“You have nothing to fear because we love you” – Expressing emotions in a digital community of practice of persons living with dementia

Abstract

Online platforms have opened up important spaces where people living with dementia can meet up and share their emotional experiences. This study investigates the linguistic practices of expressing emotions on a message board for people living with some form of dementia (‘Dx Board’), focusing on the inventory, distribution and pragmatics of explicit emotion labels. The analysis allows for insights into the users’ emotions as lived experiences in the context of dementia, including evidence from both offline encounters and the immediate online interactions. Thus it bridges the gap between unmediated and mediated emotional responses. As users discuss their individual emotional experiences and coping strategies, they negotiate discursive norms and challenge existing sociocultural expectations regarding life with dementia. Emotional validation is not only a vital element in the social bonding of this digital Community of Practice of users living with the condition, it can also contribute to constructive relationships with both private and professional care partners.