“Kindhearted People, Please Save My Family”: Narrative Strategies for New Media Medical Crowdfunding

ABSTRACT

With the development of new financing methods in the networked society, and due to the underdeveloped social security system in China, more and more patients and their families have to choose crowdfunding as an important way to raise treatment funds. Using thematic narrative analysis, this paper studied 100 texts of medical crowdfunding on Easy Fundraising from February 27, 2018 to May 1. It is found that the requests used a series of strategies including: constructing the identity of the patient in order to build a disadvantaged image worthy of help; using tragic narration based on the traditional Chinese cultural elements such as “family concept” and “filial piety” and contrast of the patients’ experience before and after the illness to mobilize the sympathy of potential donors; and downplaying the needs itself in order to maintain patients’ self-esteem.