Tutorial Six: The internet and online communities
A topic of interest drawn from my fieldwork experiences is conversion disorder. I will search online for 3 communities relating to conversion disorder and comment on each of them.
Brief description of each online community:
· The purpose of this site is an anonymous support group providing information on diagnosis, treatment, symptoms and personal stories and experiences of conversion disorder. This site is relatively interactive, lots of stories, a lot of view and many comments on each story. People can share their own personal stories or comment and give advice to others’ stories. They contribute real life experiences and stories for others to relate to.
· The intended purpose for this site is for people with conversion disorder to share advice and experiences with other people with conversion disorder. To let people know they are not alone. This site appears to be less interactive than the above site. People can contribute by replying to others posts. You must log in or register to the website to do this. They contribute by offering help and advice and sharing ideas.
· The purpose of this site is to share ideas and information about how to cope with conversion disorder. There are posts as recent as just over 1 week ago, so I would say it is moderately interactive. Again, you need to register and log in to make a comment. People share advice and support.
People choose to contribute to each of these communities because they are seeking help or advice from people who can relate to their circumstances, or they are providing advice and support to people who are coming to terms with their condition. Information is shared reciprocally in all 3 of the above communities.
Occupational disruption is the term used to describe a transient or temporary condition of being restricted from participation in necessary or meaningful occupations, such as that caused by illness, temporary relocation, or temporary unemployment (Christiansen & Townsend, 2010). Conversion disorder appears to be only a temporary condition which appears as a result of a specific stressor, and usually goes away when the stressor is no longer present.
Occupational deprivation refers to a state of prolonged preclusion from engagement in occupations of necessity or meaning due to factors outside of an individual, such as through geographic isolation, incarceration, or disability (Christiansen & Townsend, 2010). Conversion disorder is a disability that affects it’s sufferers in different ways ranging from blindness to paralysis to inability to speak or swallow.
Potential ethical issues that may arise:
- · public forums mean that any person can contribute information
- · bad/inappropriate advice
- · harassment
- · lack of identity
In contrast to geographical communities, online communities provide the opportunity for people to receive outside advice from different areas of the world. People can gain insight and learn new ideas that are unique to different cultures and geographic communities and these ideas are shared on a public forum. To be easily accessed. Online communities create larger communities.
Christiansen, C.H. & Townsend, E. A. (2010). Introduction to occupation: The art and science of living (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson.
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