Online Boundary Work in Stigmatized Communities

• In Event: Media Psychology and the Study of Gender-Related Issues

Abstract

Drawing from stigma and computer-mediated communication theories, this study examines online boundary work in stigmatized communities. It studies the efforts group members generate to distinguish their group from people who are not considered group members. This study compared two online groups—one for Israeli voluntary childless women and another for Israeli women with fertility issues. Quantitative content analysis of two online support forums—one for voluntarily childless and the other for infertile Israeli women—and in-depth interviews with childless women were used to address the study’s research question. Results elucidate that the type of stigma—rather than simply being stigmatized—played an important role in online boundary work of each online group. Findings suggest that unlike in face-to-face support groups with defined physical boundaries, online communication among stigmatized creates challenges to group identity and stigma management.

Author

• Daphna Yeshua-Katz, Ben Gurion University