Why Online Support?

I asked users on my forums to tell me why they used these websites. I wanted to gain an understanding of why users seek support online. These were the most common responses:

Support and Help
Users genuinely feel they can find help and advice for their problems on these pages. But support is not a one way street in terms of site participation. Users say they like to help others as well and feel good from doing so. "It's nice to be able to give love and support as well as receive it and know that someone somewhere, feels just as I do, and maybe we could be really close in real life," DailyStrength user standbyme said.

Acknowledgment
The community aspect of these pages is really strong and users have to trust in others for advice and to form bonds. standbyme also posted a journal saying, "I wish I knew how to change my life, I wish I had at least one really close friend that I could talk to, but I don't. I don't have anyone to share my life with." She is using this site to find people who will care about her when she has no one else to do so offline.

Collectivity
Users can also seek people who feel the same way as themselves. Groups within the websites allow users to identify more closely with a particular sect. By huddling groups of people experiencing the same problems, users feel more connected with the forums and friendships are more likely to develop.

Vent
This is one of the most popular uses for the forums. Users can say whatever they want and let all their emotions out.

Anonymity
Another popular response was that users liked the ability to remain anonymous. Users said they were more likely to say things on the internet when they could be anonymous. Some said the fact that their friends, family, and co-workers couldn't access their private information caused them to be more open and more willing to speak freely. This is a sphere where the consequences of spilling are lessened. LiveWire user TBMP said he uses the site "to have somewhere to vent where no one I know IRL will read." (IRL means In Real Life).

Other people said they used the websites to observe how "self-obsessed" people are. Some called users a form of "entertainment" or "idiots." A difference between the users who utilize the forums for entertainment, and those who use the forums for support is how much of a relationship the users have with their offline communities. Users who do not feel they have people in their lives they can go to for help use the forums instead. They value the online communities because of the bonds they form, advice they can receive, and the anonymity they are allowed to retain. They are using the web to form something they are lacking offline.