ABSTRACT
Big data poses a big problem for life writing research methods and methodology. The methods of life writing scholarship would seem to be opposed to big data research methods. And yet, the object of big data collection and analysis—human lives and online identities—is becoming increasingly important to the work of life writing scholarship. Looking to other kinds of methods than those most suited to certain kinds of print texts, and changing our methodology to include ourselves and case studies in our research, could help life writing scholars to understand how big data structures our lives, online and offline.
