three quarters of babies were
discharged home on oxygen. Of the cases where
information was available, half of the babies showed
developmental delay, with half of these cases showing
moderate to severe delay. There was no formal diagnosis
of cerebral palsy recorded in the Badger database.
The analysis of the parents’ interviews identified two key
themes: ‘Emotions’ and ‘Here and now’.
The first theme, ‘Emotions’, included three subthemes:
‘The emotions related to the preterm birth - a
rollercoaster’, ‘The post-traumatic stress syndrome’ and
‘The overprotective parent’. Following the birth of their
preterm baby, parents experienced mixed and
contradictory emotions, compared to a rollercoaster,
which may contribute to developing symptoms
suggestive of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Parent
participants developed an overprotective type of
parenting, as previously described in literature.
The second theme, ‘Here and now’, included four
subthemes: ‘The storytelling’, ‘The coping mechanism’,
‘The impact of being born early’ and ‘The value of the
follow up’. Future parents expected a normal term
pregnancy, followed by a normal birth; the
normality was interrupted by the onset of
preterm labour. This interruption marked the beginning
of a different experience, the quality of
which impacted on the bonding and relationship
between baby and parents, and the relationships
between parents and HPs. Parents reported that follow
up offered reassurance.
The analysis of the HPs’ interviews identified two key
themes: ‘Communication’ and ‘The Child Not
Brought’. The first theme, ‘Communication’, included
two subthemes: ‘The Journey’ and ‘The multi-disciplinary
team post discharge’.
The HPs described the experience of the birth and the
follow up of a preterm baby as a journey and continuity
of care was a marker of quality. HPs understood that the
follow up offers reassurance and support to
parents. There was a diversity of job roles of HPs involved
in the care and follow up of preterm babies, leading to
the formation of a multi-disciplinary team
(MDT). Communication occurred in every direction
between the members of the MDT, in many
ways (written/verbal, formal/informal,
paper/electronic).
The second theme, ‘The Child Not Brought’ included
three subthemes: ‘The impact on the baby’, ‘The NHS
point of view’ and ‘Why do parents not attend?’.
HPs suggested several potential reasons why
parents may not bring their child(ren) to the follow up
appointments: parents may not understand the role
of the follow up, especially if the child is well; parents
fear bad news; families may have a busy life, have too
many appointments or have
just seen another HP; communication breakdown
(related to system or human factors); neglect; distance
and travel; psychological issues (fear to leave the house,
bad memories linked to the hospital environment).
5. Discussion
Findings from this research
provide important insights into the views and
experiences of parents of preterm babies with
regards to their baby’s follow up appointments. The birth
of a preterm baby is a stressful event; parents develop a
different pattern of parenting, stemming from the
concept of the increased vulnerability of the preterm
baby.
HPs described the birth and follow up of an extremely
preterm baby as a journey. The continuity of care and
good communication contribute to improving this
journey. Due to the complexity of the team involved in
the follow up of the extremely preterm baby, there were
challenges in communication, at different levels.
Relatively small changes in practice,
such as allowing for normality by encouraging the
parents to read to their baby at night-time, and ensuring
adequate communication and appropriate
reassurance, could improve the parents’ experience,
their engagement with follow up appointments, and
therefore their baby’s outcomes.
NICE recommends follow up of babies born extremely
preterm to school age, however there is
no established referral pathway into the paediatric
services. Parents value continuity of care, which may
be challenging if there is no clear transition process
between neonates and paediatrics. Ensuring a smooth
transition at every level by designing a clear pathway for
the neonatal follow up of extremely preterm babies and
the transition to paediatric services may improve the
follow up process, parents’ engagement with the
system and their baby’s outcomes.South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trus
Unplatformed Design: Reconceptualising Social Media Technologies as Tools for Coordinated Action, Participation and Engagement
Get PDFPh. D. Thesis.Social media technologies are becoming more and more enmeshed in our personal, professional and civic lives. Increasingly, we are just as likely to use social media to book a doctor’s appointment as we are to make plans with friends. This ever-widening context of use is a testament to the versatility and flexibility of these types of technology, and points to their potential for shaping, structuring and supporting new ways of participation, engagement and
interaction. The aim of this thesis is to explore this idea through designing with, investigating and reconceptualising social media technologies.
With respect to existing literature around the appropriation of technologies and the materiality of information, I argue that social media can be conceptualised as a ‘design material’ from which other forms of participation can be created. To support this, I undertake the design, deployment and evaluation of a large-scale social media-based participatory engagement, ‘WhatFutures’. From insights generated in this design process, and with an accompanying analysis of other empirical examples of appropriation of social media for participation, I then propose the model for ‘unplatformed design’. This conceptual model details the material qualities of social media technologies in respect to how they can be appropriated in the coordination of participation. Lastly, I put this model into practice in two design-led case studies: in the design and deployment of a peer support system for people undergoing extreme weight loss as part of managing diabetes; and in the formulation of
design considerations for a social media-based language learning system.
There are multiple outcomes from this is conceptual, empirical and design-led inquiry. I fully detail the final designs and corresponding design processes of two full large-scale, social media-based engagements. I present and interpret a variety of design decisions around the appropriation of social media for coordinating participation. Crucially, I introduce the novel model of unplatformed design, identifying four material qualities of social media technologies, and how they may be configured or augmented towards coordinating participation. This model fundamentally reimagines the role and possibilities of social media
technologies within design, it looks past existing perceptions and ingrained usage patterns, and proposes a more constructive and participatory orientation of social media to our lives