I benefit from the use of the internet as a source of help, as mentioned in our Chapter 12 reading. Online communities can provide access to valuable information and emotional support to many who cannot seek help through traditional avenues (Gruman, 2016). I stumbled upon these communities looking for….something…and they helped me survive.
Within the last year and a half-ish, my life kind of blew up. My mother, seemingly overnight, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. It was already very progressed, and doctors were actually shocked she had hidden it and compensated so well for so long. My sister and I had to figure all of this out with no guidance, across different states. My mom’s family (she’s one of 9 children) abandoned us. And then my dad died.
While estranged from most of my family, I’m extremely lucky to have incredible friends. While they are unbelievably supportive, they don’t understand. I’m 36, and as people keep reminding me — very young to be dealing with this. Online communities gave me a way to connect to others experiencing these same, very unique experiences. They’ve kept me going in a way, and I’m mostly a lurker. I don’t often comment or participate in these groups, but I visit and read and commiserate in my own way.
I do see the dangers of online communities and self-help groups. More than once I’ve stumbled upon a group with ill intentions, and it’s easy to get sucked in. What starts out as a healthy eating quest turns into disordered eating, etc. I think as long as people can keep an awareness of reality around them while engaging in these groups, they’re extremely benificial.
References:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
I could not agree more that online communities are so helpful. Two years ago I lost my mother, my only parent, at age 19 while becoming responsible for my younger brother who was only 10 years old. My family, those who are blood anyway suck and many of them forgot about us and did not care as much either. I thankfully had a lot of friends who are more of my family reach out to me and help me over the phone, and on zoom calls and just helped me know I was not alone and helped me grieve.
Reference:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.