Module 4 delves into the complex world of selfies, exploring their definition, history, and cultural impact. It examines the selfie both as an object and a product within the context of power theories and production, including aspects of vanity publishing. This module invites students to critically engage with the concept of the selfie as a form of personal and social narrative, dissecting its role in identity formation and representation.
Learning Outcomes:
- Explore and understand the selfie as a narrative tool for personal and collective representation.
- Critically examine the role of selfies in the context of power dynamics and societal norms.
- Analyze the implications of selfies in terms of objectification, production, and their intersection with issues of gender, race, and subversive critiques.
Module Activities & Assignments:
Assignment 2 - Exploring Identity through AI-Generated Selfies: Digital Selfie Creation
Description / Instructions During this course and in the Selfie module especially, we have addressed and critiqued issues of identity and representation and the role narrative plays in that representation.
Description / Instructions During this course and in the Selfie module especially, we have addressed and critiqued issues of identity and representation and the role narrative plays in that representation.
Module 4 has really given me a lot to think about! I remember the rise of selfies (including the infamous duck face phase) in junior high, and how they’ve been a constant in my camera roll ever since! However, I never really stopped to take in how many aspects really go into the act/art of selfie-ing, until this module’s presentation. From the readings, I enjoyed thinking about:
ReplyDelete1. Selfies as Political
The first reading explores how selfies are both used in and impact social movements. The accessibility of selfies allows anyone with a phone and access to the internet to join in on social movements that matter to them. I found the parts about identity particularly engaging, especially identity as a strategy and identity as an incentive (72:3). I think it’s interesting that being a part of a group can allow you to use your identity as both strategy and incentive, but identity as incentive allows us all (even larger groups who want to show their allyship) to take part in political discussions. I find it also interesting how trends like the #ILookLikeAnEngineer have now evolved beyond the selfies to videos (which, I suppose are just moving selfies!) on platforms like TikTok (#WomeninSTEM).
It was very interesting reading how nuanced the decision to participate in selfie social movements is. For example, women pondering the “true form of an engineer” (72:8) and men wondering how they can support women online (Ibid). I tried to think back on the protests I myself have taken part in (such as the 2020 BLM), my own selfie participation in such movement and any hesitations I may have had about putting myself out there. I guess I always see the personal as political, so I’ve never given much thought to how layered this participation may be. Overall, I think selfies as a social act are very powerful: on a grand scale, they can promote change toward social issues, and at the very least they can begin an important discussion.
2. Selfies as Re-Claiming Identity
DeleteAs the second reading explores, for some, selfies are a mode of re-claiming one’s identity. We live in a world that has preconceived notions about who we are and how we should act. In one of my other course readings, the author discussed how the internet continues to perpetuate negative stereotypes and profit via harmful search results (Noble, Searching for Black Girls). I find similarities between that text and this reading, especially as the case studies go out of their way to try and defy traditional stereotypes of what is an “older woman.” By the end of the text, I had many mixed feelings. On one hand, I really enjoyed reading about how these women were working hard against the erasure of older women’s visibility and were re-shaping the discourse through their online presence. However, by falling into two content categories – fashion and fitness - I feel like this movement is still typecasting older women into the “toxic, demeaning labels like MILF” (62). I again think back to Noble’s text and how “the most popular search featuring the word ‘grandma’ is ‘grandma sex’” (87). The fact that this study was conducted in 2017 with limited accounts analyzed gives me some hope that maybe today we have a larger number and variety of older female bodies, ages, interests, and personalities online to showcase the true depths and breadths of aging womanhood.
This reading really made me think about how the usage of selfies to reclaim our identities sometimes pushes us from one box into another. For example, I think of my younger self and how I would take selfies to combat the label of being “white-washed” only to present a hyper-Indian version of myself that was not authentic.
This also somewhat relates to the performativity discussion in the third reading. Curating our online identities has impacts on our audiences, and it’s important to analyze if we’re being truly relatable or just performing and conforming for personal profit.
Perhaps I am projecting a bit too much though, and this text is more optimistic than I think - I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts on this one!
