BU Research Blog

You are cordially invited to this seminar which is open to all BU staff and students.

(Please email adrc@bournemouth.ac.uk for the zoom link to access the seminar).

Dementia and digital selfhood: Identity formation in the age of social media.

Dr. Catherine Talbot

10^th February @ 12.30pm

Abstract:  A diagnosis of dementia in mid-life can be challenging, often causing losses or changes in a person’s identity as a worker, partner, or parent. Dementia also continues to be a stigmatised condition, whereby those with the diagnosis are frequently identified as ‘victims’ and ‘sufferers’. In contrast, social media may provide some individuals with a means of reconstructing identity, by facilitating narrative and community membership. In this presentation, Dr Catherine Talbot will discuss the findings of her interview study with 11 people with young-onset dementia who use Twitter. Her findings suggest that people with young-onset dementia are using Twitter to re-establish, communicate, preserve, and redefine their identities. However, there are some risks as Twitter was sometimes a hostile environment for individuals who did not present in a ‘typical’ manner or faced technical difficulties because of their symptoms. These findings have important implications for post-diagnostic support provision and the design of accessible social media platforms.

Biography: Catherine is a cyberpsychologist specialising in social media, health, and qualitative methods. Her PhD research concerned the use of Twitter by people with dementia to facilitate social connection, self-expression, and a sense of identity. She is interested in positive technology usage by people with stigmatised health conditions and how technologies can be developed to promote wellbeing and social inclusion. Catherine is a committee member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Cyberpsychology Section.

Please email adrc@bournemouth.ac.uk for the zoom link to access the seminar.