ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we examine the formation of particular and distinctive cybermedical communities that are deemed, in some ways, to be instances of harmful body modification. We take up this discussion via an examination of websites that are collectively recognized as Pro-Anorexia communities; Pro-Anorexia has been defined as promoting a ‘managed approach to anorexia and has sought to re-define it outside medical or other professional discourses’ (Fox et al. 2005b: 945). This is a particularly interesting case from which to discuss the moral and ethical implications of cybermedical connections, not least because it has been one of the few instances of a cybermedical issue where websites have been considered harmful enough to be removed from the World Wide Web by Internet service providers. Moreover, its online presence has prompted a response of moral panic from the media and particular agencies, who have utilized the case in wider debates about the nature and treatment of anorexia (Ferreday 2003).
