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Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

theatlantic.com

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Re: Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

#4
I support online groups, however I'd prefer staying anonymous which simply isn't possible without faking your account on FB.

Reddit provides similar functionality and let's you stay anon. There's subreddits for pretty much any situation: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, kids growing up with narcissistic parents, spouses living in sexless relationships, etc etc. I did some research into the topic after reading this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/01...

Just Google your specific situation and Reddit will probably have a support sub.

Re: Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

#6
I joined a group for T2 diabetes at some point because I have a stubborn friend that doesn’t want to receive proper treatment and I basically wanted to ask about available options.

Next thing I know is that Facebook started giving me ads for diabetics.

Having such an influential company know about your illnesses and sell that to advertisers or healthcare insurance agencies or credit agencies or god knows what else is frankly terrifying.

Re: Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

#7
post #4

I support online groups, however I'd prefer staying anonymous which simply isn't possible without faking your account on FB. Reddit provides similar functionality and let's you stay anon. There's subreddits for pretty much any situation: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, kids growing up with narcissistic parents, spouses living in sexless relationships, etc etc. I did some research into the topic after reading this: https:/…

Reddit is usually a crapshoot of quality.

Maybe someone will have something for Y Combinator (et al) soon, that's more of a targeted platform for these types of things. Reddit and Facebook both suck at this.

Re: Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

#8
post #7
post #4

I support online groups, however I'd prefer staying anonymous which simply isn't possible without faking your account on FB. Reddit provides similar functionality and let's you stay anon. There's subreddits for pretty much any situation: alcohol abuse, drug abuse, kids growing up with narcissistic parents, spouses living in sexless relationships, etc etc. I did some research into the topic after reading this: https:/…

Reddit is usually a crapshoot of quality. Maybe someone will have something for Y Combinator (et al) soon, that's more of a targeted platform for these types of things. Reddit and Facebook both suck at this.

If there isn't a community on Reddit for something, what are the odds people are going to flock to a new platform? The quality issue is because these groups are generally peer-organized and some groups have better organizers. But like, what is technology going to do to make a better Reddit for people with depression, transgender people, people whose partners have cheated on them and people with incredibly rare medical conditions? Those are disparate groups that only have the common thread of needing a support group as far as I can tell.

Re: Facebook Is Full of Emotional-Support Groups

#10
post #6

I joined a group for T2 diabetes at some point because I have a stubborn friend that doesn’t want to receive proper treatment and I basically wanted to ask about available options. Next thing I know is that Facebook started giving me ads for diabetics. Having such an influential company know about your illnesses and sell that to advertisers or healthcare insurance agencies or credit agencies or god knows what else is…

Similar to my experience. I left a high demand religion, and suddenly I'm bombarded with ads to join said religion everywhere because of Facebook's reach. It's disturbing!
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