Gear, Gains and Goodwill: Understanding digital Danish PIED markets: Understanding digital Danish PIED markets

Abstract

Denne specialeafhandling undersøger udviklingen og normaliseringen af Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs (PIEDs) i digitale danske subkulturer med fokus på, hvordan digitale platforme medierer fællesskabsdannelse, diskurs og markedsdynamikker. Gennem en Teknoantropologisk tilgang undersøger vi, hvordan onlinefællesskaber konstruerer og opretholder alternativ ekspertviden, diskursive rammer og markedsadfærd omkring brugen af PIEDs. Med udgangspunkt i netnografiske observationer, interviews og etnografiske metoder viser studiet, at sociale medieplatformer ikke blot muliggør distributionen af PIEDs, men også normaliserer deres brug gennem rådgivningspraksisser mellem brugere, influencerfortællinger og algoritmisk forstærkning. Sælgere håndterer strategisk deres digitale identiteter for at balancere anonymitet med troværdighed, mens købere bidrager til fællesskabets normer gennem henvisningssystemer og uformel regulering. Vores resultater viser, at digitale platformes design og funktioner spiller en aktiv rolle i udformningen af det sociotekniske landskab for PIED-brug, idet de sænker traditionelle adgangsbarrierer og bidrager til normaliseringen af selvmedicinering. Dermed forsøger studiet at bidrage til en bredere forståelse af den digitale sundhedssubkultur i Danmark.

This thesis explores the emergence and normalization of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) within Danish online subcultures, focusing on how digital platforms mediate community formation, discourse, and market dynamics. Through a techno-anthropological and symbolic interactionist lens, we investigate how online communities, particularly closed Facebook groups, construct and sustain alternative expert knowledge, discursive frame-works, and marketplace behaviours around PIED use. Drawing on netnographic observa-tions, interviews, and ethnographic methods, the study reveals that social media platforms not only affords the distribution of PIEDs but also normalise their use through peer-to-peer advisory practices, influencer narratives, and algorithmic amplification. Sellers strategically manage their digital identities to balance anonymity with credibility, while buyers contrib-ute to the community’s norms through referral systems and informal regulation. Our find-ings demonstrate that the design and features of digital platforms play an active role in shap-ing the socio-technical landscape of PIED use, lowering traditional access barriers and con-tributing to the normalization of self-medication. In doing so, this study contributes to a broader understanding of digital health subcultures in Denmark and the evolving boundaries of medical legitimacy, risk perception, and informal expertise.

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A master programme thesis from Aalborg University

Gear, Gains and Goodwill: Understanding digital Danish PIED markets: Understanding digital Danish PIED markets