Fourteenth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Breast cancer mortality rates in Egypt are comparatively high, due to fear of it being always fatal and leading to loss of femininity, health illiteracy and poor access to screening. Charities have used social media live streaming for breast cancer awareness as it is economical, creates a sense of social presence and enables interaction with audience through chat. However, as live events are new, there is hardly any research on them in health research. We analysed interaction in seven highly engaged (thousands of comments) Facebook live awareness-raising events by two Egyptian charities, using digital conversation analysis focusing on turn-talking, especially adjacency pairs of signals and expected answers. The vast majority of user contributions were compliments, in the form of religious praises for the charity, responded to by an appreciation (heart emoji), fomenting ritualistic phatic communication. Medical questions by users were answered through chat, orally by the streamer or via direct messaging, with different advantages and disadvantages. However, many questions went unanswered creating a notable absence. Users could post their questions numerous times, signalling frustration and that they expected an answer, or alternatively users answered each others’ questions, jumping turns and creating a somewhat chaotic parallel floor of conversation. Much of the communication in live events, combining elements of interpersonal interaction and broadcasting, did not live up to what Goffman defines as focused interaction. We will conclude with reflecting how interaction in such events could be defined, what users’ expectations are and what practical challenges these create.