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Suffering in Online Interactions

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World Suffering and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: Social Indicators Research Series ((SINS,volume 56))

Abstract

Due to the growing relevance of online communication, the questions arise: Why do care seekers turn to the social web? How does virtual interaction of personal suffering affect those who share their grief? How does it impact their quality of life, health, and social well-being? After a review of relevant findings, three different bereavement platforms were examined in a qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed that the meeting of likeminded is crucial in online communication. Online platforms provide a social space in which one may bond in an environment of support and participate in a process of mutual understanding. Emotional communication chains and interactive roles are discovered. Communicative effects disclose that care seekers in time become care givers. Implications for online communication of suffering are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    So called phase or stage models, as most notably, Kübler-Ross’ (1969) well known stage model, implying a logical development in grief work, have been intensively criticized as they do not take the complexity and distinctness in grieving processes into account. Grief is thus a complex emotional process (cf. Stroebe and Schut 1999; cf. also Neimeyer in this volume). As Klass et al. (1996) note, grieving can also entail a continuous bond with the deceased.

  2. 2.

    Trauerverlustforum [sadnesslossplatform] will be abbreviated TVF; Youngwings will be abbreviated YW; MeineTrauer [MySadness] will be abbreviated MT. The research project was led and supervised by Katrin Döveling and conduced in a team at the TU Dresden: Supervisor: Katrin Döveling, Research Team: Katrin Wasgien, Kevin Klamert, Charlotta Knigge, Lisa Krämer, Carolin Pohl, Anne Schier.

  3. 3.

    For the follow up quantitative analysis see Döveling, K. (2014). Emotion regulation in bereavement: searching for and finding emotional support in social network sites, New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, DOI: 10.1080/13614568.2014.983558

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Communication and Media Studies, Department of Empiric Research in Communication and Media, University of Leipzig, Dresden, Germany

    Katrin Döveling & Katrin Wasgien

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  1. Katrin Döveling
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  2. Katrin Wasgien
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Correspondence to Katrin Döveling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Emeritus Faculty of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Ronald E. Anderson

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Döveling, K., Wasgien, K. (2015). Suffering in Online Interactions. In: Anderson, R. (eds) World Suffering and Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 56. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9670-5_24

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