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Impacts on Society: Informational and Socio-Emotional Support in Virtual Communities and Online Groups

Impacts on Society: Informational and Socio-Emotional Support in Virtual Communities and Online Groups

Shahar Gur, Anita Lynn Blanchard, Lisa Slattery Walker
Copyright: © 2016 |Pages: 15
ISBN13: 9781466698994|ISBN10: 1466698993|EISBN13: 9781466699007
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9899-4.ch010
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MLA

Gur, Shahar, et al. "Impacts on Society: Informational and Socio-Emotional Support in Virtual Communities and Online Groups." Analyzing Digital Discourse and Human Behavior in Modern Virtual Environments, edited by Bobbe Gaines Baggio, IGI Global, 2016, pp. 181-195. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9899-4.ch010

APA

Gur, S., Blanchard, A. L., & Walker, L. S. (2016). Impacts on Society: Informational and Socio-Emotional Support in Virtual Communities and Online Groups. In B. Baggio (Ed.), Analyzing Digital Discourse and Human Behavior in Modern Virtual Environments (pp. 181-195). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9899-4.ch010

Chicago

Gur, Shahar, Anita Lynn Blanchard, and Lisa Slattery Walker. "Impacts on Society: Informational and Socio-Emotional Support in Virtual Communities and Online Groups." In Analyzing Digital Discourse and Human Behavior in Modern Virtual Environments, edited by Bobbe Gaines Baggio, 181-195. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-9899-4.ch010

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the implications of giving and receiving social support in virtual communities and online groups. The chapter first offers a literature review about social support in general, and then delves into specific details about online social support. More specifically, this chapter focuses on informational and socio-emotional support, especially as they pertain to online groups and virtual communities. Three specific examples of online groups and virtual communities studied by the authors are offered, along with research findings and hypotheses. Finally, best practices are outlined for those who are interested in starting and maintaining an online group with the purpose of offering informational and/or socio-emotional support to potential users.

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