SOME LINGUISTIC OBSERVATIONS ON PATIENTS' BLOGS

In every field, nowadays, there has been a radical change in the amount and in the value of information that are available. In the medical field, in particular, what was once considered obligatory concern of doctors and medical stuff is today information that are accessible through other media, the net in the first case. The growth of electronicallymediated information also means a greater amount of users, aware or anaware of the strategies applied in communicative systems and therefore more or less exposed to manipulation. Also, it is notable an increased attention on wellness, health, prevention and related communication. This paper will explore how a medical issue is described by people who suffer from it, analysing through the linguistic behaviour they use in blog spaces how they share their frustration and talk about their disease.