The Evolution of Selfie Culture: Self Expression, Narcissism, or Objectification?
While it will probably never be included in a museum photography exhibit, the first amateur self-portrait taken by aiming a point-and-shoot camera at a mirror may be one of the most monumental advances in photography culture to date.
Photographers — as well as painters, cartoonists, and all other 3-D and 2-D artists — have created self-portraits through the ages. As inexpensive digital cameras and social media have gained popularity, it’s never been easier to create a gallery of regularly uploaded profile pictures taken via cell phone, laptop, or camera held at arm’s length.
Urban Dictionary defines these photos, dubbed “selfies,” as, “A picture taken of yourself that is planned to be uploaded to Facebook, Myspace or any other sort of social networking website. You can usually see the person’s arm holding out the camera, in which case you can clearly tell that this person does not have any friends to take pictures of them.”
This tongue-in-cheek definition doesn’t make taking selfies any less popular. The subjects of these photos, thankfully, have started to trade peace signs and “duck lips” for other edits. Instagram filters can add an “artistic” flair to a pic, and the Mac program Photobooth makes it easy to pretend you’re taking your photo anywhere from under the sea to on the moon.
A quick search of #Selfie on Instagram returns almost seven million photos. Is this a rise in narcissism, or a cry for validation in the eyes of our peers? Or is it a platform for promoting positive self-image and self-worth?
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