AFFECTIVE LABOUR AND EMOTIONAL LABOUR IN THE COMMODIFICATION OF ‘SELF’ IN INDIAN WOMEN’S FAMILY VLOGGING (WORKING TITLE)

Abstract

Amateur family vlogs on YouTube have become a living testament to the lives of Indian women and their ongoing battles against inequalities in the domestic space and digital space. It requires sharing a carefully curated but intimate representation of their personal lives. Problematising that, this paper primarily discusses how affective and emotional labour interplay in performance as a microcelebrity in family vlogging by Indian women YouTubers. It starts with the question of how women’s affective and emotional labour are exploited to create a commodified self. Drawing from interviews, analysis of select vlogs and audience comments, and participant observation during the vlog recording; the study also explores their motivation for participating in the ‘fame-work’ and how it enhances the ‘visibility’ of women’s domestic work. The work reveals that the primary motivation to engage in these labours comes in the form of fame, acknowledgement of their invisible housework, and creating an identity which facilitates a sense of empowerment.