Would you trust the Internet to give you sound health advice?

(Drug News, 2010)

The other day I was feeling rather under the weather and, as a busy Uni student, was rather annoyed. Like many others I don’t have the time or the money to go and see my doctor about every little thing. So, in an attempt to self diagnose, I ‘googled’ my symptoms online.

This method of obtaining medical advice is becoming more and more popular. According to Bennett (2009), the delivery of public health interventions is dramatically increasing online.

So as I searched through the many pages of results, the most common explanation for my hot flashes and headaches was menopause. It became blindingly obvious that the internet unsuccessfully diagnosed my condition as I am only 19 years old. 

People are no longer seeking advice from their local GP and are instead self diagnosing. This is evident amongst people who are facing significant barriers accessing health advice through traditional methods (Bundorf 2006).

Bielenberg (2011) also raises the issue of self diagnosing on his blog this week.

While the internet may be an excellent source of information, it is important to recognise when you are in need of a professional opinion and not an anonymous persons guess.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Bennett, Gary and Russell E. Glasgow. 2009. “The Delivery of Public Health Interventions via the Internet: Actualizing their Potential.” Annual Review of Public Health 30 (1): 273-292.
• Bielenberg, David. 2011. "Week 6 Entry." KCB206 Blog - Ramblings on New Media, April 10. Accessed April 10, 2011. http://n6333869.blogspot.com/2011/04/week-6-entry.html 
• Bundorf, Kate M., Todd H. Wagner, Sara J. Singer, Laurence C. Baker. 2006. “Who Searches the Internet for Health Information?” Health Services Research 41 (3): 819-836.

How are we perceived on the Internet and New Media?

(Shontell, 2011)

We put ourselves out on internet, for the world to see, on a daily basis. We have Facebook pages, twitter accounts, blogs and various other social media platforms which we use to express ourselves. 

However, is how we want to be perceived, actually how we are being perceived?  While I can’t answer how others see me, I can try to control how people perceive my online persona.

I would like to think that I come across much the same on the internet as I do in real life. My internet persona is very much an extension of myself; however, it isn’t all that I am. 

In this week’s readings, Deuze argues that our lives are lived in, rather than with, media and that we are living a media life (Deuze, 2011, p. 138).  I disagree, while some may be immersed in their ‘media lives’, most of us are able to differentiate between fiction and reality.

While we try to brand and create identities for ourselves on the internet, it is important to create a consistent persona across all forms of media. As Susan Leong said in her Week 5 Lecture, we have to question how we are perceived globally. To create a unified online presence you have be:

•      Consistent across all new media platforms

•      Consistent across all cultures

•      Consistent across all facets of life   (Leong, 2011)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

• Deuze, M. 2011. Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33, issue 1, pp. 137-148.
• Leong, Susan. 2011. KCB206 New Media: Internet, Self & Beyond: Week 4 Lecture Notes. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au
• Schontell, A. 2011. If You Look Like This, Your Pay Check Will Be Higher Than Average. In, Business Insider. Image. Accessed April 1^st, 2011. http://www.businessinsider.com/if-you-have-any-of-these-20-physical-features-your-pay-check-will-probably-be-higher-2011-2