On-line Health Communities - Self-Injury Adler (2008). Flashcards
What is a cyber/on-line community?
A cyber/on-line community is a group of people connected to one another through the internet. Members are brought together because of their shared commonality or common interests. They meet up to associate with similar others, exchanging their experiences and offering support and advice.
Examples of on-line communities?
Teachers Connect: With nearly 4,300 posts in last 24hrs, this community for teachers is a great example of why forums still succeed.
Trip Advisor: Travelling members share their experiences to help and advise other travellers.
Can you add any more?
For example, sites for patients of cancer/other diseases. Divorced, widowed. HIV/AIDS, Eating disorders, and so on.
How do people search for an on-line community?
Apart from the obvious, eg getting access to the web, people generally search for a community which fits their specialised needs. People with greater communication needs tend to gravitate toward busier communities. However, smaller communities may have greater levels of participation, whereas the communities with more members, may have fewer posting.
Demographics is also important, where some communities would stipulate their community is only for teenagers, or the elderly. Whilst others would invite a mixture.
Why do you think on-line communities are important to individuals?
People have reported that they found it invaluable to talking to other people who shared or knew about what they were going through.
For example, Adler (2008), looked at self-injury sites. When interviewing participants, most members said they found it important to talk to people who would know what they are going through, because the people they knew in their immediate community, did not understand their self-injury.
One participant, in Adler (2008) expressed the ‘sense of community’ she got from her on-line group: “It’s a good feeling to find a community that can accept your darkest shadow, but it’s also a really scary thing to see those shadows”. Here the participant expresses the enormous comfort she got from this community.
Communities specialising in deeper more harmful behaviours, for example, pro ana groups (groups promoting eating disorders) and self-injury, may have “no trigger” policies. This can put members off. In Adler’s (2008) one participant said that she was a member of two self-injury groups, because although she found the original one very supportive it had the “no trigger” policy, but the second did not. She found this very helpful when she needed to “… vent and I need to be very explicit about what I want to do”…
Same paper: Some members joined multiple sites to act out different identities. Some do this out of curiosity. For example, men may hide behind female-sounding names, to fit into the subculture which is predominantly made up of women. In the case of self-injury, a member portrayed himself as being self-injury-free for 2 years. Part of his own journey was to offer hope to others who self-harm whilst still sourcing support and advise from members of the other self-injury communities.
Same paper: Some on-line groups of self-harming (and I would imagine other groups too) discourage members who are not ready to embrace recovery. Whilst other communities throughly embrace and encourage it, for example pro-Ana groups (groups with eating disorders in common; pro Ana refers mainly to bulimia and Ana to anorexia) and pro-sucide groups. Respecting members who live this life style regarding the behaviour as their own choice.
What is a pro Ana group
A pro Ana group is a community who have eating disorders and encourage, support and respect that this is a life style which individuals choose to live.
Bulimia = pro Ana Anorexia = Ana
What types of on-line communities are there?
Pro Ana eating disorders - Pro-suicide - Health - Diseases (cancer/HIV-AIDS) -
What kind of support can on-line communities offer people who self-harm/injury?
In Adler (2008) a participant said “I honestly don’t see what is so wrong with cutting”. When she made this statement she was looking to see if anyone else agreed with her… and further went onto say, “instead of punching a pillow, you just take it out on yourself. As long as you don’t do it too deep, whats the big dear???” She further said that “Its better than abusing the people around you.”
However, this person recognised that others may carry a heavy burden of emotions and depression, but she said that “if it isn’t ‘adversely affecting one’s life’, … then why does everyone else think it is wrong … Am I making any sense to anyone???”…
Offer support to people who may be imprisoned in their own homes because they are unable to connect with anyone else in their day to day community.
People with concealable stigma identify better with internet support groups. They can hide behind anonymity and relate to similar others.
What is Goffmanian (1963)?
