subtle acts of support in online communities

what is this study about?

We are exploring how online community members support each other in subtle, often unnoticed ways. Our goal is to understand these interactions (including how people perform them in their online communities even though there aren’t many tools to support this behavior) and develop tools that help make subtle support easier to do in online community platforms.

who is conducting this research?

This project is led by Dr. Austin Toombs (Associate Professor, Indiana University) with PhD students Tilar DeVine and Seora Park. It is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF Award #2432286).

how can communities participate?

We are currently looking for online communities interested in taking part in this study. Participation can happen in multiple ways, and all parts are completely optional:

  1. Digital Ethnography (Ongoing) – We observe public interactions in online communities to identify supportive behaviors. No additional action is required from community members, and all observations remain anonymous. In instances where communities also want us to participate, we will! There are a few communities we are already participating in, including joining voice channels on Discord and learning to play Marvel Rivals.
  2. Individual Participation (Starting August 2025) – We will recruit individuals for:
    • Diary Study ($50 compensation) – Participants record interactions and experiences over two weeks.
    • Interviews ($40 compensation) – One-on-one discussions about online community experiences.
    • Focus Groups ($80 compensation) – Group discussions on community support dynamics.
    • Workshops ($40 per hour, $80 total compensation) – Co-design sessions to develop tools for online support.
  3. Technology Testing (Future Phase) – Some communities will be invited to test tools (e.g., bots or browser extensions) designed to foster supportive interactions.

why is this important?

Online communities play a crucial role in social support, but many forms of community care go unnoticed and are unsupported by platform design. We want to provide evidence-based recommendations and tools to enhance online community well-being.

where can I find more information?

If your community is interested in participating or if you have questions, please contact us at Austin’s university email address, “altoombs” followed by the “at” symbol followed by “iu.edu”. We would love to collaborate with a wide range of communities, so even if you think yours might not “count,” I’ll bet that it does!

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