Discussing genetics in social media: analysis of YouTube users’ representations of science and technology

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of social media users’ views on genetics and genetic tech­nologies. The study of this issue is important because the development of genetic technologies in Russia is considered one of the priority tasks, and the implementation of innovations largely depends on the attitude towards it in society. Fundamental scientific knowledge about genetics has begun to spread beyond scientific laboratories and institutes, and new non-professional representations of corporeality, health and illness, ancestry, identity, and kinship have been ac­tively promoted. So-called direct-to-consumer genomics – commercial DNA testing services – is also growing in popularity. In order to understand what representations of genetics are present in Russian social media, we analyzed three videos posted on YouTube, a popular video hosting site, as well as user comments under them. The selected videos demonstrate three dif­ferent research cases: 1) a popularization speech of a scientist (interview) talking about gene­tics; 2) a journalistic video about the use of genetic technologies in Russia; 3) a story of a lay­man (blogger) about his personal experience of using a DNA test. Using thematic analysis of comments to these videos, the main themes were formed, demonstrating: what non-specia­lists understand by genetics; why, from their point of view, genetic tests are needed; what young people are interested in genetic technologies and what they see as dangerous in them. The conclusions formulate the main problems that may face the development of genetic tech­nologies in Russia at the level of their acceptance by society.