“So This is Why I Look the Way I Do”: Identity Bridging Responses After Taking DNA-Based Ancestry Tests

This paper explores how U.S. Americans who took a direct-to-consumer (DTC) ancestry DNA test evoke the material frame within communication theory of identity (CTI) when discussing their test results. We argue that DTC DNA test results function as material ascriptions of ethnic identity and use identity bridging theory to explore how test-takers respond to these ascriptions. Using interviews with 32 test-takers, our findings reveal that some test-takers have preexisting identity gaps but they may also experience new gaps when interpreting test results. The concept of gap valence helps to explain why test-takers employ various bridging responses to identity gaps experienced when making sense of test results. This research contributes to the body of scholarship exploring the use of technology in identity negotiation processes.