Beyond likes and selfies: finding emotional support in an area of unlimited connections

Abstract

This article is the result of theoretical thought on changes and advances related to two topics: the impact of social support during physical / emotional suffering, and the source of this “social support”: online and offline life. Emotional support is a type of social support which, in strict terms, alludes to a professional procedure. However, it is also related to consolation and company found in a bond or significant social encounter for the person who needs it. Nowadays, the Internet and life online enables greater frequency in our interactions, which can become key elements for offering consolation within Virtual Groups or Communities which specialize in physical or emotional suffering.