  We examine how Canadians living in the East York section of Toronto exchange
social support. Just as we have had to deconstruct social support to understand
its component parts, we now deconstruct how different types of communication
technologies play socially supportive roles. We draw on 101 in-depth interviews
conducted in 2013-2014 to shed light on the support networks of a sample of
East York residents and discern the role of communication technologies in the
exchange of different types of social support across age groups. Our findings
show that not much has changed since the 1960s in terms of the social ties that
our sample of East Yorkers have, and the types of support mobilized via social
networks: companionship, small and large services, emotional aid, and financial
support. What has changed is how communication technologies interweave in
complex ways with different types of social ties (partners, siblings, friends,
etc.) to mobilize social support. We found that with siblings and extended kin
communication technologies could boost the frequency of interaction and help
exchange support at a distance. With friendship ties, communication
technologies provide a continuous, constant flow of interaction. We draw
implications for theories of social support and for social policy linked to
interventions aimed at helping vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Computers and Society;Social and Information Networks