A HEALTHY DOSE OF CYBERCHONDRIACS

The internet is a great source of information, if you’re looking for something you will find it on the internet.  In fact today we can so easily gain information through the internet on health and well being. Information that usually we would only get from a certified medical practitioner. We no longer need a doctor to answer our medical questions. As fellow student Wanda (2011) stated ‘new media is integrating itself into our lives... in the form of medical information.’ The danger with this however is what some are calling a cyberchondriac. Cyberchondriacs are the hypochondriacs of the internet age. They are people who obsessively hunt for information about their health using the internet (Lewis, 2006, p.525). The problem is the information on the internet is not always reliable (Lewis, 2006, p. 526). The internet has no gatekeeper and no regulatory body.  Thus, these cyberchondriacs might be feed a misdiagnosis.

                                                       (Online doctor)

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/o/online_doctor.asp

However, even certified, credible doctors can get it wrong sometimes. The readings this week reminded me about my friends recent visit to the doctors where his doctor ‘googled’ his symptoms!!  It seems like everyone is going to the internet to educate themselves, even those you think wouldn’t need to.

Reference List

Wanda (2011)‘Online Doctors’. Right Now Media, 10^th of April. Accessed on the 11^th of April 2011. http://rightnowmedia.blogspot.com/

Lewis (2006) ‘Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchodria.’ Media, Culture & Society. Sage Publishing. Accessed on the 9^th of April 2011. http://mcs.sagepub.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/28/4/521.full.pdf+html

Media is today's culture

This week’s readings focused on the idea that media, particularly new media, has become part of today’s culture. Deuze (2011) argues that media is so ubiquitous that it’s invisible. As fellow student Sarah (2011) said media is like an ocean and we have jumped straight in. Bell (2006) explores this idea with a case study on mobile phones in Asia. How they are used from more than just communicating but can also say a lot about where you sit on the social ladder.

What I took from both articles is that people by nature love to communicate with each other. They feel the need to share their identity and personality.  Today people do this through social networking sites and blogs and they can even personalize their mobile phones. I think this has always been the case as in the past people used talk back radio and letters to the editor to share their thoughts, opinion and lives with a mass audience. New media just allows us to share ourselves on multiple platforms, ones that are easier and more convenient than ever. So yes I think the media has become part of our culture but I think the need to connect, brand and narrate ourselves is inherent in each individual.  

References

Bell, Genevieve. 2006. ‘The Age of Thumb: A Cultural Reading of Mobile Technologies from Asia.” Knowledge, Technology, Policy  Vol 19. pp. 41-57

Deuze, Mark. 2011. ‘Media Life.”  Media, Culture & Society. Sage Publishing. pp 137- 147

Sarah 2011. “Just keep swimming”. New Media a six part saga. Accessed on the 4^th of March 2011 on http://sarahsnewmediablog.blogspot.com/