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Wellness has become synonymous with yoga, meditation, and other forms of self-care. Over the past 60 years, what began as an alternative to mainstream medicine has coalesced with consumer culture and has been commercialised to such an extent that the term is now synonymous with an industry of exclusive products and services.
This book traces the emergence of wellness culture as a countercultural movement to a trillion-dollar industry, examining the social, economic and political conditions that enabled wellness to assume mainstream cultural significance. It explores the role of the internet in making wellness more accessible to consumers, while simultaneously questioning who wields influence in these digital spaces. A must read for anyone interested in learning about wellness and its online penetration, Wellness Culture offers an in-depth yet accessible examination of how wellness has been weaponised during the COVID-19 pandemic to spread medical misinformation, conspiratorial thinking and political extremism.
Stephanie Alice Baker is an expert in how we connect and communicate online, particularly around issues pertaining to health and wellness. She has worked with organisations across the public and private sector, including the BBC, ITV, Sense Worldwide and the Discovery Channel. She makes regular media appearances, speaking as an expert on social media influencers, wellness gurus, trust relations, intimacy, collective memory and digital technologies. She is a a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at City, University of London.
Chapter 1. What is Wellness Culture?
Chapter 2. The Countercultural Origins of Wellness Culture
Chapter 3. From the Wellness Movement to the Wellness Industry
Chapter 4. Wellness Gurus, Internet Celebrities and Influencers
Chapter 5. Wellness as a Gateway to Misinformation, Disinformation and Conspiracy
Chapter 6. The Future of Wellness as a Cultural Pursuit