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TWEETING AN IDENTITY : A Content Analysis of Twitter Posts by Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS

TWEETING AN IDENTITY : A Content Analysis of Twitter Posts by Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS. Meghan Jane McEvoy-Hein December 8, 2009. INTRODUCTION. THESIS. Tweets of individuals living with HIV/AIDS show how PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) maintain their identities.

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TWEETING AN IDENTITY : A Content Analysis of Twitter Posts by Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS

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  1. TWEETING AN IDENTITY: A Content Analysis of Twitter Posts by Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS Meghan Jane McEvoy-Hein December 8, 2009

  2. INTRODUCTION

  3. THESIS • Tweets of individuals living with HIV/AIDS show how PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) maintain their identities.

  4. PREVIOUS LITERATURE • Stigma • Visser, Makin, and Lehobye (2006) • Construction of an HIV Positive Self • Roth and Nelson (1997) • Cadell and Marshall (2007) • HIV as Identity, Experience, or Career • Bartos and McDonald (2000) • Flowers, et. al. (2003)

  5. THEORY • Borderlands/La Frontera (Anzaldua 1987) • Individuals living in “borderlands” experience the strain of belonging to identity groups that characteristically conflict with one another. • General public’s stigmatized perceptions of PLWHA weigh heavily on those who see themselves differently from the way others see them. • Social Identity Theory • Series of Categorizations • Multiple Groups & Dominance • Comparison

  6. METHODOLOGY Content Analysis of Tweets of PLWHA • Sample • 5 individuals living with HIV/AIDS that actively use Twitter • Google search- Key words: “HIV postive blog” • Systematic search through Marvelyn Brown’s followers • Criteria • HIV positive • At least 18 years of age • Offer a “follow me on Twitter invitation” • Not a group or organization (an individual) • Tweet in English

  7. FINDINGSType of Tweet

  8. FINDINGSMentionings of HIV and/or AIDS

  9. FINDINGSHIV as Identity • oriolgutierrez • Self-description • “Just added myself to the…twitter directory under: #latino#gay#hiv” • Aspect of the self • “Coming Out Again: A feature article I wrote for POZ about my coming out process, first as gay and again as HIV positive” • DaddyDab

  10. FINDINGSHIV as Experience • Justbthat • Sense of Self (distinction made) • ‘Accident’ of HIV • Dealt WITH not Dwelt Within • Community • Just_Trav

  11. FINDINGSHIV as Career Marvelynbrown • HIV is involving & all consuming • Crucial separation • Self (per se) & Involvement in HIV Sense of Balance Commitment to Community

  12. DISCUSSION • Retweeting (lack of popularity) • Popularity of the Reply (type of tweet) • Strengths of my Research (Twitter) • Weaknesses of my Research: • Sample Size • Data’s Depth/Richness for Coding • Possibilities for Further Research (valuable)

  13. Questions? THANK YOU!

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