Living with HIV/AIDS among men having sex with men (MSM) in the Philippines: internet ethnography of HIV life stages

Abstract

There is lesser attention given to Internet research using personal online blogs that can offer a valid source of information from an emic naturalistic perspective to define the meaning and essence in the life stages among men having sex with men living with HIV/ AIDS in the Philippines. This study aims to capture, illuminate, and define the meaning and essence in the life stages among men having sex with men living with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines. Methods This study utilized Internet ethnography design. A total of 16 personal online blogs were purposively sampled from Blogger and Word press, which were retracted, appraised, and saved in the word document. Through line-by-line reading and textual immersion, the meaning and essence in the life stages among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines were captured, illuminated, and defined. Results The HIV life stages among MSM living with HIV/AIDS in the Philippines include Stage I Pre-HIV Exposure, Stage II HIV Exposure, Stage III Presumptive Symptomatology, Stage IV Diagnosis, and Confirmatory, and Stage V Post-HIV Diagnosis and Treatment. Accompanying each stage are the psycho-emotive components such as awareness-invincibility, familiarity-vulnerability, denial-disbelief, dispiritedness-depression, and fear-discriminant disclosure that can be addressed by the relational agency’s distinct but interrelated values system. ‘I am still me’ is the overall representation of the meaning and essence in the life stages among MSM living with HIV/ AIDS in the Philippines. Conclusion The fight against the disease does not offer a one-size-fits-all strategy but should be holistic, comprehensive, integrative, humanistic, and compassionate. From then, we could say—we are arriving at “the end of stigma.” “We are ONE” and “We are in communion in caring with PLWHA” must be revitalized into national and global agenda.