Date
1-16-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Robert Mott
Keywords
computer-mediated communication, netnography, neurodiversity, semiotics, sense-making theory, social media support groups, social information processing theory
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Argo, Heather Marie, "A Netnographic Study of Social Media as a Communication Support for Families Caring for Neurodiverse Adults" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6420.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6420
Abstract
Computer-mediated communication research has found that communities, especially those sharing a common cause or interest, connect through various techniques, including social media support groups. However, there is limited research surrounding the online communication perceptions of parents raising neurodiverse adults. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to deeply understand the online communication behaviors of parents raising neurodiverse adults. Specifically, the research analyzed the Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities (PADD) organization’s asynchronous communication within their Facebook support group page and online artifacts, including a website and newsletters. The study applied deductive sense-making verbing and inductive coding to identify how participants communicate within an online support group to bridge gaps in understanding and develop social support. The sociocultural and semiotic communication traditions are used to frame the study. The guiding theoretical perspectives of netnography and sense-making theory provide frameworks for understanding how and why parents of neurodiverse adults use computer-meditated communication. The research also illuminated some of the distinctive topics associated with transitioning a neurodiverse child to adulthood and how the online sense-making process may be helpful or hindering. How parents and caregivers of neurodiverse adults give and receive social support when participating in an open Facebook support group will also be explored.
