#Selfie: The modern Self Portrait By Alana Poynton.

Photo by jeppe2 on flicker creative commons

Definition: selfie – taking a photo of oneself, usually with the intention to post on social media. 

Narcissistic or Path to Self-Identity?

Photo by greeblie on flicker creative commons

Why do we take selfies?We are seeking

reassurance and making statements about

ourselves.

We rely on others' perceptions, judgments

and appraisals to develop our social self.

Photo by ganesha.isis on flicker creative commonsSource'Selfies' just as much for the insecure as show-offs. By Jillian McHugh

“The looking-glass self" is a psychological

concept that suggests we develop our sense of

self based on the perceptions of those we

interact with” -Andrea Letamendi, doctor of psychology at UCLA

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie. By Christine Erickson

"It's people looking for their friends to confirm they look good. You want that reassurance, we all want people to

say positive things about us” - cultural studies expert Jon Stratton.

Photo by glennharper on flicker creative commons Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie. By Christine Erickson

But is it Narcissistic ?

“I think narcissism means something different now; the selfie is narcissistic but only in the sense its showing something of

yourself." -Tama Leaver, internet studies lecturer Photo by Wurzeltod on flicker creative commons

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie. By Christine Erickson

Photo by SalFalkopj on Flicker Creative Commons

Studies show that the comments and likes on your Facebook profile picture strongly affect your level of

perceived physical, social and professional attractiveness.

THE BENEFITS

Source'Selfies' just as much for the insecure as show-offs. By Jillian McHugh

In past, style inspiration came from celebrities on glossy

magazine covers where the photos are

Staged and Retouched

Photo by retroman on flicker creative commons

We are now turning to our peers for Style InfluenceWHY?

"You want to dress like your peer group because then your peer group will support you. If you dress like a celebrity when your peer group is

dressing conservatively, you can be ostracized." -Professor Stratton, cultural studies expert

Photo by puuikibeach on flicker creative commons

Photo by EG Focus on flicker creative commons

Where is our Style influence coming from?

53% friend and family26% from Bloggers15% From Celebrities

In this respect, taking selfies seems to be overwhelmingly a

FEMALE phenomenon

Photo by mikebaird on flicker creative commons

Attention seeking?

Egotistical?

Desperate?

Is there a Stigma?

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Maybe not! Our reaction to the seemingly endless amount of digital self portraits uploaded to social media websites is not

necessarily negative….

2/3 women regard them positively

1/4 admit it is think it is strange to upload a photo of themselves.

Photo by by keightdee on flicker creative commons

Source'Selfies' just as much for the insecure as show-offs. By Jillian McHugh

Where are we posting selfies?

Social media pages liketo name a few…&

Photo by SalFalko on flicker creative commons

Photo by CHRISSPdotCOM on flicker creative commons

93% are uploaded to

facebook

'Selfies' just as much for the insecure as show-offs. By Jillian McHugh

Why

“Perception of privacy played a large role in the way we interact online…I

think what people are embarrassed about is

when pictures get spread outside of the circle of people you want to see

them”- Jon Stratton, cultural

studies expert

Privacy.

Photo by jordanmerrick on flicker creative commonsSource: The Social Psychology of the Selfie. By Christine Erickson

Warning: posting selfies can have a negative impact on self esteem.

Photo by Untitled blue on ficker creative commons

Selfies pose a problem for those people whose self esteem is based of off public contingencies.

ie developing your perception of self on others opinions.

"It is only problematic when someone fixates or over-compares to

their detriment, but that is not a

function of the photos as much as

the individual struggling with self-

esteem,”- Dr. Rutledge, director of the Media

Psychology Research Center

Photo by Gabriela Camerotti on flicker creative commons

Source: The Social Psychology of the Selfie. By Christine Erickson

Whether or not they are having a positive impact

is still undecided.

Regardless, the #selfie is altering the way we use social media and

ultimately changing our views on self image!

Photo by Angelo González via Flicker creative commons

Sources:http://www.watoday.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/selfies-just-as-much-for-the-insecure-as-showoffs-20130403-2h6ow.html

http://mashable.com/2013/02/15/social-media-and-the-selfie/

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-05/myth-snapchat

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/clarke-the-selfie-obsession-says-a-lot-about-how-our-once-knockabout-cuture-has-changed/story-e6freabc-1226625417636

Photo by Sergiu Bacioiu via Flicker creative commons