Leaving

the Body Behind? Understanding the Web Impact on the Construction of Of>line Bodies
Rebecca Nash rn5g08@soton.ac.uk Supervisors: Professor Catherine Pope & Professor Susan Halford

Much early literature on the body and the web sees the web as a disembodied space, where individuals can construct a quite separate fantasy or virtual self. However, as the web has evolved into an interactive and socially mediated web it appears to impact on the ofBline body. My research explores whether the web and users are co-constructing the ultimate individual body project.

Research Objectives
Examine how online health information constructs ofBline bodies Explore competing and contested Web spaces to show how they inBluence the body Examine the impact of the web on health expertise, and health care regulation Synthesise Bindings to develop a (re)conceptualisation of the web to inform Web Science

Web Science Health Sciences

Sociology

The Body

Commercialisation of Health on the Web

In the 20th century, theories of consumption became increasingly popular to understand late-modern s o c i e t i e s . F u r t h e r m o r e , c o n s u m p t i o n a n d commoditisation have been seen to reBlect social identity and status. The Web means that health information is available widely alongside various health-related products at the click of a hyperlink and this online commoditisation of health decisions in an important area to explore

Health Information on the Web

Health information-seeking using the Web has increased from 68% of information-seeking in 2007, to 71% in 2011 (OII, 2012). Individuals search for information for self-diagnosis, to complement information already provided by their doctor, to self- care, to negotiate treatment pathways etc. This use of the Web has been linked to uncertainties over shifting professional boundaries and the alleged fragmentation of medical expertise (Nettleton, 2004).

Case Study: Aesthetic Surgery

Aesthetic Surgery restores, normalises, or enhances the body in pursuit of an aesthetic ideal. Media images idealise certain body types e.g. perfect characteristics. My research will use aesthetic surgery as a case study to understand how individuals use the Web for health information about procedures and products, how they explore online spaces and develop expertise about aesthetic surgery. I will also examine the impact of commoditisation and the spaces to purchase body work on the ofBline body.

Credit: YourLife

Is the Body a Product of the Web?

References: Dutton, W.H. & Blank, G. (2011) Next Generation Users: The Internet in Britain, Oxford Internet Survey 2011 Report, Oxford: Oxford Internet Institute Nettleton, S. (2004) The Emergence of E-Scaped Medicine? Sociology, 38 (4): 661-679 Acknowledgement: The Digital Economy Programme is a Research Councils UK cross council initiative led by EPSRC and contributed to by AHRC, ESRC and MRC