ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the question of what constitutes expertise and experience in the era of the internet in relation to the changing roles of doctors. Information-seeking behaviour has changed rapidly over the last 20 years, and this phenomenon influences not only the relationship between doctor and patients but also ideas concerning healthcare seeking and well-being in general. Sociologists such as Collins and Evans6 define an 'expert' as a person who possesses acquired knowledge which distinguishes their knowledge from other people in their social environment. Expertise is a performance, which seems effortless to the onlooker. Researchers have predicted major developments which will change the doctor-patient relationship as people know it at the moment. Online behaviour usually follows a trajectory. Information-seeking behaviour on the internet is one of the most common activities.
