Research proposal M. Tanis - Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen ...

Centre for Comparative Social Studies
Faculty of Social Sciences, VU University Amsterdam
1. Details of applicant
Name, title: Martin Tanis, Ph.D.
Affiliation: Department of Communication Science, VU University (1.0 fte)
Telephone: 020 5986821
E-mail : ma.tanis@fsw.vu.nl
Website: http://www.fsw.vu.nl/nl/wetenschappelijkeafdelingen/communicatiewetenschap/medewerkers-cw/tanis/index.asp
Duration:
0 Application for an additional 0.4 fte research time during six months
X Application for an additional 0.2 fte research time during one year
Discipline: Communication Science, Health Communication
Research program: Media Characteristics and Receiver Processes
Membership Interfaculty Research Institute: CAMeRA
Keywords: Social support, Health, Internet, Online forums,
Communication
2. Title of the project
Communicating to belong: Using health-related online forums, inclusion
and self-disclosure
3. Track record of the applicant (with regard to this proposal, max
300 words)
Much of my research focuses on the social aspects of computer-mediated
communication. In this research I have focused on how impressions of others
are formed (Tanis & Postmes, 2003), how online trust may emerge (Tanis &
Postmes, 2005), and how people work together in an online environment
(Tanis & Postmes, 2007, 2008). Three years ago, I started a line of research
that investigates what motivates people to take part in online communities, in
which I have conducted studies among online gamers (Jansz & Tanis, 2007;
Tanis & Jansz, 2008) and among people that make use of health-related
online forums (Tanis, 2007a, 2008a; Tanis, Das, & Fortgens, 2008). In
addition to the empirical articles, I have written two book chapters on the topic
of health-related online forums (Tanis, 2007b, 2008b).
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Most of these studies contained questionnaire data. I therefore have gained a
lot of knowledge on designing questionnaires and analyzing the data. A recent
experimental study (Tanis & Nijenhuis, 2008) included a content analysis of
online postings of people that were socially ostracized. Through this study I
have gained knowledge on content analysis of online postings, which is
relevant in setting up the proposed study, and analyzing the results.
This, in combination with my knowledge of communication science in general,
and online behavior in specific, makes me the right person to conduct this
study.
Jansz, J., & Tanis, M. (2007). The appeal of playing online first person shooter games.
Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(1), 133-136.
Tanis, M. (2007a). Online lotgenotencontactgroepen: De aantrekkingkracht van steun via het
internet. Psychologie en Gezondheid, 35(2), 234-242.
Tanis, M. (2007b). Online social support groups. In A. Joinson, K. Y. A. McKenna, T. Postmes
& U. D. Reips (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology (pp. 139-153). Oxford,
UK: Oxford University Press.
Tanis, M. (2008a). Health-related online forums: What's the big attraction? Journal of Health
Communication, 13(5), 5-23.
Tanis, M. (2008b). What makes the internet a place to seek social support? In E. Konijn, S.
Utz, M. Tanis & S. Barnes (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal Communication (pp. 290-
308): Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Tanis, M., Das, E., & Fortgens, M. (2008). Wie zorgt er voor de mantelzorger? Effecten van
online lotgenotencontactgroepen op de kwaliteit van leven van mensen die zorgen
voor zieke anderen. Manuscript in progress
Tanis, M., & Jansz, J. (2008). Gaming for different reasons: What motivates people to play a
specific video game? Manuscript submitted for publication in Computers in Human
Behavior.
Tanis, M., & Nijenhuis, C. (2008). The talk of the excluded: How people talk about others
online after being ostracized. Manuscript in progress
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2003). Social cues and impression formation in CMC. Journal of
Communication, 53(4), 676-693.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2005). A social identity approach to trust: Interpersonal perception,
group membership and trusting behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology,
35, 413-424.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2007). Two faces of anonymity: Paradoxical effects of cues to
identity in CMC. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 955-970.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2008). Cues to identity in online collaboration: Interpersonal or
intragroup perceptions in dyadic interactions. Group Dynamics, 12(2), 96-111.