Deviant cyber subcultures that encourages deviant behaviours such as self-harm suicide and eating disorders. Where members of similar preferences feel no need to conceal their issues and openly support one another.
What can affiliation do for people?
Affiliation brings members of a community closer together because of their shared commonalities.
Adler (2008; self-injury) Because other people are acting in a deviant way, makes it more normal “Jus the fact that there were other people doing it (self-injury),” made her feel part of that group…
She said that before joining the on-line group, self-injury because fewer people in her community were self-harming it didn’t give it an identity. But on-line it became a lifestyle, instead of a private habit. It becomes the central focus of members lives.
Sometimes hold people back from recovering because the strong affiliation act as triggers.
It also encourages members who have allegedly desisted (recovered) from deviant behaviour to support those who are still in the throes of it. Brown (1991) noted members help themselves by helping others. Members may also view deviant behaviours such as self-injury as a a by-product of pain or unhappiness whereas clinicians may treat the behaviour as a psychological syndrome.
Describe the types of relationships members of an on-line community form.
They are usually instant.
Posting personal issues and requests are usually met with a flood of responses. This instance ‘commonality’ links people together instantly, which then grows into more personal, deeper connections.
One participant said that it is easier to talk to people on-line because the cannot see you. You can be more direct and precise, because you are shielded form the norms
On-line communications vs Face to Face … describe the difference.
On-line relationships only reach a certain level, because they are based on group conversations. Therefore lack intricacies and non-verbal connections.
Although people can communicate private and painful things about themselves, it is easier to do this on-line then face to face, because there is little personal connection. Non-verbal cues are hidden, therefore it is easier to express deeper feelings, pain and anger.
Additionally, strong connectivity with a stranger, that is sharing strong commonalities, encourage members to share even more private information. It is almost inspirational.
Cyber friendships tend to escalate/intensify at a faster rate than real life relationships. Maybe driven by the fact that people can speak more truthfully when a person is not physical present. there is a sense of not having to FACE the person in real life terms. On-line anonymity encourages more trust. Almost acts like a journal, could this also be similar to speaking to yourself as you do in journals? Not seeing others, their reactions, being in their presence? Does not being able to see others remove stigma and judgement, or the feelings that you are not being judged?
Kindred spirits - free to be whom ever they want to be because they don’t have to FACE anyone…
This encourages a phobia of not being able to interact and talk to people in REAL LIFE
Trust and misrepresentation in cyber relationships
Mostly very supportive… greater volume of friends, with direct compatibility. Access to support 24/7, from non-judgemental people who truly understand your situation. Can’t hug or be held physically, but emotionally it helps just to read words “I understand, I’m sorry that you’re going through this”, etc
But this can back fire. If disagreements happen members may threaten to reveal and expose each other’s true identities, if ofcourse it has been revealed in the first place.
What is a masquerade relationship? Kendall (2002)
Is an on-line relationship based on deceit. Where people interact and form romantic relationships with others who are not what they appear to be. This can also be the case not just for romantic relationships. On-line communities can be based on forming trust with others you know nothing about, but feel you can trust them. They could portray themselves as being a professional in a specific field, when they are not, this could be dangerous. Finding the truth about some on-line is very difficult.
It’s about the effects THE PRESENCE of others have on us… or even the lack of presence of others.
Leaving a cyber relationship
Is different, there does not appear to be any commitment between members.
What is odd is that people can feel quite close, in a short space of time, reveal very intimate things about themselves but feel no commitment to make their relationship with others on-line work. Not having to face others in real time distances us from them.
Emotional needs …
People seek the support of others when they are in need. On-line communities off instant ratification… strong connectivity and a portal to off load and be one’s self free from prejudice and judgement. On-line anonymity further enhances that freedom of speech.
On the one hand, it is easier for people who struggle with successful relationships in Real Life, to build relationships on-line. There is less risk. It can also serve to build up confidence in people who struggle with face to face.
