Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Media, Film, and Journalism Studies

First Advisor

Renée Botta

Second Advisor

Erika Polson

Third Advisor

David Coppini

Fourth Advisor

Erin Willer

Keywords

Diet, Keto, Online communities, Reddit

Abstract

First created in 1921, the ketogenic diet was used as a medical intervention for children suffering from severe epilepsy. However, in recent years, this highly restrictive diet has gained mainstream popularity for a number of illness management, wellness, and weight loss uses. Despite its rise in use and popularity, mainstream medical opinion still views the ketogenic diet as a last resort for severe conditions. Using a content analysis of posts tagged with the “medical” flair on the subreddit “r/Keto,” this thesis found commonalities among posts which praised the ketogenic diet and shared positive personal anecdotes were the most likely to receive positive engagement from the community. These findings are in line with similar studies of both online medical communities and online diet and weight loss communities and the positive social effects those communities can have for users.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Sabrina Finke

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

137 pgs

Discipline

Communication

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