Assessing the evolutionary structure of homeless network: Social media use, keywords, and influential stakeholders

• We examine how social media is used over time by the homeless network.
• We analyze longitudinal network data collected from the MDHA's Facebook page.
• The homeless network uses social media to engage internal and external stakeholders.
• The structure of the homeless network evolves into a set of reciprocal interactions.

This study seeks to understand how social media is used over time by a community network associated with the implementation of federal homeless policy in the U.S. In addition, this study explores the structure of the social media network that evolves over time. Drawing on previous social media and network research, longitudinal data from 2009 to 2013 was gathered from the Facebook page of a homeless network in the Dallas Metropolitan Area and the case was analyzed using social network analysis methods. Results indicate that the homeless network tends to use social media to raise awareness of homelessness issues, to market the homeless network, to solicit the help of stakeholders, and engage external stakeholders. In addition, the structure of the social media network tends to evolve into a set of reciprocal interactions among stakeholders.