Tune In HPV: A participatory web project presenting alternatives views of education, awareness, and experiences of Human Papillomavirus

Tune in HPV (www.tuneinhpv.com) is a participatory web channel developed to collect users' stories surrounding Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The website, built in partnership with the Center for Social Media at American University and the Washington D.C Department of Health, provides an opportunity to evaluate users' attitudes and knowledge about HPV and likewise, how health education material could be altered to better suit the needs of the website's users and the general population.

Current representations of HPV in the media eliminate the sexual component of the virus and have manufactured an image of those who are affected by the virus that does not adequately represent the range of individuals' experiences. Therefore, seeking to present alternative images of HPV awareness than those marketed through Merck's "One Less" campaign for Gardasil (their HPV vaccine), users were invited to submit personal accounts responding to several prompts. Common themes emerged from users' stories such as concerns regarding exposure to HPV, treatment options, and costs of the vaccine. In addition, users' postings were then coded in order to better understand if the users' narratives reproduced similar language and images to those evident in Merck's commercials or of readily available health education materials. The analysis shows that users' experiences relating to HPV and the vaccine are highly varied depending on factors such as race, age, and geographic location.