A research project on the interactions between virtual spaces and real life, co-directed by Lynn Koller, Assistant Professor at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL, USA), and by Matthieu J. Guitton, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University (Quebec City, QC, Canada). Submitted for a paper presentation at the PCAS ACAS 2012 Conference in Boston April 11-14, 2012.
Fear of illness coupled with a human desire to connect
with others is driving the use of peer-to-peer online health forums where
patients with similar medical conditions communicate with each other, sharing
stories and medical information as well as offering moral support, emotional
comfort, and intimacy. Web-based moderated forums, blogs, and social networking
technologies contribute to patients’ ability to find and communicate with each
other in a way that may (or may not) be empowering and is relatively unexplored
in terms of rhetorical strategies for communication.
In these venues, patients unbound by geography can share
information about their symptoms, treatments, and experiences. However, there
are also considerations about accuracy of medical information, whether online
interaction is replacing or augmenting face-to-face interactions, and the
rhetorical strategies that patients use to engage with each other and meet their
needs in this digital environment.
Investigating concepts such as emotional charge and
community dynamics, this research project will help us to decipher and predict
the impact of web-based technologies on our health and wellness.