Commodification of Personal Genetic Data by DTC Genetic Testing Companies. The leading company "AncestryDNA"

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction.
• Theoretical Background & Literature Review.
  • The commercialization and Commodification of Health and Genetic Data
  • Ancestry and genetics.
  • Theoretical framework of analysis.
• Methodology
• Analysis and Findings
  • Biologizing Ancestry
  • Creating self and identity-related uncertainty around being uninformed about one's ancestral background
• Concluding Remarks and Discussion.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This study examines the ways in which AncestryDNA frames the process of genetic testing and presents the results to users. The work seeks to understand how this company uses language and visuals to create narratives about personal identity and belonging, focusing specifically on the commodification of personal genetic data in the context of ancestry and genealogy.

• The rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies.
• The commodification of personal genetic data.
• The construction of identity and belonging through ancestry testing.
• The role of marketing and advertising in shaping consumer perceptions of genetic testing.
• The potential ethical and social implications of genetic testing and data sharing.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introduction provides context for the study, outlining the growth of the DTC genetic testing industry and the increasing popularity of ancestry tests. The theoretical framework chapter reviews relevant literature on the commodification of health and genetic data, explores the relationship between ancestry and genetics, and presents the theoretical framework for analysis. The methodology chapter outlines the research approach, including the data collection and analysis methods employed. The analysis and findings chapter analyzes the language and visuals used by AncestryDNA to frame genetic testing and present results to users, focusing on how the company constructs narratives about identity and belonging. The concluding remarks and discussion chapter summarizes the key findings and discusses their implications for understanding the social and ethical dimensions of DTC genetic testing.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The central keywords and themes of this work include ancestry, genealogy, ethnic identity, DNA profiling, DTC genetic testing, commodification of personal data, social identity theory, and uncertainty-identity theory.