User Experiences of Social Support From Companion Chatbots in Everyday Contexts: Thematic Analysis

Abstract

Background Previous research suggests that artificial agents may be a promising source of social support for humans. However, the bulk of this research has been conducted in the context of social support interventions that specifically address stressful situations or health improvements. Little research has examined social support received from artificial agents in everyday contexts. Objective Considering that social support manifests in not only crises but also everyday situations and that everyday social support forms the basis of support received during more stressful events, we aimed to investigate the types of everyday social support that can be received from artificial agents. Methods In Study 1, we examined publicly available user reviews (N=1854) of Replika, a popular companion chatbot. In Study 2, a sample (n=66) of Replika users provided detailed open-ended responses regarding their experiences of using Replika. We conducted thematic analysis on both datasets to gain insight into the kind of everyday social support that users receive through interactions with Replika. Results Replika provides some level of companionship that can help curtail loneliness, provide a “safe space” in which users can discuss any topic without the fear of judgment or retaliation, increase positive affect through uplifting and nurturing messages, and provide helpful information/advice when normal sources of informational support are not available. Conclusions Artificial agents may be a promising source of everyday social support, particularly companionship, emotional, informational, and appraisal support, but not as tangible support. Future studies are needed to determine who might benefit from these types of everyday social support the most and why. These results could potentially be used to help address global health issues or other crises early on in everyday situations before they potentially manifest into larger issues.

Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Behavior Change Model for Designing Artificial Intelligence Chatbots to Promote Physical Activity and a Healthy Diet: Viewpoint

“…One study reported that users of a companion chatbot (called “Replika”) perceived the chatbot to be human-like, intelligent, supportive, and able to facilitate social connection. However, UVEs also emerged as some users felt that the chatbot’s conversation was too natural and thus “creepy” [ 73 ]. In another case study that analyzed user reviews of the Amazon chatbot device, researchers found that over half of the reviewers referred to the chatbot using the personified name “Alexa,” and as users’ social interactions with the device increased, a greater level of personification occurred, which was associated with increased product satisfaction [ 74 ].…”

When the Social Becomes Non-Human: Young People's Perception of Social Support in Chatbots

“…In the current study, we aim to utilize the abovementioned four categories of social support to explore the benefts and limitations of support perceived in social chatbots. In the literature, a distinction has been made between routine and crisis (non-routine) support [17,25]. We will focus on the various types of social support in relation to everyday routine rather than on crisis situations.…”

“…Although the importance of chatbots as a source of social support is not fully explored in the current research [16], there is a larger body of research in this area that has addressed how artifcial agents, such as chatbots, can help older adults in stressful life situations or with more acute health-related concerns. However, there is only a limited amount of research on how chatbots can be a source of everyday social support [17], particularly for young people [18].…”

Co-creating Requirements and Assessing End-User Acceptability of a Voice-Based Chatbot to Support Mental Health: A Thematic Analysis of a Living Lab Workshop

“…Once the scenarios are designed, they will be validated with key workers and assessed in further co-creation workshops and Wizard-of-Oz evaluation sessions. For these sessions we will consider, among others, the aspects of informational support, emotional support, positive support, skill building and potential negative experiences studied recently in [15].…”