Identifying Consumer Value Co-created through Social Support within Online Health Communities

Abstract

Consumers increasingly turn to online health communities for health information and social support. Yet, the type of value consumers derive from online health communities is not well understood. This study examines social support as the mechanism through which consumers co-create and experience different types of value. Cutrona and Russell’s typology of social support and Holbrook’s consumer value typology are applied to posts and threads obtained from two online communities for people with Parkinson’s Disease and ALS. Results demonstrate that online health communities give consumers the opportunity to create and experience forms of consumer value that would not otherwise be available in a traditional health delivery system. The results lend support to a re-conceptualisation of medical practice and health delivery for consumers with chronic conditions.

Building Healthier Communities: Value Co-Creation within the Chronic Care Model for Rural Under-Resourced Areas

“…The role of IT in health care is central in establishing a value network for sharing and integrating information and resources [9], [10], [39], [40]. Key health organizations in the U.S. including the Institute of Medicine and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recommend the use of IT for supporting self-management of chronic conditions [19].…”

Smartphone crises and adjustments in a virtual P3 community –doingsustainability oriented smartphone consumption

“…In studies of communities online, there has been growing interest in community as a critical space for 'enabling consumer-to-consumer sharing of information that they cannot access via the market' (Stokburger-Sauer & Wiertz, 2015, p. 237). In such a perspective, community membership is seen as a path taken to bring about individual and societal well-being (Stewart Loane, Webster, & D'Alessandro, 2014). Online communities that are not geographically bound appear to be a suitable vehicle for the diffusion of sustainable practices (Hadley & Cheetham, 2015).…”

“…Both the support-based and issue-based OSCCs use social media as 'sites of informal consumer education' (Sandlin, 2007, p. 288). In addition to social support (Stewart Loane et al, 2014), these hubs serve to share information about suitable and unsuitable views on consumption and practices (McCarthy-Latimer & Kendrick Jr, 2016;Subrahmanyam & Šmahel, 2011). Finally, issue-based OSCCs share information about the negative externalities of consumption (Luck & Ginanti, 2013).…”

The Role of Online Discussion Forums in Newcomers' Labour Market Integration in Canada

“…Symmetry of knowledge enables not only exchange, but also collaboration and co-creation of online resources (Griesbaum et al, 2015;Sheng and Hartono, 2015). In the context of this study, co-creation refers to construction of new knowledge (e.g., information, advice) from exchanges and reconfiguration of existing knowledge (Griesbaum et al, 2015;Nonaka, 1994;Stewart Loane et al, 2015).…”

“…The results suggest that newcomers generally used online discussion forums to seek and exchange social support only. However, in typical online communities, users not only seek and exchange support, but also co-create social support resources (e.g., Griesbaum et al, 2015;Seraj, 2012;Sheng and Hartono, 2015;Stewart Loane et al, 2015). Therefore, the examined online discussion forums concerning labour market integration of newcomers in the new country are more like online exchanges of 'social support' rather than typical online communities.…”