VIRTUAL COMMUNITY CARE? SOCIAL POLICY AND THE EMERGENCE OF COMPUTER MEDIATED SOCIAL SUPPORT

TLDR

The growth of internet use in Britain has significant implications for social policy analysis. The article proposes a research agenda for social policy on online self‑help and social support, termed virtual‑community care. It examines patterns of home‑based internet use, reviews contemporary policy debates on self‑help, and illustrates the phenomenon with examples from newsgroups on disability and parenting and a mortgage‑repossessions forum. The discussion highlights emerging policy concerns such as the rise of self‑help groups, the shift toward lay expertise, changing professional‑client dynamics, the quality and legitimacy of advice, empowerment issues, and social exclusion.

Abstract

This article argues that the emergence and growth of internet use in Britain has important implications for the analysis of social policy. It attempts to outline a research agenda for social policy in relation to one particular aspect of internet use, that of on-line self-help and social support – what we term here virtual-community care . The article presents data on patterns of home based internet use in Britain and outlines some contemporary debates in social policy about the importance of self-help and social support. It also considers how the internet is being used for self-help and social support with a particular emphasis on the emerging situation in Britain. Three illustrations of on-line self-help and social support are presented: two from newsgroups, which are part of the 'uk.people.* hierarchy': one concerned with disability and one with parenting issues; and one web based forum concerned with issues surrounding mortgage repossession. Drawing upon this illustrative material the article discusses some emergent issues for contemporary social policy discourse: the rise of self-help groups; the privileging of lay knowledge and experience over the 'expert' knowledge of health and welfare professionals; the nature of professional-client relationships; the quality and legitimacy of advice, information and support; dis/empowerment; and social exclusion.