De digitale tweedeling. Internet, gezondheidsinformatie en het dagelijks leven

Samenvatting

Re-Examining the Digital Divide. The Internet, Health Information and Everyday Life. Survey data confirm that health information is very popular with Internet users yet very little qualitative social science research has been conducted about how people incorporate the Internet into their everyday information practices. This article reports on an empirical study of the role of the Internet in people's efforts to inform themselves about menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the case of women, and erectile dysfunction and Viagra in the case of men. These experiences are used to interrogate the notion of the 'digital divide.' We develop the concept of access to incorporate not only physical connection and information literacy but also gendered, age, and generational social relations. We also develop the concept of 'warm expert' to draw attention to the ways in which people need help in making sense of generic medical information that is relevant to one's own circumstances. 30 References. Adapted from the source document.