Increasing social participation through morning SNS roll-call and personalized conversations: Targeting individuals who live alone with customized messaging
Mari Mitsuoka, Shigekazu Ishihara, Ryoko Watanabe, Ryosuke Mitsuoka, Hiroko Murayama, Shinya Tokuga, Ruri Otsu, Chihiro Yamaguchi
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AbstractThis study examines the effectiveness of Online-Kayoinoba, an online community-based initiative launched in Oita Prefecture during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021 to present). The initiative aims to promote social participation, support independent living, and extend the healthy life expectancy of older people, including those living alone. It utilizes the Nou-Waka 365 chat communication system (Somelight Ltd.) on LINE SNS to connect seniors with their local communities and facilitate activities that prevent nursing care needs. Daily mass messages in the morning with personalized responses are transmitted to participants, who can reply voluntarily. The research aims to determine if Nou-Waka 365 can mitigate the risk of communication loss for older people living alone during a pandemic and to develop a method for creating personalized messages based on detailed changes in their responses. Methods involved analyzing reply data from 79 consenting participants using word co-occurrence analysis (KH-coder) and sentiment analysis (AI analysis based on JIWC dictionary, then manual correction). Key findings reveal that older people living alone exhibited a significantly higher reply rate than those who did not. Co-occurrence analysis highlighted changes in participants' interests and activities. Sentiment analysis indicated a trend of increasing positive emotions following expressions of sadness. In conclusion, Online-Kayoinoba has the potential to contribute to the social participation and mental well-being of older people, underscoring the importance of continuous, personalized communication. Future research should focus on long-term effects and advanced personalization techniques.Keywords: living-alone older adults, social participation, sentiment analysis, personal- ized communication, SNS, COVID-19, Nou-Waka 365, Nouwaka, Online-Kayoin
Mari Mitsuoka, Shigekazu Ishihara, Ryoko Watanabe, Ryosuke Mitsuoka, Hiroko Murayama, Shinya Tokuga, Ruri Otsu, Chihiro Yamaguchi (2025). Increasing social participation through morning SNS roll-call and personalized conversations: Targeting individuals who live alone with customized messaging. Gerontechnology, 24(2), 1-12
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2025.24.2.1182.10