Location
Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii
Event Website
https://hicss.hawaii.edu/
Start Date
7-1-2025 12:00 AM
End Date
10-1-2025 12:00 AM
Description
This paper proposes the phenomenon of ‘digital empowerment’ and positions the research in the context of virtual health communities (VHCs) of informal carers. The proposed theorisation explains how the use of VHCs enhances user empowerment. In addition, the paper considers the effect of facilitation on digital empowerment of carers to enable their daily decision making. The study adopts a qualitative approach. A content analysis was performed on VHC discussions to explore the impact of VHCs on digital empowerment. Results demonstrate that digital empowerment exists in VHCs and is identified by the affective dimension in addition to the well-documented intrapersonal, interactional and behavioural dimensions of empowerment. Findings also show that the use of a VHC, facilitated by moderators, determines the type of facilitation (commanding, collaborative or motivating), and the approach used varied according to the user request.
Recommended Citation
Sethibe, Tsholofelo; Abedin, Babak; and Marjanovic, Olivera, "Digitally Empowered: A Virtual Health Community as a Space for Support and Conversations" (2025). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2025 (HICSS-58). 4.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-58/hc/social_media/4
Digitally Empowered: A Virtual Health Community as a Space for Support and Conversations
Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii
This paper proposes the phenomenon of ‘digital empowerment’ and positions the research in the context of virtual health communities (VHCs) of informal carers. The proposed theorisation explains how the use of VHCs enhances user empowerment. In addition, the paper considers the effect of facilitation on digital empowerment of carers to enable their daily decision making. The study adopts a qualitative approach. A content analysis was performed on VHC discussions to explore the impact of VHCs on digital empowerment. Results demonstrate that digital empowerment exists in VHCs and is identified by the affective dimension in addition to the well-documented intrapersonal, interactional and behavioural dimensions of empowerment. Findings also show that the use of a VHC, facilitated by moderators, determines the type of facilitation (commanding, collaborative or motivating), and the approach used varied according to the user request.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-58/hc/social_media/4