Abstract
This study integrates social network and content analyses to examine the communication behaviors of opinion leaders—such as creating threads and engaging in continuous conversations—in two large cancer-focused online health communities. Guided by the diffusion of innovation theory and the social support literature, we analyzed 951 threads and 10,179 posts and found that a group of opinion leaders (including cancer patients, family caregivers, and cancer survivors) centralized the communities from 2017 to 2018. Opinion leaders’ typical replies to others tended to be a combination of opinion support, emotional support, and network support. Amid their self-created threads, we further identified four themes: cancer history and treatment, health or life condition update, advocacy, and emotional ventilation. Implications for network and content analytics of online cancer communication are discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Social Media + Society
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