4. Proposal (4a + 4b + 4c = max 1000 words)
4a. Problem statement and theoretical background
Online social support groups are becoming increasingly popular for people
that seek support in one way or the other. Many of these forums focus on
health-related issues or psychological problems and prove to be very
popular, especially when they address stigmatized conditions such as HIV,
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AIDS, eating disorders or physical disabilities (Braithwaite, Waldron, &
Finn, 1999; Preece & Ghozati, 2001).
Despite the growing popularity of health-related online forums, there is
relatively limited knowledge about how or why people use these social
support groups instead of (or in addition to) offline support, and more
importantly how participating affects the users (Alexander, Wille, &
Hollingshead, 1999; Braithwaite et al., 1999; Preece & Ghozati, 2001;
Wright, 2002). Furthermore, the limited research that exists shows mixed
results regarding health benefits (Eysenbach, Powell, Englesakis, Rizo, &
Stern, 2004). A possible reason is that the bulk of research up to now is
based on case studies in which the primary focus was on investigating
how technical features of these forums have an effect on participation, or
on the relation between participation and health-related effects on its
users, without paying much attention to the human aspect (see:
Eysenbach et al., 2004; Tanis, 2007b). These studies were for the most
part conducted by people with either a technical (computer science) or
medical interest, and as a result of that, not much attention has been
devoted on the (inter)personal and social aspects of communicating in
health-related forums.
There is a compelling need for a more profound insight in these aspects in
order to provide us with a better understanding of the effects these
forums have on the everyday life of its users. This calls for studying this
phenomenon from a communications perspective, with a strong focus on
the impact of computer-mediated communication on (inter)personal and
(inter)group processes (Rice & Katz, 2001). These insights provide
valuable information that can be used to improve the design of these
forums in specific, but also to be able make better judgements about the
desirability of these forums in general.
We know from literature that retrieving information is an important
motivation for people to make use of health-related forums (see: Tanis,
2007b for overview). Online support groups may be a valuable source of
information because people can engage in interactions with others all over
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the world that potentially have understanding of their specific situation.
Thereby, online groups can provide individual members with support and
advice from a forum of "experiential experts", unrestricted by
geographical distance or time constraints (Braithwaite et al., 1999; Rice &
Katz, 2001).
There is, however, another interesting aspect to online support. The
nature of support via Internet (which is essentially support from strangers
located elsewhere) is illuminating with regard to debates about the
functions of social support to well-being: Where effects of social support
are often attributed to relational factors, or to physical aids, online social
support may also have beneficial effects that are related to a sense of
community itself (i.e. the realization that one is not alone out there)
(Tanis, 2007b). This would fit well with emergent literatures charting close
connections between a sense of social identity or community and well-
being, and the function of such a sense of community as a buffer against
the adverse effects of (social) stigma (Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey,
1999; Tanis, 2007b, 2008a). This sense of community might explain why
online groups are often characterized by high levels of self-disclosure
(Joinson, 2001; Parks & Floyd, 1996; Swickert, Hittner, Harris, & Herring,
2002). However, these assumptions have never been put to the test.
The proposed project will address this shortcoming by investigating
whether feelings of loneliness or stigmatization drive people to health-
related forums in order to find a sense of community and increased
possibilities for self-disclosure, and how this affects their mental and
physical well-being.
4b. Approach
The proposed study will test the assumption that people may make use of
health-related forums because of the sense of community it affords them,
and that this helps them to better cope with the situation they are facing.
In order to do so, the present research will adopt an approach that
combines questionnaire data of forum users with a content analysis of
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their forum contributions, thereby linking reasons for participation and
their effects on well-being with actual forum behavior.
