Lurking Behavior in Online Psychosocial Discussion Forums: Theoretical Perspectives and Implications for Practice

Abstract

Improving outcomes of telebehavioral psychoeducation requires rethinking program design when delivered wholly or partially for self-directed participation. Discussion forum participation often follows the "90-9-1 Rule" where 90% of participants lurk, rather than contribute content. A theoretical perspective on the behavior can help explain its adaptive functions, as well as the threats that this behavior poses to the lurker. Implications for practice require program redesign that actively links individual skills-training and group-based discussion. The proposed linking design can synergize individual and group participation to support the development of mutual aid, as well as greater interaction with psychoeducation content and materials.

Comparing Crowdsourcing and Friendsourcing: A Social Media-Based Feasibility Study to Support Alzheimer Disease Caregivers

“…In unmoderated online peer support groups, nonparticipation or reading-without-posting behavior has been identified as a drawback that reduces overall group interaction and the development of mutual aid [ 30 ]. With our study design, we showed that an online social media peer support group was feasible.…”

“…Membership in online health communities can address logistical barriers to service utilization, and caregivers often seek emotional and informational support from their peers [28]. However, cautions about the reliability of health care information being shared [29], the tendency of participants to lurk by browsing rather than contributing content [30,31], and participation inequalities [32] point to limitations that interfere with the ability of online communities to support caregivers in the process of coping.…”

Digital Storytelling for Bereaved Individuals in a Virtual Setting

“…Individuals who indicate that they can only attend a portion of the workshop are invited to postpone involvement until they can be present for the full time. Similarly, individuals who indicate they are solely interested in observing others—something we have yet to encounter, but research suggests may be more likely in an online format (Wilkerson, 2016)—would be omitted from the workshop for multiple reasons. First and foremost, a significant portion of the workshop consists of active story creation.…”

Online psychoeducation with parent management training: Examining the contribution of peer support

“…Overcoming logistical barriers has also been a factor in the growth of online mental health interventions and services (Barak & Grohol, ), which—despite its advantages—also creates barriers to participation (Tsai, ). Online parent management training and psychoeducation programmes that segment peer support from group work can diminish the potential contribution of peer support to the intervention (Wilkerson, ). We investigated the contribution of peer support in an online parent management training intervention that included group work delivered through asynchronous discussions.…”