The traveler as author: examining self-presentation and discourse in the (self) published travel blog

Abstract

From the perspective of Goffman’s theories of self-presentation, travel blogs can be described as narratives that indicate the different roles occupied by an individual’s online self. A blogger may discursively position the self as a traveler, rather than a tourist, a dichotomy that underpins much critical debate in the area of travel and tourism studies, thus creating tensions within the blog. These tensions are heightened when blogs presented as accounts of travel are published as guidebooks or books that promote tourism. It can be argued that in such cases the act of publishing commercializes these narratives and introduces an element of touristic discourse. Moreover, the choice of either a legacy publisher or a self-publishing service can have implications for how a travel blogger may be presented and perceived as a reputable published author. Against this background, this article explores how travel blogs negotiate the discursive tensions produced as a result of the presentation of various aspects of self, particularly as a published author and as a traveler as opposed to a tourist.