Negotiating uncertainties: care-seeking in an algorithmic society.

Abstract

This article examines how different layers of health-related uncertainties emerge and intersect in an algorithmic society. We aim to understand how people's self-care practices co-evolve with digitalised health systems. Sweden stands out among Western countries due to the population's high digital consumption of medical and health products. We conceptualise health-related uncertainties as inherent in care-seeking. The uncertainties are embedded in an algorithmic society and hinge on what we term algorithmised medicine. Methods used are open-ended questionnaires and semistructured interviews with Swedish residents. We identify: First, people are aware of algorithm-embedded digital infrastructure and its impact on information access in everyday life. Second, people oscillate on a trust-distrust nexus in different contexts. And third, lived experiences of the body compete with medical advice and online information. We conclude that while formal health systems strive to be robust, access to medicines remains an uncertain practice at the interplay of medicine, algorithms and bodily experiences of sickness. This study contributes to the field of medical humanities by showing that the digital arena is a porous and emergent entity, with inseparable links to people's lived experiences.