'The Secret is Out': Communicating Social Support in an Online Weight Loss Group

• In Event: Communication Processes and Outcomes in Computer-Mediated Groups

Abstract

This paper proposes the study of social support in an online weight loss group. We examine support as enacted through communication (Goldsmith, 2004) and argue that, in this context, support is best understood as a group, rather than dyadic, process. Through analysis of members’ journal entries and comments to others’ journals, we discern how group members express and respond to social support. The study holds implications for theorizing social support and studying bona fide groups.

Authors

• Laura Black, Ohio University

• Jennifer Bute, Ohio University

• Laura Russell, Ohio University