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Media activism and Internet use by people with HIV/AIDS
Author(s) -
Gillett James
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
sociology of health and illness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1467-9566
pISSN - 0141-9889
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9566.00361
Subject(s) - the internet , dissent , public sphere , sociology , representation (politics) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , promotion (chess) , public relations , media studies , public health , gender studies , political science , medicine , law , politics , nursing , family medicine , world wide web , computer science
This paper seeks to understand better the media practices of people who are directly affected by an illness or health problem. Internet sites that have been created by people with HIV/AIDS are examined as a strategy for self‐representation. This analysis identifies four prominent ‘organising themes’ in Internet sites: autobiography; expertise; self promotion; and dissent. It is argued that there is a connection between media activism within the contemporary AIDS movement and Internet use among people with HIV/AIDS. This paper discusses the potential of the Internet, as a form of media activism, to raise the private troubles of people with health problems as public issues through a revitalisation of the public sphere in contemporary post‐industrial societies.