Selfie as a Self-Presentation in Social Media

The development of mobile phones and smaller cameras has led to an explosion of selfies in every media outlet but, most notably, in the social media areas. While photos have been a staple for stories and personal memories for decades, the selfie has allowed individuals to promote themselves and their behavior through their social media accounts.

When someone posts a selfie to their Facebook page or Instagram accounts it is shared with all of the people that follow them. Each shared selfie is much like a single tile in a mosaic. When all of the selfies are viewed together they give the viewer an overall idea of the individual in the selfies. Are most of the pictures at parties? Are they always with family and friends? Maybe most of the pictures are of the individual traveling or visiting strange places. All of these details allow the viewer to develop an idea of the person in the selfie, but how true is that idea?

Selfies allow an individual to shape the way they are perceived by their friends and followers on social media. By only posting selfies of exotic trips or exciting parties, an individual can shape the way they are perceived by others. Selfies of a lazy day at home with nothing in particular going on are rare to find. Even more rare are selfies that don’t include perfect outfits and make-up. No one wants to be remembered as that person in sweatpants that is always alone. The posting of carefully curated images allows each individual to control the way they are presented to those that follow them.

While everyone is somewhat aware of how they are perceived by others, the use of social media and selfies to create a false or glamorized image is somewhat alarming. Selfies are predominantly being used to create the idea of a perfect life. They capture one, typically staged, moment, and often miss details that a typical snapshot or photograph would have captured.

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