Wurfel, MarleneSakotic, Ela2020-12-222022-05-312022-05-312020https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/2106Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic illness that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite some people referring to FM as a woman’s disease, men also suffer from the illness. This study asks how males and females use Instagram to communicate about their illness and discusses how themes differ throughout their narratives. A qualitative research approach was taken to conduct a narrative analysis and look at images for their connotative meaning. This study indicates that females share their narratives on Instagram at a higher frequency than males. Thematic analyses suggest that both males and females use Instagram to share pain narratives and lend one another support. While most of the themes were the same, the findings indicate that females are more likely than males to share their struggles with the Instagram community.537.21KBPDFenAll Rights ReservedfibromyalgiaInstagramwomenmenStudent Report