Weak Tie Network Support in an Online Substance Abuse Community

Abstract

In recent years, a number of communication scholars have found that online support communities can enhance, or extend, individuals’ social support networks by providing greater access to the increased social capital available in a larger, easier to maintain, network of individuals who are often geographically separated (Rains & Keating, 2011;Walther & Boyd, 2002; Wright & Bell, 2003; Wright & Miller, 2010). More and more individuals with health concerns have begun to seek social support online, with an estimated 7.5 million adults using online support communities in the United States alone (National Cancer Institute, 2013). A number of researchers have found that online support groups often serve as important resources of social support among people facing a wide range of health concerns (See Chung, 2013; Li & Feng, 2015; Rains & Keating, 2011; Rains, Peterson, & Wright, 2015), especially among individuals who are living with a stigmatized disease or health problem like HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, eating disorders, and/or mental illness.

This chapter examines the role of weak-tie social support within the context of online support communities. Toward that end, it examines theory and research regarding the strength of weak-tie networks in terms of their ability to provide individuals coping with health concerns with certain
types of social support that may be more difficult to obtain in established close relationships. Next, it examines the concept of health-related stigma and how weak-tie support within online communities can help people more easily communicate their health concerns with others. Finally, the chapter presents a case study of a Facebook support community for substance abuse disorder and supportive message posts from community of participants that exemplify a number of the weak-tie support concepts covered earlier in the chapter. This is followed by a brief discussion of how examples from the case study demonstrate some key concepts and processes related to theory/research on weak-tie supportive relationships within online communities for people facing health concerns.