Main description:

Accessible and engaging, the book is ideal for scholars and students interested in digital media, digital activism, health activism and digital health, as well as areas of media and communication and sociology
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
This book navigates 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
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

Contents:

1: Introduction: Pandemic snapshots, digital media, and participatory cultures of health and illness Part 1: Theoretical foundations 2: Digital media, participation, and citizenship 3: Health advocacy and activism Part 2: The rise of digitised and networked health 4: The rise of the epatient in the internet that was 5: From patient organisations to patient networks Part 3: Platforms 6: Participatory cultures of health and illness on mainstream social media 7: Participatory cultures of health and illness on digital health platforms 8: Conclusion: Understanding participatory cultures of health and illness in contemporary societies