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<p>On online platforms, users document and stage sleepwalking episodes in videos, influencing the social understanding of sleepwalking. This article uses digital ethnography to examine how sleepwalking is visually represented on social media and the knowledge these representations convey. The analysis identifies three central themes: first, sleepwalking is presented as a&#xa0;subject for self-observation; second, it is depicted as a&#xa0;humorous violation of social norms; and third, it is portrayed as an eerie spectacle associated with horror. These representations produce and reproduce historical, cultural and medical knowledge about sleepwalking. Finally, we argue that social media presents sleepwalking as a&#xa0;curiosity: a&#xa0;fascinating phenomenon that breaks norms and stimulates public discourse, but which also reinforces myths. The results demonstrate how digital platforms shape the visibility and interpretation of sleepwalking, thereby creating new epistemic spaces. The article concludes by calling for an interdisciplinary debate that combines historical, cultural and medical perspectives.</p>

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Sleepwalking as a curiosity: visual representations and knowledge on social media

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月2日

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  • Nico Wettmann,
  • Frederik Peper,
  • Leonie Scheuering

摘要

On online platforms, users document and stage sleepwalking episodes in videos, influencing the social understanding of sleepwalking. This article uses digital ethnography to examine how sleepwalking is visually represented on social media and the knowledge these representations convey. The analysis identifies three central themes: first, sleepwalking is presented as a subject for self-observation; second, it is depicted as a humorous violation of social norms; and third, it is portrayed as an eerie spectacle associated with horror. These representations produce and reproduce historical, cultural and medical knowledge about sleepwalking. Finally, we argue that social media presents sleepwalking as a curiosity: a fascinating phenomenon that breaks norms and stimulates public discourse, but which also reinforces myths. The results demonstrate how digital platforms shape the visibility and interpretation of sleepwalking, thereby creating new epistemic spaces. The article concludes by calling for an interdisciplinary debate that combines historical, cultural and medical perspectives.