To understand how people give meaning to biomedical knowledge in their everyday lives, we studied 60 Instagram accounts of women living with incurable cancer. What sets them apart is that, although they are incurably ill, they sometimes live relatively long lives because of scientific developments. Thus, illness experiences become entangled with biomedical knowledge. We found that women discuss and interpret, for instance, test results or therapy modifications by using biomarkers as hashtags, e.g. #CA125. Biomedical knowledge is constantly mobilised and interpreted to juggle between living everyday lives and being incurably ill for a relatively long time. We also found how the visual element of Instagram allowed the women to make sense of their ever-changing realities, e.g. bodily changes. Studying spontaneous engagement with science on social media enables the perspectives of people who are not able to participate in organised public engagement, e.g. because of illness, to still be heard.

Im Luzerner Neubad hat die «ScienceComm 26», der Schweizer Jahreskongress der Wissenschaftskommunikation, stattgefunden. Unter dem Motto «Check» ging es um Wahrheit, Vertrauen und die Rolle der Wissen...

Misinformation about science makes it hard to make policy, buy groceries, or even live. How can we fix it?

How two researchers used media literacy strategies to trace relationship misinformation back to its source.

Our mission is to make accurate, evidence-based science accessible to all. By equipping trusted communicators with tools to share clear, engaging, and culturally relevant content, we help bridge the g...

UC San Diego is recognized as a top employer with outstan...

Hamburger Stammtisch Wissenschaftskommunikation am 29. April 2025