Performing health identities on social media: An online observation of Facebook profiles

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Performing health identities on social media: An online observation of Facebook profiles journaltitle: Discourse, Context & Media articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2015.11.003 content_type: article copyright: © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This study was supported by the UK Economic and Social Science Research Council (Grant number: ES/K005103/1)

Contesting science by appealing to its norms: readers discuss climate science in the Daily Mail

This study examines the rhetorical aspects of social contestation of climate change in reader comments published in the Daily Mail, subsequent to climategate. The following themes are reported: (1) denigration of climate scientists to contest hegemonic representations, (2) delegitimization of pro–climate change individuals by disassociation from science, and (3) outright denial: rejecting hegemonic social representations of climate change. The study outlines the discursive strategies employed in order to construct social representations of climate change, to contest alternative representations, and to convince others of the validity of these representations. It examines how social representations of science are formed, maintained, and disseminated

Mental health and the media: from illness to wellbeing

The media are a main source of information about mental health for many people and an ever-growing body of literature is evaluating their coverage of the topic. To help keep track of such research, several comprehensive but now dated literature reviews have been published. We assess more recent studies (2007-2017) and suggest future directions by integrating (1) the ‘circuit of mass communication’ model from media and communication studies which posits that production, content and reception need to be analysed for an in-depth understanding of the media, (2) the holistic view of mental health as comprising both illness and wellbeing and (3) the critical psychiatry literature questioning the assumptions underlying psychiatric knowledge and practice. We find that recent studies have focused on content and ‘the illness side’ of mental health by examining the representation of particular mental disorders and events involving individuals with specific diagnoses. We identify as a promising development the growing interest in ‘the wellbeing side’ of mental health whereby authors have started to analyse recovery messages. We invite more production and reception research and more critical content studies which use diagnostic labels cautiously and analyse the representation of people with mental health problems as the victims of violence

Understanding Autistic Adults' Use of Social Media

Autism is a developmental condition that impacts 1 in 100 people \citeNationalAutisticSociety2021. It affects autistic people's interactional and sensory preferences and behaviours. Autistic people can find interactions difficult in part due to sensory overwhelm. Interacting online can provide a positive alternative that allows for interactions on their own terms. However, most social media platforms are designed by neurotypical standards and can therefore inhibit full participation by autistic users. We demonstrate through the analysis of 34 semi-structured interviews with autistic adults that current social media design is not sufficient for creating an inclusive environment and enabling participation from autistic adults. We identified six themes across the interviews: (1) 'Social Media compared to In-Person Interactions', (2) 'Social Media as Enabling/Overwhelming', (3) 'Perceived Social Norms', (4) 'Keeping Connected and Finding New Communities', (5) 'Keeping Control through Systematic Practices', and (6) 'Being Authentic'. The themes demonstrate the attention that autistic adults give to online interaction, suggesting that online interactions may be just as fraught as in-person interactions have been shown to be. In order to become more inclusive of autistic adults, we recommend that social media platforms expand low-effort participation features, provide increased control over algorithmic content, support expression of intent and tone, aid discovery of interactional norms, and reinforce interest-based sociality

Stigma Management Strategies of Autistic Social Media Users

Background: Research on stigma management strategies in autism relies on questionnaires or experiments, leading to a gap in understanding of how to identify the strategies in naturalistic interactions. The identification of individual (adapting minority group characteristics) and collective (positively redeveloping the in-group) stigma management strategies in online communication is important for understanding how to improve the quality of social media experiences for autistic users. Methods: Using linguistic analysis and engaging with ethnographic perspectives on relationship management, this article develops a novel approach to the identification of individual and collective stigma management strategies of autistic social media users. We combine online observation and interviews with 34 autistic social media users with a corpus-assisted analysis of their posts, divided into two groups according to regular or limited mentions of autism. Results: We show that posts in the first group focus on information provision and exchange and include markers of shared understanding and community building as part of a collective strategy. Interviews with the authors reveal a strong sense of autistic identity and highlight the importance of staying true to one's specific communicative preferences. Posts in the second group are characterized by tentative language (e.g., “seem” and “not sure”) as a way of avoiding social threats by users who report uncertainty and anxiety about misinterpretation of their messages. Conclusions: We show that autistic social media users have specific preferences in how they communicate and express connection online. However, due to negative experiences of social interactions some do not follow these preferences and instead select linguistic and visual resources that can reduce perceived risks of misunderstanding. We question the claims that the internet is inherently enabling for autistic users and call for further research and policy effort to ensure autistic sociality rights in all digital environments. Community brief Why is this an important issue? Autistic people often change their behavior to fit in with nonautistic social environment (thereby “camouflaging” their differences), in person and online. The internet is also a place where autistic people interact with each other and build community. However, research on these online behaviors is mostly focused on conscious actions people can recall when answering survey questions. What was the purpose of this study, and what did the researchers do? We wanted to find out whether it is possible to identify both community building strategies and camouflaging from the language used on social media, as some behaviors may happen without people realizing it. This article uses a method called digital linguistic ethnography to study how 34 autistic adult social media users managed the way they are seen online. The method involved observing where and how participants posted messages and comparing the frequency of word use between participants who regularly mentioned autism in their posts and those who did not. We also interviewed participants about their social media experiences and motivations. What were the results of the study? The results show that participants who mentioned autism used language in specific ways to raise awareness and connect with others. Participants who did not mention autism used more tentative language (e.g., “might,” “seem,” and “not sure”) and worried about being misunderstood. What do these findings add to what was already known? The findings are important as they show that autistic people have specific preferences in how they communicate and express connection on social media. The findings also show that some autistic adults may feel unable to follow these preferences when interacting online, which contradicts previous assumptions that autistic people do not need to mask in online environments. What are the potential weaknesses of the study? Although our participants exhibited a range of internet skills, they may represent a subgroup that is particularly inclined toward social media usage and interaction. This means that our findings may not apply for autistic adults with learning difficulties, for example. Our sample also includes only speaking individuals without the history of intellectual disabilities, which means that that the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people are not represented. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? The findings inform our understanding of what kinds of social media situations make autistic people feel like they fit in or feel uncomfortable. This is important for designing online environments that are inclusive of autistic communicative preferences and have the potential to improve the quality of online social experiences for autistic people

