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“Maternal Devices”, Social Media and the Self-Management of Pregnancy, Mothering and Child Health

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  • Sophia Alice Johnson

    (Department of Gender and Cultural Studies, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia)

Abstract

In recent years the smartphone has revolutionised lay people’s management of health and illness, particularly in regards to pregnancy and parenting. This article analyses smartphone applications, or apps, and social media platforms as mediating technologies which act as performative devices. These devices encourage particular enactments of subjectivity and technologies of the self which combine the expert patient ideal with ideologies of mothering. Some apps and social media can be disciplinary and invoke biological responsibility in various ways including the monitoring of specific behaviours via “push responsibilisation”. Apps claim to allow for greater convenience, connectivity, flexibility, efficiency, and what will be characterised in this article as the “tidbitisation” of information. This article suggests the ways in which health-conscious pregnant or maternal subjects are likely to view apps and social media sites as a means to improve and monitor their pregnancies, health, and their children’s development and health.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophia Alice Johnson, 2014. "“Maternal Devices”, Social Media and the Self-Management of Pregnancy, Mothering and Child Health," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(2), pages 1-21, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:4:y:2014:i:2:p:330-350:d:37076
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fox, N.J. & Ward, K.J. & O'Rourke, A.J., 2005. "The 'expert patient': empowerment or medical dominance? The case of weight loss, pharmaceutical drugs and the Internet," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(6), pages 1299-1309, March.
    2. Ziebland, Sue, 2004. "The importance of being expert: the quest for cancer information on the Internet," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(9), pages 1783-1793, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Baki Cakici & Pedro Sanches, 2014. "Detecting the Visible: The Discursive Construction of Health Threats in a Syndromic Surveillance System Design," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(3), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Rosa Scardigno & Carmela Sportelli & Paolo Giovanni Cicirelli & Angelica Lops & Francesca D’Errico, 2024. "Online Mothering: The Empowering Nature of a Hashtag Movement Founded on Social Sharing and Stereotype Deconstruction," Societies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Deborah Lupton, 2014. "Apps as Artefacts: Towards a Critical Perspective on Mobile Health and Medical Apps," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-17, October.
    4. Smeeta Mishra, 2021. "Looking for Medical Advice in Everyday Digital Spaces: A Qualitative Study of Indians Connecting with Physicians on Facebook," Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, , vol. 46(2), pages 86-98, June.
    5. Deborah Lupton, 2017. "‘It Just Gives Me a Bit of Peace of Mind’: Australian Women’s Use of Digital Media for Pregnancy and Early Motherhood," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-13, September.

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