Description
AbstractThis paper describes how bodies are “done” in (the making of) YouTube videos about contested illness. It is based on an online ethnographic study of Dutch women who use YouTube as a medium to document their contested illness experiences. During 13 months of observations between 2017 and 2019, we followed a sample of 16 YouTubers, and conducted in-depth analysis of 30 YouTube videos and of 8 interviews. Following a “praxiographic” approach to social media, and utilizing insights from phenomenological theory, the paper describes three types of bodies that are being done: (1) inert bodies, (2) experienced bodies, and (3) moral bodies. We argue that vlogging about contested illness can be understood as a practice through which bodies are continually (re)configured, and through which the bodily “invisibility” of contested illnesses can be mitigated. Related, we argue for the need to bring phenomenological theory to the field of social media studies, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of how social media shapes our experience and understanding of our bodies.
| Period | 15 Jun 2022 → 17 Jun 2022 |
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| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Linkoping, SwedenShow on map |