‘All of us who love mushroom hunting’, “It happens in Horsens”, “We help each other - because we want to”, “Breastfeeding network for children 0-2 years”, “Confirmation drive for the vulnerable (FREE)”, “We with asthma, eczema and allergies”. These are just a few examples of some of the thousands of digital community centres that are alive and well in Denmark today and have become a great engine for the exchange of knowledge, support, advice, comfort, complaints, recognition, opinions, things, food, good ideas and much more.

The digital communities are run by tens of thousands of volunteer administrators and moderators who put a lot of effort into the voluntary work of managing and running the digital community centres. The average digital volunteer administrator or moderator works more hours than a traditional volunteer. Four out of five digital volunteers are active in their digital community centre every day, and more than one in ten check in at least once an hour. Volunteering as an administrator or moderator is both time consuming and demanding. 76% of administrators and moderators have been digital volunteers for three years or more.

70 per cent of the population over the age of 18 are members of a Facebook group, which equates to 3.3 million people. And more than every second Dane is active every week or more often.

The digital community centres make a big and positive difference for their members and for the digital public debate. For many, engagement is mainly about information, advice and guidance, getting their opinions right and staying up to date in their field. For a smaller proportion of the population, however, these groups are of much greater and more critical importance. For the economically and socially disadvantaged, and for people with disabilities, the benefits appear to be particularly great, with groups providing everything from children's clothes, food on the table and an advocate to qualified advice and guidance from social workers and nurses - all from the comfort of their own homes.

Many members report that they have been able to provide emotional support and comfort, advice and guidance on everyday situations, as well as sharing personal experiences or lessons learned. 9% of members, or more than 300,000 people, have provided other members with material or financial help (e.g. donated clothes, food, items or money) and 7 per cent of members have offered others practical help such as moving, counselling, etc.

It seems to make a difference that it's the citizens who are calling the shots in the digital debate: There is significantly less hate and fewer verbal attacks in citizens‘ Facebook groups than on politicians’ and media Facebook pages. At the same time, many members (41%) say they have read posts and comments that made them think. Similarly, many members say they have been introduced to people and opinions they would not have met or heard otherwise. Around 10% of members say they feel less isolated because they have a Facebook group to engage with. In absolute numbers, this equates to more than 300,000 people.

Several of the administrators we interviewed for the survey are leaders of groups fighting for a cause. Some of them have a specific political goal, while others are fighting for a social cause and want to make a difference through the Facebook group. Through our interviews with administrators and moderators, we have learnt that in several cases the administrators have succeeded in making a difference through voluntary engagement on Facebook. Some have changed legislation, others have started a popular movement with demonstrations across the country. In many digital community centres, we find examples of people making an impact in society, creating change and making a concrete difference for other people.

We met an administrator who has provided thousands of volunteer family counselling sessions, enabling more children and parents to see each other despite difficult divorces. We met an administrator who provides breastfeeding advice, help and support to families through Ammenet's Facebook groups - both from peers and from volunteer breastfeeding counsellors who have completed 190 hours of training to provide professional support and guidance. We met an administrator of a large girls' community where girls and women, often from minority backgrounds, get help with everything from STD problems, sex lives and family crises to abusive partners and honour conflicts. And we could go on and on...

The report is based on a mapping of 9,000 Facebook groups with 50 million members, two surveys of administrators/leaders and a representative sample of the population, 15 interviews with current and former digital volunteers, several years of netnographic analysis in hundreds of Facebook groups, and a review of key research on digital and traditional volunteering.

The report was commissioned by TrygFonden and published in April 2024.