Communicating social support online: The roles of emotional disclosures and gender cues in support provision

The anonymity of online support forums presents both benefits and challenges for online supportive communication. This study investigates how support seekers' verbal disclosure of emotions and gender cues in their user profiles may affect viewers' intended support provision. Participants were asked to view a mockup page containing a support seeker's profile along with a support-seeking post. They were then instructed to complete a survey on their appraisal of the support seeker and their intentions to provide support to him/her. The study found that compared to support seekers who made limited emotional disclosures, those with high levels of emotional disclosures were perceived as more legitimate to seek support online, which, in turn, enhanced viewers' intentions to provide that support. Further, gender-ambiguous support seekers were more likely to be attributed females if they made more rather than fewer emotional disclosures. However, support seekers' gender cues did not moderate the impact of emotional disclosures on viewers' intentions to provide emotional support. Implications of the findings are discussed.