ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how Internet forums can be used for social support. More specifically, it presents a case study analyzing discursive patterns in a forum used by female victims of domestic abuse. The aim of the chapter is to develop a closer understanding of the conditions for social support online. A starting point for the analysis is that the online relationships and practices being studied in this chapter must be understood as inextricably intertwined with offline experiences. In order to understand better the role of online support networks for victims of domestic violence, the analysis needs to focus on the specific dynamics of the ways in which online and offline practices and experiences condition each other.
