"Soul Mate from Whatsapp": The Role of Online Communities in Wartime

Background and Purpose: During crises, online communities serve as vital support networks, helping individuals maintain social connections, reduce uncertainty, and express emotions. This study explores the experiences of women on the home front who joined an online community during wartime, using the Sense of Virtual Community (SOVC) framework. Given the documented mental health challenges associated with prolonged separation due to military deployment, this study aims to understand how virtual communities foster belonging, facilitate coping, and enhance resilience during war.

Methods: The study adhered to ethical guidelines, ensuring confidentiality, data protection, and informed consent, with approval from the institutional ethics committee. Following approval, participation invitations were shared via WhatsApp and Facebook. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach guided by the SOVC framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women on the home front engaged in an online community during wartime. Thematic analysis identified key patterns in their experiences.

Results: Analysis revealed five key themes. The first four themes align with core SOVC elements, while the fifth highlights the evolving nature and potential drawbacks of virtual communities:

1. "Everyone Understands" – Reflecting the membership component of SOVC, this theme highlights how clear group boundaries foster emotional safety and a sense of belonging.
2. “The Ripple Effect” – Aligning with influence, this theme illustrates how online communities impact members’ emotional coping, normalize help-seeking behaviors, and shape decision-making.
3. "Someone Sees Us" – Addressing integration and fulfillment of needs, this theme highlights the role of online communities in providing emotional, informational, and practical support.
4. "Soul Mate from WhatsApp" – Representing shared emotional connection, this theme underscores the deep bonds formed through shared experiences, fostering close friendships despite physical distance.
5. "Over" – This emerging theme captures challenges such as message overload and excessive participation, which at times became overwhelming and strained the community dynamic.

Conclusions and Implications: A central finding is the interplay between virtual and physical spaces, demonstrating how online communities extend beyond digital interactions to provide meaningful emotional and practical support. This study expands the SOVC framework by highlighting how online communities bridge the gap between digital and real-world experiences, offering flexible and adaptive support during prolonged crises.

These findings have significant implications for policymakers, mental health professionals, and community organizers. The study advocates for integrating online communities into crisis response strategies and calls for social policies that recognize digital support networks as essential tools for social work interventions. Additionally, training for social workers should incorporate digital engagement strategies, ethical considerations, and resource allocation to enhance virtual interventions.

Beyond crises, online communities hold great potential for broader social work practices, fostering inclusive, accessible, and resilient support networks. Recognizing them as key tools for social intervention can help build stronger communities both in emergencies and in everyday life. This study calls for a shift in community social work, acknowledging online platforms as integral to modern social policy and practice.