'Do You Feel Sorry for Him? ': Gift Relations in an HIV/AIDS on-Line Support Forum

Abstract

Sociologists have debated whether meaningful emotional relationships can be formed on-line. Drawing on Mauss' concept of the gift, I explore how caregivers who participate in Hope, an on-line support forum dedicated to HIV/AIDS, incorporate moral percepts and understandings about ethics into their caregiving experiences. Their intense discussions on the essence of familial loyalties give rise to emotionally vibrant, empathic communities in which a socio-emotional economy is formulated. Can the Internet act as a moral space? How are concepts such as reciprocity, obligation, and commitment talked about and practiced in an on-line forum that exists in the ever present?