From Receivers to Givers: Understanding Practice of Reciprocity in an Online Support Community

Abstract

In online communities, members often join as resource receivers and later transition to contributors. This study aims to examine the process of the transition through the lens of reciprocity. In the context of Gomusin Café, an online support group where women with romantic partners serving in South Korean military exchange social support, we conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 16) probing how the members return the support they received to unspecified audience (generalized reciprocity) and to repeated interaction partners (direct reciprocity). We found experiencing common hardships and forming social attachment to the community as important preceding conditions for the members to practice generalized reciprocity. The members also sought direct reciprocity despite it's not technically and normatively supported in the platform. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.