Pregnant people are increasingly turning to mobile apps for support and guidance throughout their pregnancy. The popularity of pregnancy apps in society and their potential influence on how users engage with and perceive their pregnant bodies underscore a public interest in investigating the effects of these apps. However, little attention has been given to how pregnancy apps are involved and influence the pregnancy experience. This study aimed to investigate the role of pregnancy apps in the embodied pregnancy experience. Data was collected by eight interviews with pregnant people and an examination of six pregnancy apps using the walkthrough method. By employing a postphenomenological perspective, the relationship between user and technology was analysed, focusing on technology as a mediating character. The findings indicate that pregnancy apps are intimately involved in the pregnancy experience by mediating (1) a bond between parents and the unborn baby, (2) a shared experience between partners, and (3) knowledge about the pregnant body. However, the pregnant body is constructed around medical measurements, norms, and expectations about what it means to be pregnant and provides little support to the lived bodily experience.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-533133 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Eliasson, Caroline |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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