Social work and digital boundaries
Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-Israeli experiences with WhatsApp during political turmoil
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10897020 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Neveen Ali‐saleh Darawshy (0000-0002-1683-6764, Bar-Ilan University, corresponding author), Sagit Lev (0000-0001-5879-3849, Bar-Ilan University), Shlomit Weiss‐Dagan (0000-0001-6668-6728, Bar-Ilan University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 2138-2154 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal of Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0045-3102 • E-ISSN: 1468-263X |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjsw/bcaf037 |
| OpenAlex | W4408140750 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
This research investigated how social workers with diverse national and political backgrounds communicate using digital tools during crises and political conflicts. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, twenty-five social workers from municipal departments of social service in six ethnonationally mixed Israeli cities were interviewed in Hebrew and Arabic. The research examined how social workers with differing national identities navigate communication, focusing on perceptions, actions, and strategies during politically charged periods. The findings revealed three intercorrelated themes: strategic use of digital silence as a coping mechanism, power asymmetries reflected in communication patterns, and the struggle to maintain professional boundaries when political events permeate digital workplace discourse. While using digital tool as WhatsApp may decrease tension, it remained essential for work coordination, it simultaneously became a space where political tensions were enacted through patterns of engagement and disengagement, challenging professional norms and collegial relationships. The study recommends fostering awareness of how national identities shape communication on digital platforms like WhatsApp, encouraging inclusive and supportive professional environments during political crises. Ethical considerations and organizational guidelines should address the intersection of social work diversity, digital communication, and professional practice
Disengagement theory · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
Digital social work
Social workers’ construction of cultural competence in polarized cities
Young people, social workers and social work education
The Spiral of Silence a Theory of Public Opinion
When the outside penetrates the inside
Social work for critical peace
Where professional and personal values may clash
The social worker-client relationship in the digital era
Willingness to Self-Censor
Social Media and Social Work
Youth workers' use of Facebook for mediated pastoralism with juvenile delinquents and youths-at-risk
The power(s) of observation
Bringing Context and Power Relations to the Fore
Voicing or Silence
Just Get on with It’
Social Workers from Oppressed Minority Group Treating Majority Group's Clients
Cyber youth work in Hong Kong
The Dual Imperative in Refugee Research
Indigenous Circuits
The Complexity of Intersectionality
| Highly cited | No |
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