‘The appy for a happy pappy’: expectant fatherhood and pregnancy apps

Thomas, Gareth; Lupton, Deborah; Pedersen, Sarah

doi:10.1080/09589236.2017.1301813

Cited by 37 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Further research could explore those with medical resource deficiency and compare pregnant women in such areas with those having affluent resources. Finally, this research may have overlooked the other online seeking habits and sharing behaviors of pregnant women, which could be of critical importance; for example, their sentiments with their husbands, mothers-in-law, and other caretakers [1,15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundSocial media has become the most popular communication tool used by Chinese citizens, including expectant mothers. An increasing number of women have adopted various forms of social media channels, such as interactive websites, instant messaging, and mobile apps, to solve problems and obtain answers to queries during pregnancy. Although the use of the internet by pregnant women has been studied extensively worldwide, limited research exists that explores the changing social media usage habits in China, where the 1 child policy ended in 2015.ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) present the status quo of pregnancy-related information seeking and sharing via social media among Chinese expectant mothers, (2) reveal the impact of social media usage, and (3) shed light on pregnancy-related health services delivered via social media channels.MethodsA qualitative approach was employed to examine social media usage and its consequences on pregnant women. A total of 20 women who had conceived and were at various stages of pregnancy were interviewed from July 20 to August 10, 2017. Thematic analysis was conducted on the collected data to identify patterns in usage.ResultsOverall, 80% (16/20) of participants were aged in their 20s (mean 28.5 years [SD 4.3]). All had used social media for pregnancy-related purposes. For the seeking behavior, 18 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and the postpartum period; whereas for sharing behaviors, 10 codes were merged into 4 themes, namely, gravida, fetus, delivery, and caretaker. Lurking, small group sharing, bad news avoidance, and cross-checking were identified as the preferred patterns for using social media. Overall, 95% (19/20) of participants reported a positive mental impact from using social media during their pregnancy.ConclusionsIt is indisputable that social media has played an increasingly important role in supporting expectant mothers in China. The specific seeking and sharing patterns identified in this study indicate that the general quality of pregnancy-related information on social media, as well as Chinese culture toward pregnancy, is improving. The new themes that merge in pregnancy-related social media use represent a shift toward safe pregnancy and the promotion of a more enjoyable pregnancy. Future prenatal care should provide further information on services related to being comfortable during pregnancy and reducing the inequality of social media–based services caused by the digital divide.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the United States and European countries have evidenced the popularity of pregnancy-based social media usage [13,14]. In addition, several social media channels have featured father-to-be campaigns to encourage participation by expectant fathers during pregnancy [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Sexual and reproductive health‐related apps often reproduce normative gendered assumptions, with apps monitoring sexual pleasure and performance aimed at men, and those tracking fertility, pregnancy and parenting aimed at women (Lupton, 2015b), with little consideration of sexual and gender diversity. Although apps designed for prospective fathers offer valuable information and encourage them to support partners, they tend to ‘ condescend…and trivialize their role’ (Thomas et al ., 2018: 759). Furthermore, evaluations have critiqued the limited evidence‐base and accuracy of such apps (Freis et al ., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fertility and digital technology: narratives of using smartphone app ‘Natural Cycles’ while trying to conceive

Grenfell

Tilouche

Shawe

et al. 2020

Sociology Health & Illness

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fertility awareness apps, which help to identify the ‘fertile window’ when conception is most likely, have been hailed as ‘revolutionising’ women’s reproductive health. Despite rapidly growing popularity, little research has explored how people use these apps when trying to conceive and what these apps mean to them. We draw on in‐depth, qualitative interviews, adopting a critical digital health studies lens (a sub‐field of science and technology studies), to explore the experiences of cisgender women and partners with one such app, Natural Cycles, in the context of their daily lives. We found that many women valued the technology as a ‘natural’, inobtrusive alternative to biomedical intervention, and a means of controlling and knowing their bodies, amid a dearth of fertility‐related education and care. Yet this technology also intervened materially and affectively into the spaces of their lives and relationships and privileged disembodied metrics (temperature) over embodied knowledge. Meanwhile, app language, advertising and cost have contributed to characterising ‘typical’ users as white, heterosexual, affluent, cisgender women without disabilities. In the context of neoliberal shifts towards bodily self‐tracking, technologies appealing as novel, liberating and ‘natural’ to individuals who can access them may nevertheless reproduce highly gendered reproductive responsibilities, anxieties and broader health and social inequalities.

show abstract

“…These included critical content analyses of reproduction and pregnancy apps and self-monitoring devices [31][32][33][34], an online survey competed in late 2014 by 410 women around Australia who were either pregnant or had given birth in the previous three years [35] and a focus group study involving Sydney women fitting the same description, which took place in mid-2015 [36]. The research questions around which both the survey and focus groups were framed were: How are women using digital media for both pregnancy and parenting?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It Just Gives Me a Bit of Peace of Mind’: Australian Women’s Use of Digital Media for Pregnancy and Early Motherhood

Lupton

2017

Societies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A diverse range of digital devices and software are available to women to seek and share information and personal experiences about pregnancy and parenting. This article reports findings from a focus group study involving Australian women who were pregnant or had very young children. The participants were asked to recount their experiences of using digital media for pregnancy and parenting and what media they would like to see developed that were not yet available. The findings revealed that digital media were very important to the participants. They were using mobile apps, social media, content-sharing platforms and online discussion forums to connect with each other and with family members, post images and other information about their pregnancy and children, track their pregnancy or their children's behaviours and development, and learn about pregnancy, infants and childcare. Despite their frequent use of and reliance on digital media, few participants had begun to consider the implications of sharing personal information about themselves or their children online or by using apps to record details. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the complexities of the intersections between information, emotional support, intimacy, personal data generation, sharing and privacy as they are conducted and experienced on the digital media used by women during these life stages.

show abstract

‘The appy for a happy pappy’: expectant fatherhood and pregnancy apps

Cited by 37 publications

References 40 publications

Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study

Pregnancy-Related Information Seeking and Sharing in the Social Media Era Among Expectant Mothers: Qualitative Study

Fertility and digital technology: narratives of using smartphone app ‘Natural Cycles’ while trying to conceive

‘It Just Gives Me a Bit of Peace of Mind’: Australian Women’s Use of Digital Media for Pregnancy and Early Motherhood

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About