Health risks on the internet: Establishing credibility on line

Abstract

Consumer/citizens of the late 20th and early 21st century have been invited to apprehend life as a hazardous enterprise and to pay attention to news and information about public health issues so as to make lifestyle choices from an informed position. Although not available to everyone, amongst the possible sources of news and information we must now include the world of electronic on-line communication. This paper focuses upon one particular domain of such communication: asynchronous newsgroups, examining the ways that participants show their concern for the trustworthiness of their own and others' contributions to debate.