Selfies spur discussion on self-identity and authenticity
Anyone who’s ever indulged in any form of social media will be familiar with the 21st–century term “selfie,” defined as a self-portrait typically taken on a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to social media. Recently, it was selected as the international “Word of the Year” by Oxford Dictionaries, based on an astounding 17,000 per cent rise in its use from a year ago.
So widespread is this phenomenon that it’s hard to imagine a time when this word wasn’t on the tip of every web-savvy twenty-something’s tongue. Indeed, there’s been a recent succession of articles (and blog posts, unsurprisingly) debating the merits of selfies, and opinions are divided on whether they’re an empowering form of self-expression, or a harmful trend that is evidence of attention-seeking, narcissistic behaviour.
In the article “Selfies Aren’t Empowering. They’re a Cry for Help,” published on Jezebel.com, Erin Gloria Ryan writes: “Selfies aren’t empowering; they’re a high tech reflection of the fucked up way society teaches women that their most important quality is their physical attractiveness.” The sole purpose of these portraits, often taken by young women, is to present the subject’s face in a flattering way. The photo is then flaunted on social media in an attempt to gain attention, “likes” and compliments based solely on the individual’s appearance.
Ryan argues that selfies are the byproduct of a culture that devalues women’s intellects and achievements, and instead emphasizes their physical attributes, further perpetuating the objectification of women. “Young women take selfies because they don’t derive their sense of worth from themselves, they rely on others to bestow their self-worth on them — just as they’ve been taught,” Ryan wrote.
However, despite Ryan’s harsh critique of our sexist “selfie” culture, she also admits to participating in it: “I’ve posted selfies to Facebook, and Twitter. I always feel bad about it; it always takes several tries to not look stupid, and even now, I kind of hate all of them,” said Ryan. Taking “selfies” with a sense of detached irony may be mildly irritating, but it’s also evidence of how pervasive they truly are — even if you’re skeptical, there is still pressure to put your best face forward.
When I look at photographs I’ve taken of myself, I often don’t recognize myself in the image. There are so many artistic techniques that shape a photograph, and I’m often critical of how the deliberate use of framing, composition, and lighting can be used to craft an image, rather than capture one. Even driver’s license portraits — characterized by dull, flat lighting, head-on perspective, and the subject’s neutral expression — are meant to artlessly catalogue the subject’s features, but still distort their appearance (these mug shots are universally unflattering).
There is no such thing as an objective, authentic portrait, especially when you act as both photographer and subject. A selfie is not a simple snapshot of what you look like at a given moment in time. It’s often a calculated effort to enact an identity that may have little legitimacy outside of the digital realm depending on how much artistic license you take in enhancing your appearance specifically for the image.
Selfies might be the ultimate symptom of postmodern malaise; a form of self-expression fit for a self-obsessed and attention-deficit generation. Whereas Andy Warhol infamously predicted in 1968 that, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” today anyone with Internet access can achieve 15 seconds of micro-fame within their social media networks.
Are people who take selfies self-obsessed or merely self-possessed? The way people perceive us, for the most part, is out of our control. But in the time it takes for the shutter to snap, you can create an image that represents how you want to be seen, effectively making your self-identity into a product to be marketed on social media (a form of self-promotion otherwise known as personal branding). This commodification of self is advertising at its finest – and although there isn’t money being made, the revenue is our self-esteem.
However, this striving to attain social capital comes at a cost, because authenticity is at stake.
Deriving self-confidence from selfies is a false attempt at fulfillment that creates an irreconcilable distance between your true self, and the idealized image you present – and it’s in this chasm that our deepest insecurities reside.