Authors
Anna Harris, Susan E Kelly, Sally Wyatt
Publication date
2014/1/2
Journal
New genetics and society
Volume
33
Issue
1
Pages
60-78
Publisher
Routledge
Description
Despite a growing personal genomics market, little is known about how people engage with the possibilities offered by direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing. In order to help address this gap, this study deploys narrative analysis of YouTube videos posted by individuals who have purchased DTC genetic testing for disease. Genetic testing is said to be contributing to new states of illness, where individuals may become “patients-in-waiting.” In the videos analyzed, we found a new form of storytelling about this ambiguous state of illness, which we refer to as autobiology. Autobiology – the study of, and story about, one's own biology – concerns narratives of sense-making through forms of biological practice, as well as wayfaring narratives which interweave genetic markers and family histories of disease. These autobiologies – part of a broader shift toward public stories about genetics and other healthcare …
Total citations
2014201520162017201820192020202120222023202414413610915862
Scholar articles