In addition to assessing a number of demographics and forum use
measurements (time spent on forum, number of contributions on forum,
etc., see: Tanis, 2008a), the questionnaire will consist of three variables
investigating motives to join the online health-related forum and two
variables measuring well-being. As suggested by literature, online support
groups might be especially helpful for people that feel a lack of support
from (offline) others, or are lonely or isolated because they feel
stigmatized as a consequence of the situation they are facing (Davison,
Pennebaker, & Dickerson, 2000; McKenna & Bargh, 1998; Tanis, 2007b).
In order to asses these variables, the questionnaire will include measures
of the perceived amount of support people get from offline others (Zimet,
Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988), the degree of perceived stigmatization
(King et al., 2007), and loneliness (De Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg,
2006). Based on previous research (Tanis et al., 2008), well-being will be
measured by making use of the SF12 scale (Ware, Kosinski, & Keller,
1996) This scale allows for the measurement of peoples’ quality of life,
both mentally as well as physically.
To measure the online behavior of the respondents, this project will adopt
an innovative approach by analyzing their actual online contributions,
instead of making use of self-reports of this behavior. Such an approach
reduces subjectivity bias, because it allows the researcher to assess actual
behavior rather than the individuals’ perceptions of that behavior, which is
especially relevant because people may not be aware of their own
behavior. In order to do so, respondents will be asked to paste in the
online questionnaire the content of their last contribution to the forum
(after removing identifying information). Even though this approach limits
this study to investigating only one of their postings instead of their
complete interactions, this approach is chosen to be able to combine a
large amount of questionnaire data to the actual content of their online
activities. The content of the contributions will be analyzed on two
dimensions: markers that signal a sense of community, and markers that
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signal self-disclosure. Sense of community is for instance indicated by
making use of words signaling group membership, such as “us” and “we”,
or referring to people outside the community or people that do not face
the same situation as “them” or “they” (see for more detailed description
of using words to indicate group membership: Maass, Salvi, Arcuri, &
Semin, 1989). Finally, self-disclosure is indicated by people reporting
(undesirable) behavior or revealing other sorts of personal information
(see: Joinson, 2001).
With this approach, this study will test the following hypotheses:
• H1: Feelings of loneliness or stigmatization will result in a stronger
sense of community in the online health-related forum.
• H2: Stronger sense of community will lead to more self-disclosure.
• H3: Stronger sense of community and more self-disclosure will have a
positive effect on well-being.
4c. Outline of book or articles to be written
Based on the results of the proposed research an article will be submitted
to Human Communication Research, one of the leading journals in the
field of communication science. Furthermore, the results will be presented
at highly visible national (Etmaal van de Communicatiewetenschap) and
international (International Communication Association) conferences.
Finally, if time permits, time will be spent to write a proposal on the same
topic in collaboration with Dr. E. Das (Department of Communication
Science at the VU University Amsterdam) in order to obtain funding for a
PhD from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
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5. Time schedule (max ½ A4 or 100 words)
The available time (0.2 fte = 320 hours) will be divided among the
following activities:
Activity: hours
Searching / reading literature for (improved) scales 24 hours
Developing online questionnaire 16 hours
Selecting relevant online forums and apply for
permission to post invitation to research
16 hours
Develop coding instructions 16 hours
Recruit and train coders 16 hours
Code (part of) the data 24 hours
Analyze intercoder reliability and import data in dataset 8 hours
Analyzing the data 32 hours
Writing a journal article about Study 112 hours
Writing a proposal for funding 56 hours
6. Scientific relevance (max 200 words)
The scientific relevance of this research is clear in that it provides us
knowledge of a type of social behavior that is becoming increasingly
popular (Rice, 2006), but of which our knowledge is limited. Results of
this study can be used to better understand what it is that motivates
people to take part in (health-related) online forums, how they do that,
and how this affects both mental and physical well-being.
