Online Social Support: The Interplay of Social Networks and Compu ...

Additionally, knowing that others have faced a similar problem, and perhaps even overcome it, can provide both relief from personal blame and renewed strength and determination (Schaefer, Coyne, & Lazarus, 1981; Weiss, 1974; Wills, 1985). Companionship is made up of sharing everyday events and ideas such as going shopping, engaging in friendly conversation, and participating in a group together. It provides support by making individuals feel there are people who enjoy their presence and they are a valuable part of something bigger than themselves (Wellman & Wortley, 1990). Lastly, instrumental or practical support includes things like assisting with housecleaning, making a loan for this month’s rent, or helping with the grocery shopping. Such assistance provides support by allowing individuals more time and resources to relieve themselves of their daily workloads or the burden of additional assistance needed during a time of crisis (Cobb, 1979; House, 1981; Litwak, 1985). The SOL-Cancer Forum does not contain any face-to-face interaction so support for tasks that require tangible assistance is not possible and instrumental support will not be included in this work.

The two levels of social relation that influence the presence of social support are a social network containing all possible connections for support, and the social ties connecting actors that may transmit support (Berkman et al., 2000; Hall & Wellman, 1985; Parks & Eggert, 1991; Walker et al., 1994). A social network impacts social support in that individuals can only cultivate and access support through relationships contained in their networks. They may not choose to actively pursue all supportive ties available to them, but support that is not contained in relationships within the overall structure of their networks is not even accessible by choice (Pearlin, 1985). On the other hand, small-scale social ties are influential because they are the conduits through which support is transmitted from one individual to another (Wellman & Gulia, 1999).