Document Type
Article
Abstract
The application of the idea of narcissism stretches from a description of a narrowly conceived mental illness to a more general characterization of contemporary social condition. It has been used pejoratively to describe self-absorbed, egoistic, and uncivic attitudes and behavior. Returning to the Foucauldian technologies of the self – a philosophical account which tries to rehabilitate the love of the self and the idea of self-care as a positive social force – the present article utilizes this perspective to analyze the narcissistic, yet not uncivic, nature of blogging. It addresses a long-standing conflict between individualist and collectivist values in which the former are often labeled narcissistic. Using Foucauldian ideas of the “aesthetics of living” and “care of the self”, particularly by means of writing, this paper tries to reveal the civicness of blogging as self-writing practice and how this seemingly narcissistic activity can be beneficial for both individuals and society as a whole.
Repository Citation
Boklage, Evgeniya. "In Defense of Narcissism: Blogging as Foucauldian Technology of the Self." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 13, no. 3, 2013, pp. 1–18. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol13/iss3/4