“Something that is so simple to experience and control, yet difficult to share and defend”: HIV/Aids, secrets and sociability in an on-line social network

Author(s)

Éverson de Brito Damasceno ^[1] ; Lumena Cristina de Assunção Cortez ^[2] ; Fábbio de Souza Ferreira ; Mercês de Fátima dos Santos Silva ^[4] ; Lucas Pereira de Melo ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Escola Multicampi de Ciências Médicas. Graduando do curso de Medicina - Brasil

^[2] Universidade de São Paulo. Programa Interunidades de Doutoramento em Enfermagem - Brasil

^[4] UFRN. Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde do Trairi - Brasil

^[5] Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto. Departamento de Enfermagem Psiquiátrica e Ciências Humanas - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Interface (Botucatu); v. 23, 2019-08-05.

Abstract

Recent research in the field of social anthropology has highlighted the influence of social media on the experiences of people living with long-term illnesses. A virtual ethnography involving people living with HIV/Aids (PLHIV) who are members of a secret Facebook group was conducted over a period of 11 months. The study aimed to gain an insight into the social practices adopted by PLHIV through the observation and analysis of posts and comments. The results show that the members foster a welcoming attitude and mutual help. We also discuss the selective nature of these practices, which are measured by moral judgments and shame arising from the sexual and/or moral panic that marked the beginnings of the epidemic, unveiling continuities between the online and offline worlds. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/07846-6 - Social Suffering and mutual help among people living with HIV/AIDS in a social network on the internet
• Grantee: Lucas Pereira de Melo
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants