Nettiksistä blogeihin

päiväkirjat verkossa

Authors

• Sari Östman

Abstract

Online lifewriting: Diaries on the Web

The article studies the Finnish history of personal diaries on the Web. The tradition of published diaries and letters – especially those of well-known people – goes far back to the times before the Internet. However, the general appropriation of the Web and the emerge of userfriendly publishing services have made public lifewriting a popular activity. Blogs and online diaries are part of the social and interactive aspect of the Internet – Web 2.0.
Possibly the oldest still active Finnish Web diary was established in 1995. Since then, many technological and cultural changes have taken place around Internet lifewriting practices. These changes mostly have an American origin and they usually reach Finland with a few years’ delay. The mentioned changes in Internet technologies and cultural practices as well as the changing profile of life-writer women are analyzed through the texts and interviews of Finnish female bloggers and online diary writers.