Vlogs As New Domains Of Life Writing: A Study On The Expression And Recording Of Memory In The Digital Platform With Special Focus On Postpartum Vlogs

Abstract

Life writing has become a powerful tool for the marginalized and subordinated communities to re-invent themselves through the narratives of their memories, experiences, and identity. The theories on subjectivity point out that the expression of self and narration of life does not only adhere to the genre of autobiography but it can be expressed through other literary forms such as poetry, novels, letters, diaries, documentaries, photographs etc. These works of life narration offer solidarity with the fragmented and emotional experiences of people.  This theoretical framework enables one to extend the area of inquiry to the domains of digital content creation. It can be seen that social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc. become the most engaging and popular platforms of self-expression. This paper selects postpartum video blogs as the primary text for enquiry to study how the video blogs become a new and popular domain of life writing.