PhD Thesis Proposal: Zheng Yao, "Peer Support in Online Communities"
Speaker
Zheng Yao
When
-
Where
Zoom location announced in email
Description
Committee:
Dr. Bob Kraut (HCII), co-Chair
Dr. Haiyi Zhu (HCII), co-Chair
Dr. Sarah Fox (HCII)
Dr. Julia Ticona (University of Pennsylvania)
Abstract:
Online peer support groups provide a conducive environment, allowing members to get connected with peers who share similar difficulties. There, members are able to provide informational and emotional support to each other without restrictions of time and geographic location. However, peer support also suffers from a variety of challenges, including members’ lack of commitment and expertise in providing support. Failure to address these challenges might lead to unwanted consequences such as volunteer burnout and mistreatment of helpees.
In my work, I started off studying peer support in a health-related context, emphasizing two research questions, 1) how to keep members committed to providing support and 2) how to empower committed members with skills so that they can provide better support. It is not clear, however, the extent to which conclusions obtained from this research can be applied to support groups where members might have conflicts of interest. I then expand my work to peer support groups where members have competition by examining how gig workers provide and receive support online. In my proposed work, I plan to leverage mixed methods to study factors that could affect support provision in these competitive groups.
Host
Queenie Kravitz