Facilitating Giving and Receiving Support in Existing Social Groups with a Journaling Chatbot

Abstract

A chatbot was designed to promote positive mental health by facilitating giving and receiving support within existing social groups. Surveys and interviews were conducted to evaluate the suitability of journaling prompts for use by the chatbot. A 2-week in-the-wild study was conducted with 4 groups of 4-6 friends (n=20). Twice a week, the chatbot asked a personal question to a group, collected and shared answers among that group, then directed each user to respond to another user’s answer.

Exit interviews indicated that: (1) some chatbot interactions led to later interactions outside of the chatbot, (2) participants learned new things about their group members, even those they had other frequent contact with (3) the social aspect of the chatbot affected user's responses to journaling prompts. Prestudy and post-study survey results suggest that, after using the chatbot for two weeks, individuals felt closer to their social group and enjoyed sharing updates with their friends and families more. Based on these results, the presented chatbot could be used to encourage meaningful social interactions that may not happen spontaneously and strengthen existing social relationships.