User Experiences of Social Support From Companion Chatbots in Everyday Contexts: Thematic Analysis

Journal of Medical Internet Research
Vivian TaAlexia Loggarakis

Abstract

Previous research suggests that artificial agents may be a promising source of social support for humans. However, the bulk of this research has been conducted in the context of social support interventions that specifically address stressful situations or health improvements. Little research has examined social support received from artificial agents in everyday contexts. Considering that social support manifests in not only crises but also everyday situations and that everyday social support forms the basis of support received during more stressful events, we aimed to investigate the types of everyday social support that can be received from artificial agents. In Study 1, we examined publicly available user reviews (N=1854) of Replika, a popular companion chatbot. In Study 2, a sample (n=66) of Replika users provided detailed open-ended responses regarding their experiences of using Replika. We conducted thematic analysis on both datasets to gain insight into the kind of everyday social support that users receive through interactions with Replika. Replika provides some level of companionship that can help curtail loneliness, provide a "safe space" in which users can discuss any topic without the fear of judgment or retaliatio...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 9, 2021·Translational Behavioral Medicine·Olga Perski, Camille E Short
Oct 30, 2021·Frontiers in Digital Health·Gilly Dosovitsky, Eduardo L Bunge
Nov 12, 2021·JMIR Formative Research·Dhakshenya Ardhithy DhinagaranLorainne Tudor Car

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Software Mentioned

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