1. 1
Prospectus for the Ph.D. in Information Studies
An analysis of social interactions in
online health social networking
Drexel University
College of Information Science and Technology
Katherine Chuang
September xx, 2010

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Table of Contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Motivation .............................................................................................................................................. 4
Research Question(s) .......................................................................................................................... 6
Purpose of Study................................................................................................................................. 7
Review of the Literature ........................................................................................................................ 8
Section 1: Online Social Support ....................................................................................................... 8
Social Support Types ...................................................................................................................... 9
Levels of social supports ............................................................................................................... 10
Support in Online Health Communities ........................................................................................ 12
Section 2: Features in Text-Based Online Communication Tools ................................................... 13
Summary of text-based social media communication tools .......................................................... 13
Factors in Tool Selection .............................................................................................................. 14
Characteristics of Textual Social Media ....................................................................................... 15
Section 3: Social Interaction Patterns in Health Communication .................................................... 16
Measuring with Social Network Analysis .................................................................................... 18
Patterns of Interactions ................................................................................................................. 21
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Social roles in online health community ....................................................................................... 22
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 23
References ............................................................................................................................................ 23

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Abstract
Internet users are becoming increasingly social in their online information behavior, as shown by a
growing trend of social media adoption. The motivation for this research comes from an increasing need
to understand the patterns of social interactions online, especially of e-patients using the internet as a
health resource. For example, e-patients participate in online health communities that are similar to face-
to-face peer support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous. Studying these websites is important for health
informatics research because studies have demonstrated that support groups can have a positive impact on
quality of life, decision making by patients, and improved health outcomes. Participation in online
support groups is important for patients, as it leads to a sense of empowerment.
Social networking in the health context has grown in popularity recently due to their advantage in
allowing patients to play a more informed role in their own healthcare by gathering and sharing health
information outside of their doctor’s office (Kielstra, 2009). Patients and/or their caregivers often turn to
the internet to seek support, especially those with limited local resources. E-patients use social networking
platforms to teach each other about conditions and treatments (Civan & Pratt, 2007). It has been
predicted that social networking sites will increase in popularity because of the growing number of users
adopting social media and spending time to socialize online. Some tools they use for these activities
include the popular text-based communication mediums Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. In these
environments, people are able to work together as a group (i.e. raise breast cancer awareness), share
advice and reviews with each other, or offer words of encouragement.
Previous studies identified different types of social support (i.e. informational support, emotional support)
in online support groups, looking at areas of shared patient expertise, identifying types of interactions that
facilitate social support exchanges among group members, and comparing online empathy with offline
empathy. This study will be different from previous studies because it will seek to understand the
mechanism of technology that facilitates social support exchanges.
The findings will be of value to those who design and evaluate online intervention programs. This
research would help (1) health professionals (and their IT system analysts) who are designing and
implementing online intervention programs using social media technologies, (2) researchers studying
social support as a behavior change technique in a virtual environment, and (3) inform policy makers who
determine practice guidelines. The outcome of this study can contribute to improving online intervention
programs by targeting specific functions of social network sites.