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COMMUNITY:
Peer-reviewed article

Googling your genes: personal genomics and the discourse of citizen bioscience in the network age

March 22, 2010 | Media and Technology, Public Programs, Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks
In this essay, I argue that the rise of personal genomics is technologically, economically, and most importantly, discursively tied to the rise of network subjectivity, an imperative of which is an understanding of self as always already a subject in the network. I illustrate how personal genomics takes full advantage of social media technology and network subjectivity to advertise a new way of doing research that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and its members. Sharing one’s genetic information is considered to be an act of citizenship, precisely because it is good for the network. Here members are encouraged to think of themselves as dividuals, or nodes, in the network and their actions acquire value based on that imperative. Therefore, citizen bioscience is intricately tied, both in discourse and practices, to the growth of the network in the age of new media.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Marina Levina
    Author
    University of California, Berkeley
  • Citation

    ISSN : 1824-2049
    Publication Name: Journal of Science Communication
    Volume: 9
    Number: 1
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Health and medicine | Life science
    Audience: General Public | Scientists
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Websites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media | Public Programs | Citizen Science Programs | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Resource Centers and Networks

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