Maybe it’s lifestyle, maybe it’s Ozempic: An analysis of online discussions of the medicalization of weight loss (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The usage of Ozempic and similar drugs for weight loss has been on the rise. This growth in popularity has resulted in vast discussions across mass media and social media. In addition, social media is quickly becoming a space that people go to to find medical information. OBJECTIVE This article seeks to examine how people discuss Ozempic usage for weight loss on social media, and what these discussions say about our social and cultural understandings of weight loss. METHODS Critical discourse analysis is employed in order to examine social media comments on TikTok. RESULTS Three emergent themes are found in the discussion of Ozempic usage for weight loss, they are, sharing success, sharing support or advice, and seeking support or advice. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that people use social media to inform their health decision making and to create communities of support.