PERSONAL STORY AS A GENRE OF ONLINE SUPPORT COMMUNITIES

The paper explores the genre of a personal story in computer-mediated communication. The data include 20 posts and comments added by members of virtual support communities «12 hugs – Support for moms. In everything» and «Anxiety and Depression Support». Data analysis has helped to reveal the main types of personal stories including mundane, tragic, axiological, humorous stories and personal recollections. The analysis demonstrates the intertextuality of the genre. It is shown that personal stories act both as an independent genre and as part of complex genres including praise, a request for support or advice and a complaint. The findings of the study suggest that the genre performs a consolidating function in constructing social relationships.