DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER DNA PLATFORMS & DIGITAL DISPLAYS OF FAMILY

Resumen

The family genealogy industry has seen exponential growth in recent years, in large part due to the rise of direct-to-consumer DNA testing platforms. To some extent, ancestry-oriented DNA platforms function like other social media networks, connecting users in intimate publics. Yet they differ in that rather than ordering users by social relationships such as friendship, individuals are displayed according to how many centimorgans they share. In recent years, digital researchers have extended the sociological concept of ‘family display’ to consider digital displays of family. Yet limited work has considered how DNA platforms may constitute digital displays of family or how DNA data shape the bio-digital identities for affected communities who have limited avenues to familial information. In this presentation, I draw on data from the first empirical study to capture the Australian direct-to-consumer DNA users’ experiences, combining accounts from genealogy enthusiasts with accounts from those affected by adoption and donor conception. Reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n=23) derived two key themes: (1) DNA displays of family - how users are connected and ordered on the DNA platform, and (2) Defining the bio-digital self - how identity is shaped by DNA data. This work firstly contributes to understanding digital displays of family, specifically how DNA platforms shape understandings and practices of family. Secondly, this work provides insights into how DNA data (like other biometric data) shape individual identities in complex ways.