"I feel like only half a man"

Patel, Dilisha; Blandford, Ann; Warner, Mark; Shawe, Jill; Stephenson, Judith

doi:10.1145/3359184

Cited by 29 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Such an instrumental approach to menstruation prescribes "the forms of knowledge and types of relationships with their body" those who menstruate are regarded as likely to embrace [26], opposed to how these technologies could exist diferently in ways that would "encourage self-knowledge and afrm and support the needs of diferent kinds of menstruating bodies" [24]. On the other hand, some have specifcally looked into fertility from a holistic viewpoint [13] to advance collaborative and supportive approaches [15] and dealing with emotions [14], attended to fertility tracking apps (FTAs) [66], infertility in men [56], through to ovulation tracking devices that aid conception [31]. Generally, these technologies seek to support conception, and individuals can record "menstruation and bodily signs of ovulation with the promise of producing more detailed knowledge of the individual's menstrual cycle and predictions of their most fertile days or fertile window in the cycle" [29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring for Intimate Data in Fertility Technologies

Mehrnezhad

Almeida

2021

Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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Fertility tracking applications are technologies that collect sensitive information about their users i.e. reproductive potential. For many, these apps are an afordable solution when trying to conceive or managing their pregnancy. However, intimate data are not only collected but also shared beyond users knowledge or consent. In this paper, we explore the privacy risks that can originate from the mismanagement, misuse, and misappropriation of intimate data, which are entwined in individual life events and in public health issues such as abortion and (in)fertility. We look at diferential vulnerabilities to enquire data's vulnerability and that of 'data subjects'. We introduce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how it addresses fertility data. We evaluate the privacy of 30 top 'fertility apps' through their privacy notices and tracking practices. Lastly, we discuss the regulations and fertility data as critical to the future design of tracking technologies and privacy rights. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Interaction design; • Security and privacy → Social aspects of security and privacy; Human and societal aspects of security and privacy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caring for Intimate Data in Fertility Technologies

Mehrnezhad

Almeida

2021

Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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“…Prior work has found that online communities focused on reproductive healthcare (e.g., pregnancy, vulvodynia) employ strategies related to validation (Andalibi and Garcia 2021), information management (Patel et al 2019;Young and Miller 2019;Andalibi and Garcia 2021), personal tracking (Chopra et al 2021), and identifying causation (Patel et al 2019). We find these themes again in our birth control communities, with variations; for example, personal tracking is also a prominent theme in birth control discussions, but it is focused on pill timings and calculations and on selfobservations of side effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…In online healthcare communities, the individual works to make sense of their healthcare experience, and the community collectively gathers information, compares stories, and makes sense of a shared experience (Mamykina, Nakikj, and Elhadad 2015). Sharing experiences can help narrators make sense of their stories (Tangherlini 2000) and can transfer important information to others without firsthand experience (Bietti, Tilston, and Bangerter 2019), leading users through a transformative process via the gathering and organizing of information (Genuis and Bronstein 2017;Patel et al 2019). This process is contextual; each community can rely on different strategies (Young and Miller 2019).…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensemaking about Contraceptive Methods across Online Platforms

McDowall,

Antoniak,

Mimno

2024

ICWSM

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Selecting a birth control method is a complex healthcare decision. While birth control methods provide important benefits, they can also cause unpredictable side effects and be stigmatized, leading many people to seek additional information online, where they can privately find reviews, advice, hypotheses, and experiences of other birth control users. However, the relationships between their healthcare concerns, sensemaking activities, and online settings are not well understood. We gather texts about birth control shared on Twitter and Reddit—popular communities with different affordances, moderation, and audiences—to study where and how birth control is discussed online. Using a combination of topic modeling and hand annotation, we identify and characterize the dominant sensemaking practices across these platforms, and we create lexica to draw comparisons across birth control methods and side effects. We use these to measure variations from survey reports of side effect experiences, highlighting topics that social media users discuss more than expected online. Our findings characterize how online platforms are used to make sense of difficult healthcare choices, including analyzing risks, calculating timing and dosages, hypothesizing about causes of side effects, and storytelling about painful experiences. We contribute both to understanding unmet needs of birth control users and to exploring context-specific patterns in social media discussions.

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“…While girls grow up amid sociocultural constructs of eventual motherhood as defining femininity, fatherhood is not built as a necessity for men (Letherby, 1999(Letherby, , 2002Russo, 1976). We do not suggest that IC is an issue that is only relevant to women or that men go unaffected, and previous research does show that men communicate online about fertility issues (Malik & Coulson, 2008;Patel et al, 2019); however, our analysis of TTC communication on Instagram shows that an overwhelming majority of participants are female, and this study thus accounts particularly for women's experiences and vulnerabilities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Existential vulnerability and transition: Struggling with involuntary childlessness on Instagram

Stenström

Pargman

2021

Nordicom Review

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In their efforts to find others who share their experiential reality and existential struggle, many involuntarily childless women turn to Instagram to engage and participate in the practice of trying-to-conceive (TTC) communication. Through the conceptual lens of digital existence, where the digital and online are regarded as constitutive of existential transition, we draw on ten interviews and an online ethnography to explore some of the struggles that involuntarily childless women experience with and through technology. We find that TTC communication can be constitutive of coming to terms with the status of involuntary childlessness. In particular, this study illustrates that TTC communication, for involuntarily childless women, is both a site of struggle and a safe space as they transition to nonmotherhood in an existential terrain where they share an intimate journey.

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"I feel like only half a man"

Abstract: Judith (2019) "I feel like only half a man": Online Forums as a Resource for Finding a "New Normal" for Men Experiencing Fertility Issues. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3 (CSCW). p. 82.

Cited by 29 publications

References 62 publications

Caring for Intimate Data in Fertility Technologies

Caring for Intimate Data in Fertility Technologies

Sensemaking about Contraceptive Methods across Online Platforms

Existential vulnerability and transition: Struggling with involuntary childlessness on Instagram

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