Social work and netnography: The case of Spain and generic drugs

This 2013 article provides a useful case study of particular social phenomena using netnographic research. The study examines a key issue for the sustainability of the welfare state in Spain, namely the patterns of consumption of generic drugs and their intersection with the Internet and healthcare social work. Taking the online context, netnography, as an object of ethnographic analysis, the authors analyze climates of opinion in relation to the consumption of generic drugs. They identify and analyze the linguistic framing and social discrediting of generic drug use through misinformation and the creation of risk perception to curb social acceptability and consumption of these medicines in Spain.

This article will be of use to PVE researchers and practitioners interested in the various case study applications of netnographic research and particularly those with a social or behavioural focus. Based on the results of their study, the authors provide strategies that can be used by social workers in the healthcare system.

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