Digital media and participatory cultures of health and illness /
Stefania Vicaria.
- First edition.
- [Place of publication not identified] : Routledge, 2021.
- 1 online resource (184 pages).
- Routledge studies in new media and cyberculture .
Chapter 1: Introduction: Pandemic snapshots, digital media, and participatory cultures of health and illnessPart 1: Theoretical foundationsChapter 2: Digital media, participation, and citizenshipChapter 3: Health advocacy and activismPart 2: The rise of digitised and networked healthChapter 4: The rise of the epatient in the internet that wasChapter 5: From patient organisations to patient networksPart 3: PlatformsChapter 6: Participatory cultures of health and illness on mainstream social media Chapter 7: Participatory cultures of health and illness on digital health platformsChapter 8: Conclusion: Understanding participatory cultures of health and illness in contemporary societies
This book looks at the complex scenario of platforms, practices, and content of contemporary digital communication to map and interpret emerging forms of digitally enhanced health activism. The everyday use of digital and social media platforms has major implications for the production, seeking, and sharing of health information, and raises important questions about the dynamics of health peer support, power relations, trust, privacy, and the quality of health information disseminated across these platforms.This booknavigates contemporary forms of participation that develop through mundane digital practices, like tweeting about the latest pandemic news or keeping track of our daily runs with Fitbit or Strava. In doing so, it explores both radical activist practices and more ordinary forms of participation that can gradually lead to social and/or cultural changes in how we understand health and illness. While drawing upon digital media studies and the sociology of health and illness, the book offers theoretical and methodological insights from a decade of empirical research of digital uses that span from digital health advocacy to illness-focused social media practices. Accessible and engaging, the book is ideal for scholars and students interested in digital media, digital activism, health activism and digital health, as well asareas of media and communication and sociology.