Open AccessVirtual Support Communities and Psychological Well‐Being: The Role of Optimistic and Pessimistic Social Comparison Strategies
Author(s) -
Batenburg Anika,
Das Enny
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/jcc4.12131
Subject(s) - pessimism , psychology , social support , social activity , identification (biology) , social psychology , online community , computer science , world wide web , ecology , philosophy , epistemology , biology
Do the beneficial or detrimental effects of CMC activity depend on the specific social comparison strategy individuals use? The present study aimed to answer this question by examining social comparison strategies, different measures of online activity within the community, and psychological well‐being of users of online breast cancer support communities. Results showed that the relationship between online activity (i.e., length of visits and frequency of posts) and psychological well‐being (i.e., breast cancer related concerns and depression) was determined by users' pessimistic social comparison strategy; downward identification influenced especially highly active users. Findings suggest that active CMC users should be careful not to become entrapped by negative social comparison processes.