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Symbolicbordering:theself-representationofmigrantsandrefugeesindigitalnews

Abstract

Inthisarticle,Icombinetheorizationsoftheselfieasanaestheticandtechnologicalpractice

ofdigitalself-representationwithatheatricalconceptionofspectatorship,inspiredbyAdam

Smith,inordertoarguethattheselfiehasthepotentialtooperateasasignificantethico-

politicalspectacleinthespacesofWesternpublicity.Iexemplifymyargumentbyusingthe

remediationofmigrantandrefugeeselfiesinmainstreamnewsasacasestudyof‘symbolic

bordering’–asatechnologyofpowerthatcouplesthegeo-politicalborderingofmigrantsin

theoutskirtsofEuropewithpracticesof‘symbolicbordering’thatappropriate,marginalize

ordisplacetheirdigitaltestimoniesinWesternnewsmedia.

Keywords

selfie,digital,self-representation,remediation,journalism,ethics,performativity,theatrical

spectatorship

Introduction

DespitetheextensiveengagementofWesternmediawiththe2015migrantcrisis,wesaw

littleofmigrantsandrefugeesownpersonalstoriesandimages(Gillespieetal2016).An

exceptiontothishasbeenphotographsofmigrantstakingselfies;selfiesofmigrantswith

AngelaMerkelorthePope;selfiesofcelebrities-as-migrants.Whatdoesitmeanfortheselfie

tobeusedasarecurrentmediagenrefortherepresentationofmigrants?Whatnewsvalue

dotheseselfiesbear?AndwhatdotheytellusabouttheroleofWesternmedianotonlyas

newsplatformsbutalsoaspoliticalandmoralspaces?Inaddressingthesequestions,I

proposetore-theorizetheselfieinlinewithAdamSmith’stheoryofpublicspectatorshipasa

moralinvitationtowitness,withinajournalisticenvironmentofdigitalre-mediationsthat

organizeWesternstructuresofpublicvisibility–ofwhowesee,howandwhy.Theaimofthis

approachistoconstructapreliminarytypologyofthemigrant-relatedselfieasanactof

witnessingandtoexplorehowsuchanactcomplicatesexistingnarrativesoftheselfieas

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digitalself-representation.Themigrantselfie,Iargue,expandsexistingliterature,byshowing

howtheselfieoperatesasatechnologyofpowerthatcontributestoorientalistagendasthat

‘other’migrantsandrefugees;itdoessobycouplingthegeo-politicalborderingofmigrants

stuckintheoutskirtsofEurope(Vaughan-Williams2009)withpracticesof‘symbolic

bordering’thatappropriate,marginalizeordisplacetheirdigitaltestimoniesinWesternnews

media.

Theoreticalandempiricalcontext

Definitionsoftheselfie

Whena25-yearoldSyriantravellingtoEuropewasaskedbyTIMEjournalistswhatwasthe

mostimportantthinginhisjourney,heanswered:‘Chargingmyphone’1.Indeed,asGillespie

etal(2016)assert,themigrantsmartphoneisthesinglemostessentialtravellingtoolfor

migrants.Theyuseittokeepintouchwithfamily,navigateunknownlandscapes,

communicateinemergencies,collectinformationandnetworkwithotherslikethem:‘Inthis

modernmigration’,theNewYorkTimeswrites,‘smartphonemaps,globalpositioningapps,

socialmediaandWhatsApphavebecomeessentialtools….thefirstthingmanydooncethey

havesuccessfullynavigatedthewaterypassagebetweenTurkeyandGreeceispullouta

smartphoneandsendlovedonesamessagethattheymadeit’2.Theirsocialmediause

notwithstanding,however,themigrants’ownphotosandstorieshardlyfigureinWestern

news-despitethecelebrationofcitizenjournalismasadrivingforceincontemporarycrisis

reporting(Allan,2013).Anexceptiontothishasbeentheextensivevisibilityofmigrant-

relatedselfies.Forinstance,whenmigrantsarriveattheEuropeancoast,wet,tiredandoften

traumatisedorwhentheymeetwithauthority,politiciansorcelebrities,orwhenothers

photographthemselvesas-iftheyweremigrantsinaspiritofsolidarity.

