Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers a broad contextualization of the vlogs by drawing a short historical overview of the way in which Trans people have been represented within mainstream Western screen media and the way in which Trans as an identity category has circulated within psycho-medical discourses. It analyzes the Trans male and Tran's female vloggers, focusing on a close reading of the ways in which they present themselves and interact with the camera and their peers, as well as the labels and language they use to express themselves. The book takes the notion of "screen birth" as a starting point for outlining and analyzing the various ways in which Trans vloggers emerge and develop online through the medium of the vlog. It frames the vloggers as an 'affective counterpublic', using the vlog and the interaction with peers as a kind of DIY therapy.