Work

"If it has an exclamation point, I step away from it, I need facts, not excited feelings": Technologically Mediated Parental COVID Uncertainty

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: As a novel virus, COVID introduced considerable uncertainty into the daily lives of people all over the globe since late 2019. Relying on twenty-three semi-structured interviews with parents whose children contracted COVID, we analyzed how the use of social media moderated parental uncertainty about the symptoms, prognosis, long-term potential health ramifications of infection, vaccination, and other issues. We framed our findings using Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness theory. We propose new components to the theory that account for technological mediation in uncertainty. We also propose design recommendations to help parents cope with health uncertainty using social media.

Source: Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

DOI: 10.1145/3711009

Authors: Karen Joy, Michelle Liang, Tawfiq Ammari

Institution: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Language: English

Topic: Communication and COVID-19 Impact

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Bristol-Myers Squibb