New expressions of the self: autobiographical opportunities on the Internet

Abstract

This article explores the coalescence of personal blogging with traditional theories of autobiography and by critiquing the high cultural status of print, comes to understand how online diaries and blogs change when they are ‘fixed’ as ‘blooks’ (blogs to books). The article hopes to illustrate how some professional writers have an ambiguous relationship with blogging as a viable means of publishing ‘real’ (professional) writing and continue to favour print as the most desirable medium for their work. Through the examination of a few specific examples of personal blogs (chosen for their accessibility to a wide public readership), it is hoped that the discourses developing around online life-writing may be modestly augmented.

Keywords:

• blooks
• blogs
• autobiography
• life-writing
• Internet
• writing