‘It's like having a physician in your pocket!’ A critical analysis of self-diagnosis smartphone apps

摘要: Abstract More than 100,000 mobile phone software applications (‘apps’) have been designed for the dissemination of health and medical information healthcare public initiatives. This article presents a critical analysis self-diagnosis smartphone apps directed at lay people that were available on Apple App Store Google Play in mid-April 2014. The objective is to contribute sociology diagnosis digital studies by investigating phenomenon digitised via apps. We adopted perspective views as sociocultural artefacts. Our suggests they inhabit contested ambiguous site meaning practice. found app developers combined claims expertise conjunction with appeals algorithmic authority promote their potential users. While also used patient engagement part promotional efforts, these undermined routine disclaimers users should seek advice effect diagnosis. research required investigate how are negotiating use apps, implications privacy personal data possible effects doctor–patient relationship relation