Abstract:
Social media offer innovative opportunities for people to feel and stay
socially connected in difficult times. This study aims to understand how
people use their cooking mishaps during the movement control order
(MCO) period due to the COVID-19 pandemic to seek emotional
support and a sense of belonging to an online food community. Content
analysis revealed three major sharing motivations: (i) social and
relational, (ii) emotion articulation and (iii) information sharing. This
research reveals that by opening up about their cooking mishaps and
showing their vulnerability, users feel much more connected to the rest
of the community members. The humorous way of posting has also
deepened the connection between members, who maintain strong
protective feelings for members of the community. This study highlights
that people share information online during difficult times to cope with
distress and stay connected with others.