3. Selfies through AI
I found a bootleg version of the Washington Post article online! The points about representation and privacy piqued my interest the most. Representation because that is something I too struggled with in the last assignment, and privacy because it relates to an assignment for another course (and our everyday lives!). One thing I hadn’t considered is the use of AI to harm others by using their selfies without consent for “exploitation and harassment” (Hunter). The creators of Lensa also used many online selfies without consent, which is very scary but something that happens all too much. This article reminded me of how the selfie realm is being disrupted by AI in both a fascinating and frightening way.
I’m looking forward to other thoughts on this Module! If anyone would like to share, I am also curious to hear what your thoughts are on selfies being used to re-claim identity and also AI selfie developments!
Works Cited
Hunter, Tatum. (2022). Ai selfies are flooding your feed. Here is what to know about Lensa. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/08/lensa-ai-portraits/.
Liu, Fannie et al. (2018). Selfies as Social Movements: Influences on Participation and Perceived Impact on Stereotypes. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction. 1. 10.1145/3134707.
Noble, S.U. (2018) “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism” NYU Press.
Reddan, Bronwyn et al. 2022) Selfies and shelfies on #bookstagram and #booktok – social media and the mediation of Australian teen reading, Learning, Media and Technology, 47:3, 355-372, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2022.2068575
This module’s discussion on selfies as both personal and collective narratives really resonates with me, especially in relation to power dynamics and societal expectations. As a former competitive national swimmer, I didn’t experience the pressures of social media during my athletic career, but I can see how it adds a new layer of complexity for athletes today. I recently took part in a webinar called The Ethics of Social Media in Sport with Dr. Jen Walinga, where she spoke about the struggles athletes face in balancing performance with their online presence.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stands out in today’s digital climate is the added element of meanness—everyone has an opinion, and being behind a screen makes people braver in their criticism. Before social media, an athlete could reinvent themselves in private, moving on from setbacks without public scrutiny. Now, everything is on digital display, making self-representation both a powerful tool and a potential burden. It’s fascinating to explore how selfies play into this, shaping identity while also exposing individuals to both validation and harsh judgment.
As someone who doesn’t take or share many #selfies, I found these readings’ framing of selfies as cultural objects to be eye-opening. I admit that I have often viewed selfies as a form of vanity and questioned their value. However, several ideas introduced this week really resonated with me.
ReplyDeleteOne underlying theme was the idea that our online identities are not entirely our own. Even if you feel part of a collective identity, concerns remain about public image consequences—what happens when your image is retweeted, reposted, and taken to places beyond your control? This raises questions about agency and authenticity in online self-representation.
For example, reposting or participating in an identity hashtag movement can be seen as a form of ‘slacktivism,’ regardless of intent. But if reposting genuinely helps build community and challenge stereotypes, does it matter whether it’s perceived as performative? Research on identity hashtag movements like #ILookLikeAnEngineer, suggests that these campaigns can foster empowerment and reshape perceptions of marginalized groups. However, they also introduce tensions around privacy, personal boundaries and public image consequences, as participants navigate their personal and professional identities online.
Another point of contrast was the distinction between identifying and self-identifying—that is, being labeled by others versus defining yourself. The selfie enables self-identification. By choosing a hashtag, individuals assert agency over their representation. At the same time, some felt that "the boundary defined by 'engineer' was not always clear," (Liu, 2018, p.9) and caused them to question their own authenticity and ability to participate.
While researching for my project, I came across an article exploring selfies as expressively authentic identity performances. The authors suggested that only the person who took the selfie can determine its authenticity, defining it as “expressive rather than fixed.” (Nguyen & Barbour, 2017) This supports the idea that selfies allow people to continuously modify and rewrite their identities.
In the context of collective identity, this suggests there is no singular, objective authenticity. The ambiguity surrounding what constitutes a "true form of an engineer", influenced participation in both directions based on an individual's own self image and identification.
Sources
Liu, F. et al. (2018). Selfies as Social Movements: Influences on Participation and Perceived Impact on Stereotypes.
Nguyen, L., & Barbour, K. (2017). Selfies as expressively authentic identity performance. First Monday, 22(11). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v22i11.7745