Austin Toombs, associate professor of Informatics at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, has received a National Science Foundation grant for research into helping implicit care in online communities.
Toombs will receive $557,077 for his research project, Design Strategies to Facilitate Implicit Care in Online Communities. It’s set to start in January of 2025 and run until December of 2027.
Toombs said the research explores how implicit forms of care -- subtle and often unnoticed forms of care -- are vital to sustain online communities on platforms such as Discord, Facebook and Reddit.
“The goal is that this research will lead to new tools and design strategies for platform designers, researchers and community managers to support healthier and more inclusive online spaces,” he said.
Toombs said he hopes the project will reduce rising loneliness and social isolation in today’s society by promoting social well-being through strengthened community bonds in digital environments. He added that online communities can use publicly available resources such as community bots, browser extensions and a design toolkit to foster implicit care.
This project positions Toombs and his team at the forefront of studying the intersection of technology, community maintenance, and social support in digital and hybrid environments.
The National Science Foundation supports fundamental research and education in all non-medical fields of science and engineering. It promotes the progress of science, advances national health and prosperity, and secures the national defense.