Showing Progress: Defining Self-Tracking as an Aesthetic Audio-Visual Genre

    June 2022 in “ Conjunctions
    Tobias Raun, Michael Bang Petersen
    TLDR YouTube videos of men using Finasteride and Minoxidil for hair and beard growth form a unique self-tracking genre that helps build community and shape male identity.
    The article examines YouTube videos where men document their use of Finasteride and Minoxidil for hair loss and beard growth, framing these videos as a distinct genre of self-tracking. The study analyzed six YouTube channels, noting common patterns and aesthetic norms in how vloggers represent their progress and use of these drugs. It categorizes the videos into "momental" and "longitudinal" types, each with distinct narrative and visual styles. The research underscores the performative nature of self-tracking videos and their role in community building and self-representation within the biomedicalization context, emphasizing the camera's role in shaping and communicating male identity and transformation.
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