Online Diaries: Transformation of Medium and Meaning - But were they really private?

Upon further analysis, many of the seemingly “private” diaries of the twentieth century actually became public documents, viewable to anyone with a desire to see. Perhaps many diarists thought that they were writing private documents, but more than 16,000 diaries have been published since book publishing began (Wikipedia). This awareness of the publication of diaries was certainly common knowledge to my friends and me, and I dare say to many diarists, many of whom may have dreamt of one day having their words in print. Some writers, such as twentieth-century diarist Beth Twigger, made this dream possible by saving diaries from her youth so that she could donate them to local libraries (Schrum, 117). Certainly she and many other diarists were conscious of a possible future audience, even if they didn’t want one, when they wrote.

In addition, during the twentieth century, “private” diaries were often shared with friends as social activity to cement friendships (Schrum, 117). June Calender wrote in her diary in 1955 that a friend "read most of the diary preceding this one and got mad a couple of times but got over it pretty well" (Schrum, 117). So even during an era when diaries were meant to be secretive, they were shared and used as public exposures of emotion. It seems that in many respects the notion of privacy with diaries is a false one.

Furthermore, many of these diaries, even those truly intended to be private, were written as if the diarist were writing to someone else. The way in which many diarists begin their entries —“Dear Diary”—calls into question possible or imagined audiences (Schrum, 117), and sometimes diarists even gave their diaries names, such Anne Frank, who called her journal “Kitty” (Wikipedia). The diary is treated as a friend and listener, even if there isn’t a tangible audience.

I raise these many points of how “private” diaries were actually public, or thought of as public, to demonstrate the ways in which the internet lends itself as a medium suited for diaries. The evolution of the diary onto the online stage almost seems like a natural transformation and a return its original, public use.

Current Mood: confused