‘How can Johns Hopkins not be angry?’ A discursive case study of Chinese lay expert's science communication in the digital age

As a new yet increasingly important phenomenon in science communication, lay experts' communicating science to patients is currently under-researched. Drawing on ethnographical study of an on-line support group in China and analyzing the interaction between a lay expert and patients, this article investigates the construction of lay expertise through the use of emotion discourse and evaluation language. Situating the analysis in wider historical and social context of science communication in China, I discuss the different roles of lay expertise in the West and China. It is observed that the application of emotional discursive strategies, though mainly serves to assert the moral justness of science authorities in this case study, may in the future facilitate informed discussions on cancer treatment, science and health.