In addition to increased knowledge about these forums, this study also
contributes to what we know about language use and how we can use this
to tap social behavior. Even though there are a few other studies that use
content analysis to measure sense of community (Maass et al., 1989) and
self-disclosure (Joinson, 2001), more research using this approach is
needed.
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Finally, linking questionnaire data to content analysis is an innovative
approach, which contributes to the diversity of research methods used in
social sciences.
7. Expected output and contributions (7a – 7c = max 500 words)
7a. Expected output
The output will consist of a journal article for Human Communication
Research, a high-impact journal in the field of communication science. In
addition to that, results will be presented at the “Etmaal van de
Communicatiewetenschap” and the annual conference of the
“International Communication Association”. Results of this study will be
used to prepare a proposal on the same topic in collaboration with Dr. E.
Das (Department of Communication Science at the VU University
Amsterdam) in order to obtain funding for a PhD for the Open Competition
from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).
7b. Contribution to the research program of the Department and –
if applicable – the Interfaculty Research Institute in which the
applicant takes part
The program of the Department of Communication Science focuses on two
aspects of communication: message characteristics and receiver
processes. In this program there is a strong focus on why people choose
to make use of a specific medium, and what influences these uses may
have on them. Also, research on new media is one of the focal points in
our department. Furthermore, this project is in line with the prevailing
scientific approach of the department in that it is theory-driven and
problem-oriented, with a clear societal value. Furthermore, the proposal
uses mixed-methods in the form of both content analysis and survey
techniques. Finally, the research fits well in the new Center for Advanced
Media Research Amsterdam (CAMeRA), that has the effects of new media
on well-being as one of its focal points of research.
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7c. Added value
The proposed project is time-consuming because in addition to designing
and analyzing the questionnaire-data a lot of time will have to be spent on
developing coding instructions, training the coders and the coding itself.
In addition, a considerable amount of time is needed to write an article
and a proposal to obtain funding for a PhD from the Netherlands
Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Because of the teaching-load
of the applicant, the administrative tasks for the department, as well as
the hours needed for other ongoing research projects, time for the
proposed research project is currently not available.
8. Replacement of applicant’s teaching obligations
Replacement of the applicant’s teaching obligations is stated in the
attached letter by the Head of the Department in Appendix A.
9. Applicant’s CV
(including publication record)
Please submit CV in Appendix B.
10. I hereby declare that I have completed this form truthfully:
Name:
Amsterdam, Date:
11. Bibliography (max 1 A4)
Alexander, S. C., Wille, J. L., & Hollingshead, A. B. (1999). Help at your keyboard: Support
groups on the Internet. In L. R. Frey (Ed.), Group communication in context: Studies
of bona fide groups (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Braithwaite, D. O., Waldron, V. R., & Finn, J. (1999). Communication of social support in
computer-mediated groups for people with disabilities. Health Communication, 11,
123-151.
Branscombe, N. R., Schmitt, M. T., & Harvey, R. D. (1999). Perceiving pervasive
discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and
well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 135-149.
Davison, K. P., Pennebaker, J. W., & Dickerson, S. S. (2000). Who talks: The social
psychology of illness support groups. American Psychologist, 55(2), 205-217.
De Jong Gierveld, J., & Van Tilburg, T. (2006). A 6-Item scale for overall, emotional, and
social loneliness confirmatory tests on survey data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582-
598.
Faculty Fellowships 2009/2010 9

Eysenbach, G., Powell, J., Englesakis, M., Rizo, C., & Stern, A. (2004). Health related virtual
communities and electronic support groups: systematic review of the effects of online
peer to peer interactions. British Medical Journal, 328(7449), 1166-1170A.
Joinson, A. N. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of selfawareness
and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 177-
192.
King, M., Dinos, S., Shaw, J., Watson, R., Stevens, S., Passetti, F., et al. (2007). The stigma
scale: Development of a standardized measure of the stigma of mental illness. British
Journal of Psychiatry, 190, 248-254.
