Generation: MeTHE SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELFIE  

Image  by:  Pasko  Tomic  (via  Flickr)    

By: Sharan Kuganesan

Image  by:    Roy  Blumenthal  (via  Flickr)  

In an age of hyper-sharing and high engagement, social media has changed the way we perceive self-image.

Image  by:  Ravi  (via  Flickr)    

For starters, more than

posts on

Instagram are labeled with the #selfie hashtag.7

The emergence of social media websites

has given users multiple online

platforms that allow them to

communicate widely, thus allowing for:

constant connectivity10

Image  by:  Jason  Howie  (via  Flickr)      

Connection + accessibility make sharing daily events much easier

and more mainstream.10

Image  by:    Karlis  Dambrans  (via  Flickr)  

Image  by:  Olivia  Chow  (via  Flickr)  

Through virtually managing others’ impressions of ourselves, we care about what people think of BOTH

our self-image and our online-image.

‘Self-image’ is how we define ourselves.We rely on others’ perceptions, judgments and appraisals to develop our social self 2

Image  by:    Chris  Ford  (via  Flickr)  

Image  by:  Mina  Legend  (via  Flickr)  

So, why alter our image?

Looking-glass self

Image  by:    Charis  Tsevis  (via  Flickr)    

A concept that suggests we develop our sense of self based on the

perceptions of those we

interact with2

“Now that we can interact with thousands of people simultaneously,

we’ve strengthened the impact that others have on our self-value”

Image  by:    Frits  Ahlefeldt  (via  Flickr)  

~ Dr. Letamandi 2

Image  by:  Claudio  Schwarz  (via  Flickr)  

Photo-shopping & adding filters is often done to create a more ‘likeable self’ 2

…or photos are chosen that seem

more like the visual self we

want to present 5

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For instance,

36% of people have admitted to regularly altering their selfies 1

Image  by:    Sophia  (via  Flickr)  

Our existences are: ‘The Goldilocks Effect’’  

We don’t want too much contact, or too little. We want to be “just right.” We want connections we can

control, because online we can edit, delete, to create our self-image.8

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Likes/comments on a Facebook profile picture affect our perceived physical, social, and professional

attractiveness.3

Image  by:  Francesca  Perani  (via  Google  Images)  

Why could this be a problem?

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1) Visibility-oriented individuals tend to center conversations around

themselves, placing their own needs first, while putting off those around

them. 3

Like-minded peers learning about the achievements of others may come with a nagging sense of negativity that can lead to resentment. 4

2) Social Comparison

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Constant connection means we may start to resent both others’ lives and the image of ourselves that we feel we need to continuously maintain.4

Image  by:    Sophia  D  (via  Flickr)  

3) Narcissism Epidemic Social networking sites are

structured around self-promotion, and reinforce narcissism in an endless loop 9, 3

Image  by:    Ellen  Degeneres  (via  Google  Images)  

Image  by:  Cesar  (via  Flickr)    

Other theorists believe that selfies are a new

form of communication – a conversation

with the world that cultivates personal empowerment and

social dialogue.7

However,

At the end of the day, YOU are a brand…6

Image  by:  Dickson  P  (via  Flickr)  

Your personal visibility campaign matters.

When you’re promoting brand YOU, everything you do – and everything you choose not to do -

communicates the value and character of the brand.6

Image  by:  Brando  Bean  (Via  Flickr)  

Works Cited(1)  BenneR,  Shea.  "The  Year  of  the  Selfie  -­‐  StaYsYcs,  Facts,  and  Figures."  Social  Times  19  Mar.  2014.  Web.  5  June  2015.    (2)  Erickson,  ChrisYne.  "The  Social  Psychology  of  the  Selfie."  Mashable  15  Feb.  2013,  Lifestyle  sec.  Web.  5  June  2015.    (3)  GulaY,  Daniel.  "Our  Dangerous  Obsession  with  External  RecogniYon."  Harvard  Business  Review  10  Dec.  2013.  Web.  8  June  2015.  (4)  Konnikova,  Maria.  "How  Facebook  Makes  Us  Unhappy."  The  New  Yorker  10  Sept.  2013.  Web.  8  June  2015.      (5)  Leary,  Mark  R.  The  Curse  of  the  Self  Self-­‐awareness,  EgoYsm,  and  the  Quality  of  Human  Life.  Oxford:  Oxford  UP,  2004.  Print.      (6)  Peters,  Tom.  "The  Brand  Called  You."  Fast  Company  31  Aug.  1997.  Web.  8  June  2015.  (7)  Rogers,  Megan.  "It's  Not  You,  It's  Me:  The  Science  Behind  the  Selfie."  GreaYst  6  Dec.  2013.  Web.  8  June  2015.    (8)  Turkle,  Sherry.  "The  Flight  from  ConversaYon."  The  New  York  Times  21  Apr.  2012.  Web.  8  June  2015.      (9)  Twenge,  Jean  M.,  and  W.  Keith  Campbell.  The  Narcissism  Epidemic:  Living  in  the  Age  of  EnYtlement.  New  York:  Free,  2009.  Print.      (10)  Walther,  Jenna.  "First,  Let  Me  Take  a  Selfie:  NarcissisYc  Millennials  Are  the  Products  of  Social  Media  Sites."  New  Jersey  InsYtute  of  Technology  1  Mar.  2014.  Web.  5  June  2015.