title: "United We Stand": Framing Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in a Virtual Symbolic Community.
abstract: In this article, we report on a study that seeks to explore how the contested chronic condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), one of the current medical diagnoses for medically unexplained long-term exhaustion, is negotiated within the context of Norwegian internet sites. From an analysis of discussions on 14 internet forums sustained by and for people living with ME, we seek to understand how their online activity sustains a virtual symbolic community (VSC). After exploring the content on these sites, we identified four discursive domains, or fields of conversation, that are demarcated by a discursive frame, or norms, values, and goals that define and reinforce the boundaries of the community. Interpreting discursive domains and their discursive frame provides insight not only to the culture of the ME VSC but also to its role in an international social health movement, including its potential for becoming politically influential.
authors.affiliation: University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway olaug.lian@uit.no.
authors.forename: Olaug S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway University of York, York, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nettleton
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003142:Communication; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000523:psychology*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D011057:Politics; D011209:Power, Psychological; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060756:Social Networking
keywords: chronic illness; discourse analysis; fatigue / exhaustion; health care users’ experiences; internet communication; knowledge construction; lay concepts and practices; power / empowerment; social construction of illness and disease