The influence of social norms on expressing sympathy in social media

Authors

Valerie Graf-Drasch, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering of Fraunhofer FIT, Augsburg, Germany, FIM Research Center, Augsburg, Germany
Henner Gimpel, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering of Fraunhofer FIT, Augsburg, Germany, FIM Research Center, Augsburg, Germany
Lukas Bonenberger, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering of Fraunhofer FIT, Augsburg, Germany, FIM Research Center, Augsburg, Germany, Augsburg Technical University of Applied Sciences, Augsburg, Germany
Marlene Blaß, Branch Business & Information Systems Engineering of Fraunhofer FIT, Augsburg, Germany, FIM Research Center, Augsburg, Germany

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

Increasingly, people are turning to social media to express grief. By and large, however, the social media community can do little more than improvise reactions, not quite sure how to use the old familiar social scripts as guides to lending effective support. To examine the role of social media in the grieving process, we used a mixed-methods approach: 12 interviews with “social media grievers” reveal the expectations of the bereaved regarding other users’ behavior. By way of two online experiments with 1058 participants, we tested how these expectations are met by the messaging of social media providers in accordance with social norm theory. We found that injunctive social norm messages are particularly effective, whereas descriptive social norm messages vary in their effectiveness, depending on which information is presented and how prominently so. What our study shows, then, is that both are potent socio-technical tools that can guide users towards more empathetic behavior when dealing with the bereaved, so while social media may not be a substitute for therapy, they can offer profound comfort for those of us dealing with bereavement and grief.

DOI

10.1177/02683962231171401

Recommended Citation

Graf-Drasch, Valerie; Gimpel, Henner; Bonenberger, Lukas; and Blaß, Marlene (2024) "The influence of social norms on expressing sympathy in social media," Journal of Information Technology: Vol. 39: Iss. 3, Article 3.
DOI: 10.1177/02683962231171401
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jit/vol39/iss3/3