Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cunningham

Third Advisor

Dr. Elizabeth Davis

Abstract

Social media continues to change the way that people communicate and engage with each other. As part of this change, the adoption of social network sites (SNSs) such as Facebook facilitates communication amongst people in various ways, including through its ability to allow for the creation of interest-specific groups. Through this capability and the resulting democratization of information sharing via digital media technologies, there are also significant changes to health communication and how patients seek information and emotional support especially when facing chronic disease conditions such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Therefore, for this thesis, a study was conducted to examine how participation in a Facebook NHL group offered emotional support for this population; this was done through a content analysis that applied three theoretical frameworks to assess the potential uses and gratifications. The research revealed strong evidence of supportive needs being met through community engagement and via Facebook’s functionality, contributing to the satisfaction of the NHL participants.

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