Individual and social benefits of online discussion forums. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pendry, Louise F.; Salvatore, Jessica
• Is Part Of: Computers in human behavior. Volume 50(2015)
• Page Start: 211
• Page End: 220
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Online discussion forum -- Well-being -- Civic engagement -- Activism -- Social identity -- Stigmatised group membership; Interactive computer systems -- Periodicals; Man-machine systems -- Periodicals; 004.019
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.067
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0747-5632

Abstract

Highlights: Online discussion forums have benefits at individual and society level. They are positively linked to well-being for stigmatised group members. Online discussion forum use is linked to offline civic engagement in related areas. Identification with other forum users mediates the above relationships. Online discussion forums are of greater applied importance than has been realized. Abstract: There has been much debate surrounding the potential benefits and costs of online interaction. The present research argues that engagement with online discussion forums can have underappreciated benefits for users' well-being and engagement in offline civic action, and that identification with other online forum users plays a key role in this regard. Users of a variety of online discussion forums participated in this study. We hypothesized and found that participants who felt their expectations had been exceeded by the forum reported higher levels of forum identification. Identification, in turn, predicted their satisfaction with life and involvement in offline civic activities. Formal analyses confirmed that identification served as a mediator for both of these outcomes. Importantly, whether the forum concerned a stigmatized topic moderated certain of these relationships. Findings are discussed in the context of theoretical and applied implications.