User-generated content in the era of digital wellbeing. A nethnographic analysis in oncology contexts

The disruptive strength of digital technologies in many fields and even in healthcare provoked a valuable upheaval, either in the search for information or in their application, modifying and sometimes overturning the relation doctor–patient. User-generated data deriving from social media and online communities represent a form of “disruptive cooperation” with potentially huge benefits to the future growth of society. In this light, by means of a nethnographic analysis on the smart patients and a second online survey on Italian oncologists and professionals, the aim of the paper is to define the impact of user-generated content in pursue personal wellbeing, linking new forms of knowledge, business, and innovation. Hence, starting from the analysis of the emerging concept of systems medicine the paper focuses on the dimension of participation, taking into consideration a data-driven approach and the ‘data, information, knowledge, and wisdom (DIKW) framework’ in order to understand how people draw on user generated content in their wellness project. By analysing the results, managerial perspectives and future research developments are provided.