Maass, A., Salvi, D., Arcuri, L., & Semin, G. R. (1989). Language Use in intergroup contexts:
The linguistic intergroup bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 981-
993.
McKenna, K. Y. A., & Bargh, J. A. (1998). Coming out in the age of the Internet: Identity
"demarginalization" through virtual group participation. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 75(3), 681-694.
Parks, M., R., & Floyd, K. (1996). Making friends in cyberspace. Journal of Communication,
46(1), 80-97.
Preece, J. J., & Ghozati, K. (2001). Experiencing empathy on-line. In R. E. Rice & E. Katz
(Eds.), The Internet and health communication: Experiences and expectations (pp.
237-260). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Rice, R. E. (2006). Influences, usage, and outcomes of Internet health information searching:
Multivariate results from the Pew surveys. International Journal of Medical
Informatics, 75(1), 8-28.
Rice, R. E., & Katz, J. E. (2001). The internet and health communication: Experiences and
expectations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Swickert, R. J., Hittner, J. B., Harris, J. L., & Herring, J. A. (2002). Relationships among
Internet use, personality, and social support. Computers in Human Behavior, 18(4),
437-451.
Tanis, M. (2007a). Online lotgenotencontactgroepen: De aantrekkingkracht van steun via het
internet. Psychologie en Gezondheid, 35(2), 234-242.
Tanis, M. (2007b). Online social support groups. In A. Joinson, K. Y. A. McKenna, T. Postmes
& U. D. Reips (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology (pp. 139-153). Oxford,
UK: Oxford University Press.
Tanis, M. (2008a). Health-Related Online Forums: What's the Big Attraction. Journal of Health
Communication, 13(5), 5-23.
Tanis, M., Das, E., & Fortgens, M. (2008). Wie zorgt er voor de mantelzorger? Effecten van
online lotgenotencontactgroepen op de kwaliteit van leven van mensen die zorgen
voor zieke anderen. Manuscript in progress
Tanis, M., & Nijenhuis, C. (2008). The talk of the excluded: How people talk about others
online after being ostracized. Manuscript in progress
Ware, J., Kosinski, M., & Keller, S. D. (1996). A 12-item short-form health survey:
Construction of scales and preliminary test of reliability and validity. Med Care, 34,
220-233.
Wright, K. (2002). Social support within an on-line cancer community: An assessment of
emotional support, perceptions of advantages and disadvantages, and motives for
using the community from a communication perspective. Journal of Applied
Communication Research, 30(3), 195-209.
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale
of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 30-41.
Faculty Fellowships 2009/2010 10

Appendix B: CV of applicant
Martin Tanis
Curriculum Vitae
Work: Home:
Department of Communication Science Bennebroekstraat 25 - 2
VU University, Amsterdam 1058 LK Amsterdam
De Boelelaan 1081 The Netherlands
1081 HV Amsterdam t: 020 - 6841456
The Netherlands
t: 020 - 444 6825
f: 020 – 444 6820
e: ma.tanis@fsw.vu.nl
Academic positions
August 2004 – present: Assistant Professor Vrije Universiteit, department of
Communication Science
March 2003 – August 2004: Assistant Professor University of Amsterdam, department of
Communication Science
Sept. 1999 - March 2003: Part-time lecturer University of Amsterdam, department of
Communication Science, UvA
Education
Oct. 1998 - March 2003: PhD-student at the Amsterdam School of
Communications Research ASCoR, University of Amsterdam
Sept. 1993 - Sept. 1998: Ma Communication Science, University of Amsterdam
Journal Publications
Tanis, M. (2008). Health-Related Online Forums: What's the Big Attraction. Journal of
Health Communication, 13(5), 5-23.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2008). Cues to identity in online collaboration: Interpersonal
or intragroup perceptions in dyadic interactions. Group Dynamics, 12(2), 96-111..
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2007). Two faces of anonymity: Paradoxical effects of cues
to identity in CMC. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 955-970.
