Abstract
Social comparison and social support have implications for individuals' wellbeing, offline and on social media. Perceptions of similarity underlie both social comparison and social support processes, though how comparison and support function in tandem in online spaces, and which aspects of identity and experiential similarity are salient to which comparison and support outcomes, merits investigation. Through interviews with people who have joined or considered joining social media-based support groups following pregnancy loss (N=18), we provide an intracommunity view into social comparison within online support groups. We identify a set of identity and experience attributes that inform perceptions of similarity and difference in these support spaces. We characterize tensions arising from these attributes and propose the preliminary Social Comparison and Social Support in Online Support Groups model to describe interactions between social support and comparison processes within online support groups. We further discuss findings' implications for design, including via introducing the tolerance principle of online health support groups. CAUTION: This paper includes quotes about pregnancy loss.
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: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
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.
