This is my last practicum post! It went by faster than I thought it would. It has been very interesting this semester researching about vegan and vegetarian support groups. I would have to say that my favorite support group was www.vegtalk.org. This website had lots of activity and many posts with valuable information.
One forum consisted of stories of why people decided to become vegan. While the responses had some similar themes such as for reasons for health, the environment or for the animals. The answers were completely different for everyone. One person said, "I have become vegan because I have finally found out that eating animal products is what was causing my migraines, and my body aches." I liked reading all the different reasons why people chose this type of diet. I know they are asked this question a lot though because their diet is different from the 'norm'.
I have observed some overall themes in this project. First, I found that the support groups are a safe space online for conversations but there are always people trying to disrupt this. For example, there were problems existing between the vegetarians and vegans and also with trolls in the forums. Next, that while many people are involved with the support group and there is a lot of constant conversation, you cannot always get prompt responses. Lastly, online support groups may allow someone to open up more than they would have if they were in public. The safe space that the virtual world creates allows for people to say certain things that they normally would not say.
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