Redes sociais e governança em saúde

Abstract

In the current context, social networks acquire relevance as spaces of mobilization, integration and decisionmaking, revealing the emergence of new and complex patterns of sociability and governance. However, in addition to the positive aspects associated with social networks, there are also asymmetries, power disputes, conflicts, ambivalences and contradictions 1. Heterogeneity and fluidity mark the networks, whether they are centered on the family, on the neighborhood or on the multiple spheres of formal and informal sociability. In the field of public health this debate has assumed different contours revealing the challenging nature of the most recent patterns of interaction between social actors and public institutions. The mechanisms involved in the circulation and sharing of information and knowledge among professionals and users of health services, the frontiers and points of contact among multiple organizations, groups and individuals, as well as the transformations in the decision dynamics are highlighted in the research and teaching agenda of the area. Thus, this thematic issue brings together articles that seek to reflect on the changes that have occurred in the last decades in everyday sociability and its repercussions on health practices. It is an initiative of the