“The New Boob Tube?”: Education, Entertainment, and Viewers’ Perceptions of Breastfeeding on Social Media

Abstract

This Chapter explores social media and online breastfeeding discourse, to show how new technologies have both hindered and helped breastfeeding success. Foss studies 20 of the most popular Youtubevideos produced in a search of “breastfeeding.” Analysis of the videos shows that most are mundane home movies of “regular” women breastfeeding and are not designed to be instructive. Viewer comments for these videos generally show support for mothers nursing babies. On the other hand, videos of tandem and/or extended breastfeeding received harsh criticism from viewers, spurring an online debate about the sexualisation of breastfeeding. The popularity of these breastfeeding videos and their online feedback present an opportunity for advocates to better use social media to promote breastfeeding.