Social Support and Computer-Mediated Communication: A State-of-the-Art Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Despite a great deal of speculation about the potential advantages and disadvantages of computer-mediated communication (CMC) for social support processes, few attempts have been made to summarize the findings from this body of scholarship. The present chapter reports a state-of-the-art review of research on computer-mediated support in an effort to determine whether the purported promise and peril of CMC has been realized. Empirical studies examining the use of CMC for acquiring social support and the outcomes of support acquired online are reviewed and synthesized. The review concludes with an agenda for future research identifying pressing questions for computer-mediated support scholarship.