Using Emerging Technology to Change Cultural

Understandings of Cancer: :

How the Online Young Adult Cancer Community

Challenges Dominant Cancer Narratives

Kathleen Stansberry, University of Akronkstansberry@uakron.edu

@kstansberry

• The empowered patient

– Patient-centered communication

– Play an active role in the treatment process

– Fear based messaging most effective when paired with a degree of self-efficacy

Current Research on Health Communication

Current Research on Public Relations

Who Gets to Define Cancer?

• Charland’s theory of rhetorical constitution – Audiences “live inside” the

rhetoric that constructs them

– Rhetoric is composed of narratives

Might patients and survivors be adjusting the rhetorical constitution of the cancer experience?

Existing Cancer Narratives

Web-Based Cancer Communication

Discussion/Conclusions

• Young adults with cancer experiences are dissatisfied with the existing cancer narratives

• The open nature of Web-based communications makes it possible for young adult cancer patients and survivors to write their own cancer narratives

• To build relationships we must understand the rhetoric that constitutes the cancer experience for young adults