Jansz, J., & Tanis, M. (2007). The appeal of playing online first person shooter
games. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 10(1), 133-136.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2005). A social identity approach to trust: Interpersonal
perception, group membership and trusting behaviour. European Journal of Social
Psychology, 35, 413-424.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2003). Social cues and impression formation in CMC.
Journal of Communication, 53(4), 676-693.
Postmes, T. & Tanis, M., & de Wit, B. (2001). Communication and commitment in
organizations: A social identity approach. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 4(3). 227-
246.
Book (chapters)
Konijn, E., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. (2008). Mediated Interpersonal
Communication: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
Konijn, E., Utz, S., Tanis, M., & Barnes, S. (2008). New Technology as Relationship
Enabler. In E. Konijn, S. Utz, M. Tanis & S. Barnes (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal
Communication (pp. 3-13). Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
Tanis, M. (2008). What makes the internet a place to seek social support? In E.
Konijn, S. Utz, M. Tanis & S. Barnes (Eds.), Mediated Interpersonal Communication (pp. 290-
308). Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.
Faculty Fellowships 2009/2010 11

Tanis, M. (2007). Online Social Support Groups. In A. Joinson, K. Y. A. McKenna, T.
Postmes & U. D. Reips (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology (pp. 137-152).
Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Tanis, M. (2003). Cues to identity in CMC: The impact on person perception and
subsequent interaction outcomes. Dissertation, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam.
Dutch Publications
Tanis, M. (2007). Online lotgenotencontactgroepen: De aantrekkingkracht van steun
via Internet. Psychologie en Gezondheid, 35(5) 234-242.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2003). Effecten van persoonlijke cues en
groepslidmaatschap op de ontwikkeling van vertrouwen. In E. v. Dijk, E. Kluwer & D.
Wigboldus (Eds.), Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie 2002 (pp. 305-312). Delft: Eburon.
Tanis, M., & Postmes, T. (2000). Effecten van individuatie in CMC. Tijdschrift voor
Communicatiewetenschap, 28. 396-409.
Forthcoming
Buijzen, M., Rozendaal, E., Moorman, M., & Tanis, M. (in press). Parent vs. child
reports of parental advertising mediation: Exploring the meaning of agreement. Journal of
Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
Teaching activities
2004 – present: Seminar Media Genres and Media Use (Vrije Universiteit, dep. of
Communication Science)
2004 – present: Seminar Communication in Organizations (Vrije Universiteit, dep. of
Communication Science)
2004 – present: Supervising MA – theses (Vrije Universiteit, dep. of Communication Science)
2004 – present: Supervising BA – theses (Vrije Universiteit, dep. of Communication Science)
1999- 2004: Supervising MA – theses (University of Amsterdam, dep. of Communication
Science)
2003 – 2004: Seminar Intercultural Communication (University of Amsterdam, dep. of
Communication Science)
2002: Seminar practical skills in communication science “Internet and its Users”
(University of Amsterdam, dep. of Communication Science)
2000 – 2004: Seminar Social Processes and Information and Communication Technology
(University of Amsterdam, dep. of Communication Science)
1999: Seminar Organizational Communication (University of Amsterdam, dep. of
Communication Science)
Other academic activities
Member
- Educational committee, department of Communication Science, UvA (June 2008 – present)
- Exam commitee, VU University (August 2007 – present)
- Works council of faculty of social sciences, VU University (October 2004 – 2008)
- Educational committee, department of Communication Science, UvA (June 2003 – August
2004)
- Committee on implementation of Bachelar – Master structure, UvA (January 2002 – July
2003)
Reviewer for following outlets:
- New Media & Society / Corporate Communications / Media Psychology / Oxford Handbook
of Internet Psychology / International Communication Association (various divisions) /
Personal Relationships / Computers in Human Behavior / Management Communication
Quarterly / Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie / Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap
Faculty Fellowships 2009/2010 12