‘They Know What It’s Like’: Exploring Facebook Groups for Digital Coping

Abstract

Informed by the Digital Coping Model, this article explores the use of social network sites among chronically ill patients and caregivers. In particular, it focuses on the use of Facebook (FB) groups among patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their caregivers in the Philippines. Situated in a country with a high prevalence of CVD, it explores the communication technology affordances and digital coping activities of members belonging to a private FB group for CVD. Using in-depth interviews with members, this article found that digital coping engages with polymedia, that is, patients and caregivers use the private FB group together with other platforms. Members likewise engaged with praying as an emergent digital coping activity. Moreover, they characterised the private FB group as an epistemic community critical for creating, sharing and challenging CVD-related information. Taken together, the results extend the conversations about the ways patients and caregivers continue to repurpose communication and technology for managing their chronic illness in the larger backdrop of polymedia, limited access to healthcare, and the ongoing pandemic. Implications to moderators of health groups, healthcare professionals and health associations are discussed.