April 30, 2026

Adjunct Assistant Professor L. Archer Porter has published Homebodies: Performance and Intimacy in the Age of New Media with the University of Michigan Press.

Focusing on home dance videos shared on Instagram from 2010 to 2020, Homebodies explores the delicate art of "intimaesthetics"—the aestheticization of intimacy through the interplay of body, space, and media—and the paradox of the homebody. These seemingly spontaneous performances reveal how users craft images of closeness and authenticity, drawing audiences into a curated version of their domestic lives. Yet, Porter argues, these intimate portrayals exist within a larger system of platform control, algorithmic surveillance, and the commodification of personal expression. 

Author Video, "How Intimacy Gets Staged On Social Media"