IP5: The influence of informal network contacts on the everyday life integration of digital media for chronic disease self-management

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Background: Daily routines of patients’ chronic disease self-management and usage of new health technologies highly depend on different forms of interpersonal communication with peers, family members, and friends. Thus, the everyday life integration of digital media in chronic disease self-management is highly embedded in the informal networks of patients. This is confirmed by established theories (e.g., Diffusion of Innovations, Technology Acceptance Model, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, Mobile Phone Appropriation Model) and existing research on the adoption and everyday life integration of health technologies. However, the structure, content, and effects of metacommunication within these informal networks are seldom looked at in detail. Objective: IP5: peers aims to (1) systemize the structure of informal networks for everyday life integration of digital media in chronic disease self-management by identifying relevant contacts, (2) analyze the evaluations and addressed factors within the content of the metacommunication, and (3) study the perceived effects of metacommunication on the usage of health-related digital media and health outcomes, integrating influences from interpersonal, organizational, and societal levels. Work program: IP5: peers will conduct three interrelated studies: (1) A scoping literature review will be conducted to gather results on the structure, content, and effects of metacommunication, (2) a quantitative survey with ego-centered network maps will be conducted with 1) asthma/COPD and 2) diabetes patients to identify relevant alteri, their attributes, and tie attributes and gather knowledge about the content and perceived effects. To better understand the underlying mechanisms, (3) qualitative interviews with ego-centered network maps will be conducted with a part of the sample of patients from study 2 to further enrich and explore the results of the quantitative study. Collaborations within the Research Unit: IP5: peers will collaborate mainly with IP4: healthcare, IP6: organizations, IP7: reporting, and IP8: social media and participate in CG: continued use, CG: expectancy-value theories, and CG: network approach. Expected results/contributions: The results will allow us to better integrate the interpersonal determinants in the theories of adoption and integration and contribute methodically to the empirical inquiry of metacommunication for digital coping with chronic diseases by combining ego-centered network analysis with user surveys and interviews. Finally, the identification of relevant strategies concerning private influence provides more holistic and, thus, sustainable intervention strategies for the self-management of chronic diseases.