To Life: Optimism Bias and Technological Ties in the Face of the Worst |
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| Authors: | Karen A Cerulo |
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| Institution: | Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, , New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901 |
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| Abstract: | This essay addresses a recent media controversy. Two journalists actively questioned the appropriateness of a popular blog that chronicles a young woman's fight with cancer. Elaine Replogle ( 2014 ) unfolds the facts of this case and discusses the role of fame and status in understanding the journalists' response to the blog. Here, I extend that conversation, exploring how our culture's optimism bias, as well as the increasing importance of our technological ties, informs our understanding of both the blog and its critics. |
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| Keywords: | deviance end‐of‐life care optimism bias sick role social bonds social media |
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