Information Seeking in Online Healthcare Communities: The Dual Influence From Social Self and Personal Self

The use of online healthcare communities to acquire health-related information and reduce uncertainty over illnesses is currently hampered by the lack of understanding of how health information-seeking behavior can be stimulated in such environments. By drawing upon the theoretical notion of social self and personal self, and conducting a field survey among 101 online healthcare community users, this study investigates how social identity in online healthcare communities and individual users’ perceived disease severity jointly influence the health information-seeking propensity. This study contributes to the literature on health information seeking by investigating the influence of social self (social identity), personal self (perceived disease severity), and their interplay in online communities. The findings can guide healthcare providers and community managers in formulating strategic plans for promoting health information-seeking behavior.