Llorar fotografías: análisis de contenidos y discursos visuales sobre el cáncer en las fotografías de Olatz Vázquez en Instagram

Miguel Varela-Rodríguez; Miguel Vicente-Mariño

doi:10.22325/fes/res.2023.149

Authors

Miguel Varela-Rodríguez Departamento de Sociología y Trabajo Social, Universidad de Valladolid
Miguel Vicente-Mariño Departamento de Sociología y Trabajo Social, Universidad de Valladolid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2023.149

Keywords:

Visual communication of cancer, Instagram, Olatz Vázquez, sociology of health, visual sociology

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed-methods study of Olatz Vázquez’s Instagram profile. Olatz, a journalist and photographer, died at the age of 27 from a stomach cancer. Through her photographs, she gave visibility to one of the most lethal cancer sites, which is also one of the least visible in digital social media. She represented cancer through black and white images that portray the physical and emotional cost of cancer, in a stark contrast with mainstream discourses that lean on positive images. Content analysis on Olatz’s photographs reveal visual discourses on (1) the representation of cancer; (2) the patient’s identity; (3) the patient’s responses to the illness; and (4) the importance of social support. The paper aims to build a repository of visual metaphors on cancer that can help give visibility to this cancer site and motivate a discussion on dominant visual discourses on cancer.

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