The complex relationship between capitalism, medicine and the media: Function of corporate websites in the commodification of health

Health communication has emerged as a significant instrument during the process of the commodification of the health care services under the influence of the neoliberal policies. In this process, the concepts of health and disease have been transformed into instruments that serve accumulation of capital and the communication channels also played a determining role in this transformation. Instruments of mass communication have been influential in the marketing of the health-care services and shaping the society’s perceptions related to health. Especially, the internet-based communication platforms are widely used by the health care providers to reach their target audiences and market their products. In this study, the websites of IVF clinics operating in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were examined using the Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis method, and the effects of health communication on the commodification process in the field of health were investigated. The analysis results have revealed that the communication practices deepened class-based inequalities and contributed to commercialization of the health care services. It has been also identified that such practices encourage individual solutions and do not sufficiently focus on social problems. In this context, importance of a critical perspective in the field of health communication has been emphasized. The analysis showed that commercialization of the health care services has negative impacts on social health, and more comprehensive research is needed in this field. In this context, there is a need to discuss the existence of health communication independent of the mainstream communication approach and the public relations paradigm. This study aims to lay the ground for more comprehensive research in the field of health communication.