Litchman, Michelle L., et al. "State of the science: a scoping review and gap analysis of diabetes online communities." Journal of diabetes science and technology 13.3 (2019): 466-492.

This scoping review examines the impact of diabetes online communities (DOCs) on individuals with diabetes, highlighting the lack of a clear definition of DOCs and summarizing the perceived and actual benefits and consequences of DOC use. Based on 47 articles, benefits include clinical, behavioral, psychosocial, and community outcomes, while potential negatives involve information quality, risky behaviors, privacy issues, and more. The findings suggest DOCs are largely beneficial, but call for further experimental research to explore these effects more thoroughly.