The Gnome in the Front Yard and Other Public Figurations: Genres of Self-Presentation on Personal Home Pages

Abstract

In light of empirical research showing that personal home pages are not as personal as their reputation suggests, this paper proposes that sustained selfpresentation on the Web by ordinary people has been hindered, in part, by the feeble legacy of suitable genres. Drawing on a sample of over one hundred personal home pages, this paper illustrates how, in the absence of generic precedents, public self-presentation is instead achieved through innovation with past genres.