Gladwell clearly does not have Celiac Disease. If he did, he would probably know by now that it is networks like Facebook that connect millions of people, allowing them to organize into "groups," that can mean the difference between being safe and healthy or not.
My experiences as a member of the Celiac Disease Support Group on Facebook have soldified my belief that these "weak-ties" that Gladwell refers to are actually quite useful. I am also happy to report that many in the public health community agree with me on this point. Professor Priya Nambisan of the University at Albany, SUNY, conducted research regarding the use of online health communities as support systems for patients. Granted this study did not look at Facebook specifically, it focused on online communties established by Kaiser Permanente, Johns Hopkins etc., it looked at the effects of "perceived empathy" and its uses in recovery and compliance with medical advice and treatment plans.
I recently visited New York City for the first time since my diagnosis with Celiac Disease and wanted to know where I should eat while in the city. I hopped online and posted a comment to the group wall asking where to eat and within 24 hours I had over 10 responses from GF (gluten-free) New Yorkers who were more than happy to recommend some dining options. I am - and always have been - very active in the gluten free community and yet I know very very few other Celiacs in the Bay Area and certainly none from UC Berkeley. Although I do not personally know most of the members of the Facebook group, I do know that I can rely on each and every one of them for advice and support. I would even go so far as to say that I would be welcomed at most of their homes for dinner if visiting their city and vice versa.
Screen shot of my comment on the group page with some responses
The only thing Gladwell said that I inherently agree with is this: "Our acquaintances - not our friends - are our greatest source of new ideas and information." This is profoundly and distinctively true for people with health conditions living all over the country. Facebook groups can serve as a great tool for emotional support, general information and recommendations.
Although I used the group most recently for travel advice, there are many different ways to benefit form being a member of a group like this one. Check out the Celiac Disease Support Group to see how other people use this resource. I highly recommend connecting with a large Facebook group, especially if you are particularly passionate about a topic! It truly is a great outlet for communication and critical thinking with people of similar interests.
Hi, CC. I enjoyed reading your post! I also wrote posts about the power of social media(blog.naver.com/blackstormer). I think "weak ties" are not actually weak. Social media is like a fine-mesh net. Maybe one connecion between two individuals in social media is a weak and thin string. However, if numerous connections(linked to a particular topic like Celiac Disease Support) are gathered together, it becomes a fine-mesh net that produce something valuable!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! It reminded me of our discussion yesterday about "distant closeness" and how there are people on facebook that you feel comfortable being close to online even though you might never spend time with them in person. I am glad that you found an exception to that rule with the Celiac Disease Support Group!
ReplyDeleteNice post! I totally agree with you on this one. The larger your network, the more "collective knowledge" you have on tap. The great part about it is that to access it, its as easy as asking your network a question! I read a story about a woman who posted pictures of her son who was not well on facebook, and the doctor diagnosed it as strep. Luckily, one of her quaintness on facebook immediately recognized the symptoms as Kawasaki disease, which is deadly if left untreated. The power of the weak tie is evident in these crowd sourced problems.
ReplyDeleteWow, as a person with a food-related disease as well, I am amazed that I have not thought to look on Facebook for support. As Hurshal mentioned, the collective knowledge of networks makes support groups very helpful. If a lot of people contribute a few tips, soon we have a wealth of knowledge at our hands.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I don't like about using Facebook Groups for a support group is that my Facebook account is linked to my real name. Sometimes people want to seek help from support groups, while still keeping their anonymity. Maybe they don't want everyone to know they have a disease.
I think that the gluten free group on Facebook is an excellent anecdote about why exactly Facebook, and other weak-tie resources, are useful. I think Gladwell was more arguing that Facebook didn't offer a good platform for activism, which is more of a strong-tie phenomenon. However, I think your story proves him at least partially wrong there as well. The Facebook Group, and even this blog post, gives face to Celiac disease with everyone in your network that you have ties with: strong or weak. Simply having an awareness of that weak connection can give people motivation to learn more and be more considerate of the surprisingly wide-spread disease.
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