With the emergence of mobile technology comes the change in the means of documenting our daily lives – through a lens no larger than a small pea. Ironically, as mobile technology continues to develop, so does the ongoing contempt towards its functions.
The “selfie phenomenon” has caused a great uproar against the youth in particular. To clarify, a selfie is both a photographic object as well as a social practice, in that it aims to deliver a certain message to a group of people via social media (Baym & Senft). The findings of Australian professor, Kate Douglas, indicate that the lighthearted act of taking selfies has rather negative aspects to it, as they are “motivated by vanity, narcissism and fakery or from insecurity and conformity (Gabriel, 2014: 2014)” (Douglas, 2). That said, doesn’t criticizing a mere self-portrait photograph as a result of narcissism or insecurity seem like a far stretch?
In retrospect, I have had multiple occurrences where my level of confidence relied heavily on the impressions I received on my selfies. Perhaps this may justify the underlying linkage between selfies and our mental health, after all.
Retrieving back to the aforementioned definition of a selfie, it delivers a message to the mass audience through their photo; though, what exactly are these selfie-takers attempting to achieve? In relation to life narratives, the context of one’s selfie may reveal one or several aspect(s) of their life. The rise of the selfie phenomenon in today’s competitive society poses the question, as to whether or not these selfies are an accurate documentation of people’s lives. Can we even rely on these selfies to begin with?
A Santa Cruz clinical psychologist, Lucie Hemmen, reported that teenagers feel deeply compelled to create a “desirable persona” which, in turn, causes them to become more susceptible to the negative consequences of the selfie phenomenon (Barakat). The extensive measures that the vulnerable take can be identified through websites that offer Photoshopping tips or amass a long list of apps for the “perfect” selfie. Thus, by going the extra mile, they conclude that their life is appealing enough to their mass audience, who respond through positive reactions (i.e. liking, commenting, and sharing). Unbeknownst to them, their responses are doing nothing but feeding the selfie-takers’ perpetual cycle of insecurity and short-term bursts of self-satisfaction (post-modification, that is).
Although compulsive selfie-takers are scorned for their narcissism and self-vanity, this act may solely be a part of their façade that disguises their severe insecurity. We cannot and should not make presumptions that profile pictures are an accurate representation of that individual, as we are not aware of the steps taken to attain that “perfect” picture. In essence, the “perfect” selfie does not exist, but that irrefutable verity must be reaffirmed to all beings.
The root of this problem does not lie solely within us, but on a much greater scale – the society in which we live in, where self-love is often misunderstood for narcissism and self-deprecating statements are applauded for its hilarity. The value of self-appreciation must be inculcated particularly in the minds of the young and impressionable, who – unfortunately – spend a large portion of their day consuming media. The silver lining, however, is that if the media has the power to cause damage, it also possesses the power to instigate a positive change in the way we view ourselves. Perhaps we should take advantage of mass communication by encouraging the acceptance of our own flaws and differences, which will inherently follow with the universal embracement of diversity – an outcome propelled by the evolution of technology that would (for once) benefits all users.
Works Cited
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