To those who know me, it’s no surprise to hear that I’m obsessed with comedy. Simply put, I like reading and watching things that make me laugh. Recently, I’ve seen a spike in popularity of the comedic memoir, with names like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Aziz Ansari, to name a few, becoming more and more relevant. So it shouldn’t come a surprise that since it was released, Mindy Kailing’s new memoir Why Not Me? has been near the top of numerous best sellers lists.

Yet, it is a little surprising, at least to me. The memoirs and autobiographies in the humour section at my local bookstore, or on the Chapters website, are primarily those of white comedians. Amy Poehler, Tyler Oakley, Felicia Day, Ellen DeGeneres, Marmie Hart, Bill Murray, Steve Martin: these are a few of the names that pop up when you google search “comedy memoir.” Recently, however, these names have begun to diversify. In particular, more and more South Asian comedians are entering the forefront of the comedic memoir genre. Besides Mindy Kailing, whose first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) gained enough popularity to warrant writing another one, there’s Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance and Kunal Nayyer’s Yes, My Accent Is Real, both of which have a received a substantial amount of praise.

Growing up, I hardly ever saw books by Indian authors or saw anyone on TV who looked like me. Seeing comedy diversify feels personal; to me, the fact that even one or two Indian comedy writers have made it to the display table in Chapters or the front page of Amazon Books is extraordinary. It means that more people are interested in hearing the stories of comedians of colour, stories of immigrant parents and cultural differences, stories that may differ from the dominant narrative.

The sales of memoirs like Kailing’s signify that readers are interested in stories like hers, and this opens the door to publishing houses to publish more memoirs of comedians of colour, and beyond that, other marginalized groups whose stories aren’t usually told in the comedy sphere. As the comedic memoir continues to rise in popularity, I hope diversity rises with it, as with greater access to storytelling comes greater stories, new experiences, and a look into the rich diversity of the world of comedy.

The internet has indisputably changed the way information travels and who has access to what. Now, the prevailing idea seems to be that anyone can gain access to just about anything. A kid with a funny twitter account can become a popular comedian, just as a blogger can make an easy transition to being a well-known author. Musicians no longer require the money to go on tour in order to gain a fan following, nor do they need to be attached to a big name label to produce music.

YouTube, in particular, has become a huge platform for amateur film makers and storytellers alike. With the emergence of video blogging or “vlogging” a new way of telling life narratives was introduced – one that didn’t rely on third parties, such as publishers or network executives. Vlogging allows just about anyone to tell their story with minimal censorship. There is no third party; one can film, edit, and post videos from their home straight to an audience of millions of people.

Through YouTube, individuals, including those belonging to marginalized groups, are given an accessible platform to share their stories. Vlogs can range from simple thoughts and musings on everyday life to chronicles of living with illness or disability, like in Jason DaSilva’s representation of his experience living with multiple sclerosis. Vlogging, unlike traditional publishing, allows people like DaSilva to represent their lives in the fashion of their choosing without having to go through an editor.

Before the internet, this direct and immediate approach to telling life narratives was almost nonexistent, especially for the marginalized. As Schaffer and Smith note in Conjunctions: Life Narratives in the Field of Human Rights, life narratives from countries without access to publishing often had to go through Western channels in order to be heard, and through the process were altered to suit a Western audience (11). The act of vlogging eliminates that third party, allowing people to tell their stories without interference, so that less of their stories are lost in translation because no translation needs to exist.

Yet, even though the internet and YouTube in particular have greatly increased the number and diversity of people who are able to share their life narratives, it still remains an unattainable platform to the parts of the world that don’t have access to the internet, or to individuals without access to video equipment or the skills to edit and post, or even to advertise and attract vieweres. There are thousands of vlogs on YouTube that remains unacknowledged by the public and thousands of people whose stories, while important, cannot gain traction on the internet; the popularity of a beginner blogger relies, at least in part, on who they can get to watch their videos.

Vlogging is an important medium for the telling of life narratives because it is accessible to many and limits third party interference. Though there are gaps in accessibility that even the internet has not filled, the act of vlogging is a form of autobiography that increases the range of stories that we see and hear, offering us a broader view of the world and the diversity of the people in it.