'What was your blood sugar reading this morning?': representing diabetes self-management on Facebook

Social networking sites have swiftly become a salient venue for the production and consumption of neoliberal health discourse by individuals and organisations. These platforms offer both opportunities for individuals to accrue coping resources and a means for organisations to promote their agendas to an online audience. Focusing specifically on diabetes, this article examines the representation of social actors and interactional styles on three organisational Pages on Facebook. Drawing on media and communication theories, we situate this linguistic analysis in relation to the communicative affordances employed by these organisations as they publish content online. Diabetes sufferers are represented as an at-risk group whose vulnerabilities can be managed through forms of participation specific to the respective organisation. More popular diabetes Pages draw on the opportunities for social interaction afforded by Facebook and combine informational and promotional content to foster communication between the organisation and its audience. By encouraging reflexive management of diabetes risks, these Pages contribute to the construction of ‘biological citizens’ who interweave habitual interactions on social networking sites with responsible self-care, consumption of health information and health activism

Connoting a neoliberal and entrepreneurial discourse of science through infographics and integrated design: the case of ‘functional’ healthy drinks

Riding on the rising concern of public health and the growing neoliberal self-care agenda, the food market has witnessed a surge in ‘healthy’ food despite the criticism of this food does not help consumers eat more healthily. A growing interest in Critical Discourse Studies (CDS) is how food marketers colonise not only the food discourse but also the broader ideas and values such as health, politics, and environment. Contributing to this growing body of research, we look at one of the fastest-growing food trends, ‘functional drinks’, which claim to target physiological and psychological processes in the body, so that consumers can manage their health and performance. Company websites rely on forms of infographics to communicate how the products work. Adopting the notion of ‘integrated design’ from multimodal CDS, we show how these infographics, drawing on their affordances, are particularly useful in symbolising classifications and causalities which could not be accounted for in running texts. The paper argues that this is a way health and science converge with a neoliberal discourse of self-management and enterprise culture. Given the increased use of forms of integrated design in communication, more critical discursive work is needed in this area

Communicating climate change: conduits, content, and consensus

Climate change has been the subject of increasing efforts by scientists to understand its causes and implications; it has been of growing interest to policymakers, international bodies, and a variety of nongovernment organizations; and it has attracted varied amounts of attention from traditional and, increasingly, online media. These developments have been aligned with shifts in the nature of climate change communication, with changes in how researchers study it and how a variety of actors try to influence it. This article situates the theory and practice of climate change communication within developments that have taken place since we first reviewed the field in 2009. These include the rise of new social media conduits for communication, research, and practice aimed at fine tuning communication content, and the rise to prominence of scientific consensus as part of that content. We focus in particular on continuing tensions between a focus on the part of communicators to inform the public and more dialogic strategies of public engagement. We also consider the tension between efforts to promote consensus and certainty in climate science and approaches that attempt to engage with uncertainty more fully. We explore the lessons to be learnt from climate communication since 2009, highlighting how the field remains haunted by the deficit model of science communication. Finally, we point to more fruitful future directions for climate change communication, including more participatory models that acknowledge, rather than ignore, residual uncertainties in climate science in order to stimulate debate and deliberation

'OH MY GOD! BUY IT!' A multimodal discourse analysis of the discursive strategies used by Chinese ecommerce live-streamer Austin Li

Ecommerce livestreaming, also known as live commerce or social commerce, has taken off over the past two years in East Asia and is showing the tendency of going global. Intrigued by the phenomenal success of ecommerce livestream, we concentrate on analyzing the most prominent and illustrative ex- ample of Chinese ecommerce live-streamer Austin Li. Through this individual case study, we aim to investigate discursive strategies employed in ecommerce livestreaming and reveal resources specific to this new media genre. Guided by multimodal discourse analysis, our research first accommodates the socio-eco- nomic context of Li’s success to warrant social situatedness in interpreting data. After that we move into analyzing his discourse employed in livestreaming. Re- search findings suggest that in attention economy, Li strategically utilizes his male gender as a resource in trying on lipsticks for female customers. His dis- course in multiple modes serves to build consumer trust and propagate products. An in-depth analysis of his discursive strategies indicates that, ecommerce livestreaming as a new form of advertising not only shares commonalities with traditional advertisement discourse but also embodies affordances that are spe- cific to livestreaming platforms. To be more specific, livestreaming is featured with delimitation of time, real-time interactivity, and video-aided communica- tion. These affordances enable Li to adopt more interactive and personalized per- suasive discourse than conventional advertisement