Practicum #8 Online Support Groups

When I initially joined the vegetarian support group on DailyStrength, I thought selecting a "safe" topic would allow me to observe and participate in a community without being deceptive or outright insulting toward a group seeking support for a more serious issue. As a vegetarian, I've never needed support or an outlet to voice my opinion, so I approached this assignment expecting to not personally gain anything. Additionally, I had never tried to interact with, let alone befriend, complete strangers on the internet.

Some of my first observations of the support group supported my preconceived notion that members of the group would use the discussion board as a personal pulpit-- a few to many model of asynchronous communication that now seems more consistent with blogging. While it is true that some members use DailyStrength to preach to the crowd, I was surprised to find that the support group has many active and vocal members participating in deep discussions. There were many more "types" of members than I expected. Because I have no real convictions about eating meat (I just don't like it and I don't judge people who do) I never really thought about the many animal rights activists this support group would attract. Many of these members experience true anxiety when even in the presence meat. Some view any form of animal product as dead flesh-- this includes leather! This type of member (onetoomany, lovescrappy, mr.pebble -- to name a few) possess a worldview far removed from the mainstream and join DailyStrength seeking support for these anxieties as well as advice for living embodied life in a world of meat-eaters (murderers according to them). Other members use the support group to keep themselves accountable. Rebecca9 says that she misses cheese and asks for product recommendations, while rainmonster7 admits that she ate shrimp. There is group polarization of course, but I suppose any group devoted to one topic will have this. While I initially thought this would be detrimental to the functioning of a support group, I now find it to be essential as it encourages and legitimatizes the beliefs of individuals who may marginalized and unable to connect with people in embodied communities. Online support groups create a more hospitable environment for people to express opinions.

I am most surprised that I personally benefited from the online support group. In addition to finding restaurant recommendations and advice for planning vegetarian meals, I actually connected with other vegetarians-- something I have never actively done in real life. I befriended ChronicIL, an older and wiser vegetarian, and learned that relationships online aren't necessarily "creepy" as the MSM often has us believe. I also gained a sense of "do-gooding" when encouraging the staunch vegans to accept and respect the decision by others to consume meat.

All in all, the practicum project forced me to do something I wouldn't have. I discovered the benefits of online interactions and actually took advantage of the internet's wonderful ability to connect people anywhere, about anything.