Rubya S, Yarosh S. (2017). Video mediated peer support in an online community for recovery from substance use disorders. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing. Portland, Oregon. doi: 10.1145/2998181.2998246
In the Rooms (ITR), a public social network for people recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs) and their friends and family, hosts more than 100 weekly video 12-step support groups. Support groups are hosted by a volunteer peer (chairperson) and attendees take turns sharing video and audio as they speak. Unregistered visitors can view meetings, but cannot participate. Researchers evaluated user perspectives of ITR using a survey and interviews. Users who clicked an advertisement on ITR completed a survey about recovery history and commitment, attendance at ITR meetings and conventional face-to-face 12-step programs (e.g. Alcoholics Anonymous; FTF), and perceptions of anonymity in FTF and ITR meetings. Researchers recruited participants who attended FTF meetings or were highly engaged with ITR for interviews to identify barriers to using ITR. Of the survey respondents, 15% attended ITR meetings only, 22% attended FTF meetings only, and 52% attended both meeting types. Barriers to use of ITR included: 1) Achieving balance between disclosure and anonymity due to less assurance that group members would respect anonymity, 2) Balancing desire to encounter unique perspectives and wanting to connect with people with similar experiences, 3) Balancing loss of in-person contact and experiences for the convenience of attending meetings online, 4) Identifying when other members are struggling and, 5) Balancing enforcement of norms and helping group members feel included.