Analysis of the Structural Characteristics of the Online Social Network of Chinese Professional Athletes

• Published in: Complexity (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2021, Vol.2021 (1)
• Main Authors: Wang, Yue, Huang, Qian, Wang, Qiurong, Xun, Yang, Tan, Yujiao, Cui, Shuqin, Ma, Linxiao, Huang, Penglin, Cao, Meijuan, Zhang, Bin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletes; Coaches & managers; Data collection; Instant messaging; Internet; Mental health; Questionnaires; Research methodology; Social interaction; Social network analysis; Social networks; Social research; Social structure; Social support; Software
• ISSN: 1076-2787; 1099-0526
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/6647664

In response to the lack of research on the online social network structure of athletes, elements of research on the online social network structure of athletes were constructed based on the whole network perspective and through the study of the characteristics of the whole online social network structure of athletes, in order to provide reference for the physical and mental health development of athletes from a new perspective. Data were collected through questionnaires, and several software programs were used to preprocess and analyse the collected data. Through the analysis of the online whole network structure, it was found that the network density of the online support network was generally greater than that of the online discussion network, and athletes still showed stronger practical support demands and behaved more rationally in the process of training and learning life, while from the perspective of the relationship structure, the athletes’ family and classmates’ online support is weaker than that in previous studies; in terms of the whole network, strong relationships still dominate in this population, while attention should be paid to the impact of weak relationships.