Identifying Consumer Value Co-created through Social Support within Online Health Communities
Open accessAbstract
Consumers increasingly turn to online health communities for health information and social support. Yet, the type of value consumers derive from online health communities is not well understood. This study examines social support as the mechanism through which consumers co-create and experience different types of value. Cutrona and Russell’s typology of social support and Holbrook’s consumer value typology are applied to posts and threads obtained from two online communities for people with Parkinson’s Disease and ALS. Results demonstrate that online health communities give consumers the opportunity to create and experience forms of consumer value that would not otherwise be available in a traditional health delivery system. The results lend support to a re-conceptualisation of medical practice and health delivery for consumers with chronic conditions.
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Positive feedback increases patient motivation and signals that the health care organization approves and welcomes patients' activities in the health care domain.
“These types of feedback increase the patient’s motivation and serve as a signal that the health care organization approves and welcomes patients’ activities in the health care domain [88].”
From Improving the Theoretical Understanding Toward Patient-Driven Health Care Innovation Through Online Value Cocreation: Systematic Review (2020) · cites this paper as [88]
Health care organizations can motivate patients in OHC activities by providing positive feedback to patients who use digital health platforms.
“Health care organizations can motivate patients in OHCs’ activities by providing positive feedback to patients who are using digital health platforms.”
From Improving the Theoretical Understanding Toward Patient-Driven Health Care Innovation Through Online Value Cocreation: Systematic Review (2020) · cites this paper as [88]
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Self-citationSocial Capital and Consumer Value Co-Created Within an Online Health Community
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Stewart Loane, S., Webster, C. M., & D’Alessandro, S.
- Affiliations
- Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
- Macquarie University (AU)
- Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Webster, Cynthia M.
- ORCID
- Webster, Cynthia M.
- Venue
- Journal of Macromarketing
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2014-05-29
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 353-367
- ISSN
- 0276-1467 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6534
- OpenAlex
- W2021395388
- Cited by
- 91
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 8.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Locations
- Journal of Macromarketing (publishedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- British Psychological Society
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Service and Product Innovation
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
- Keywords
- online health communities, social support, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic disease, health care delivery, health information
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