Curating the Soul: Foucault's concept of hupomnemata and the digital technology of self-care

ABSTRACT

This paper explores how online actions such as the practice of digital self-writing shape our offline identity. We start with an examination of the concept of hupomnemata – a practice of self-writing in which notes are kept as a ‘material record of things read, heard, or thought’ in the intent of shaping the self [Foucault (1997). Self writing. In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Ethics, subjectivity and truth. The essential works of Foucault, 1954–1984. Volume 1 (pp. 207–222). New York, NY: The New Press p. 209] – before arguing that the practice of digital content curation can be understood as a modern-day variant of the Greco-Roman hupomnemata. Although the work of the digital curator is conducted online, this paper positions contemporary curatorial practices as acts of self-exploration, self-cultivation, and self-care, which nourish offline identity and which ultimately work to shape the offline, corporeal self.

KEYWORDS:

• Hupomnemata
• digital curation
• identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Note on contributors

Corinne Weisgerber, Ph.D., is a social media professor and researcher at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Dr Weisgerber became interested in computer-mediated communication in the early days of the Internet and has been studying the impact of new communication technologies on our relationships,identities, and ways of seeing the world since the beginning of her doctoral studies at the Pennsylvania State University. Much of her research has focused on new media and pedagogy, and her research has been published in academic journals, book chapters,and various online forums. [email: [email protected]]

Shannan H. Butler, Ph.D., is an associate professor of communication at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Dr Butler conducts research in the area of visual communication, new media, pedagogy, and rhetorical criticism of visual media. His work has been published in academic journals and book chapters and presented at both academic and industry conferences. [email: [email protected]]