Comunicação da saúde na internet : redes, aplicativos e tecnologias wearables

Abstract

The Internet is said to be giving rise to a new area of expertise on health communication, increasingly ubiquitous and constantly improving from the huge amount of information that can be easily and quickly retrieved by those concerned with their health. For testing this hypothesis, the researcher conducted a quantitative study with Brazilian women between the ages of 20 and 60 years using wearable apps and devices suitable to monitoring their health, supposedly stimulating in them the development of good preventive habits. The reading of authors like Michel Foucault, Nikolas Rose, Lucien Sfez and David Le Breton gave the study a theoretical scope, drawing relations between health, culture and society. This discussion gives prominence to mobility and digital media, especially those devices developed in the last ten years or so. The researcher then depicts the resources for three case studies: networks, apps and wearables, concentrating on the female public. The quantitative research shows that education and social backgrounds affect the use of technology in personal healthcare. In conclusion, this study confirms the body as an effective network agent embedded in cultural, social and technological practices.