1http://time.com/4064988/migrant-crisis-selfies/

2http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/26/world/europe/a-21st-century-migrants-checklist-water-shelter-

smartphone.html?_r=0

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Itisthisheterogenousgenreofthemigrant-relatedselfiethatIfocusonhere.Idrawon

Levin’sdefinitionoftheselfieas‘notaself-portrait…butrathertherepresentationoftheself

asaproductofthesystemofinterpersonalrelationshipsthoughwhichitisarticulatedonline’

(Levin,2014;emphasisinoriginal)3.Thisdefinitionenablesmetoapproachthemigrant-

relatedselfieasadigitaltraceofself-representationbyoraboutmigrants,whichcirculatesin

undefinednetworksofdigitalpublicitythatconstantlyre-defineitsinterpersonal

relationships–whoseesit,howandwhy(Baym&Senft,2015).Whilesuchnetworksare

usuallyconceptualizedhorizontally,asconsistingofotherequivalentuserswhomaylikeor

shareselfiesacrosssocialmedia(Dean,2016),myinterestliesintheverticalmovementof

migrantselfiesfromsocialtomainstreammedia–fromtheir‘intermediation’across

(relatively)symmetricalusercircuitstotheir‘remediation’inthepowerfulspacesofglobal

broadcasting(Chouliaraki,2013b)4.Whatdoesitmeanformigrantselfiestocirculateon

Westernnewsplatforms?Inwhichwaysaretheyinsertedin‘our’dominantvisual

economies?Howistheirnewsvaluejustified?Andwhatdothesejustificationstellusabout

Westernmedianotonlyasnewsplatformsbutalsoasmoralandpoliticalspaces?Iexplore

thesequestionsbyconstructingaconcisetypologyofmigrant-relatedselfiesonWestern

news,namelyi)selfie-takingphotographs,ii)solidarityselfiesofmigrantswithWestern

figuresofauthorityandiii)celebrityselfiesofsupporttomigrants;andbyanalyzingthe

communicativepotentialofthistypologyintermsoftheaffectiveandthemoralconnections

eachcategoryseekstoestablishwithitsnewspublics.

Aestheticandsocio-technicalapproachestotheselfie

Despitethesignificanceof‘remediation’questionsforourengagementwiththeethico-

politicalchallengesofourtimes,includingthemigrantcrisis,thesehavehardlybeenexplored

3http://search.proquest.com/openview/fdcfc19c34fb5ec574d1437bdafce1b3/1?pq-

origsite=gscholar&cbl=2040498

4EventhoughIdrawonBolterandGrusin’s‘remediation’(1999),Iextendthetermtorefernotonlytotheembeddednessofonemediumintoanotherbutalsotothere-significationsofaestheticcontentthatoccurinthisprocessoftechnologicalembeddedness.

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inexistingworkondigitalself-representation.Rather,literatureontheselfie,isdividedin

twostrands:theselfieasperformativepracticeandtheselfieassocio-technicalprocess.

Thestudyoftheselfieasperformativepracticedrawsonsociologicalaccountsoflinguistic

self-presentation,byGoffman(Hess,2015)andAustin(JerslevandMortensen,2015)andon

semioticapproachestoaesthetics(Koffmanetal,2015;Iqani&Schroeder,2016)soasto

foregroundthreedimensionsofdigitalself-representation.Thefirstfocusesontheself-

reflexivityinvolvedinthepublicstagingoftheprivateself;thisdimensiondrawsattentionto

thecivic,politicalandculturalpotentialitiesof‘vernacularsofperformativity’insocialmedia

(Papacharissi,2011),approachingthemas‘culturesofconnectivity’-sitesofindividuation,

bondingandmemoryratherthansimplyas‘networks’(vanDjik,2013).Thesecondfocus

fallsonthenarrativepracticesofusers’self-representationsinsocialmedia;thisdraws

attentiontonewformsof‘digitalstory-telling’(Sonja&Burgess,2013)andexploretheir

implicationsfornewformsofsocialityandpublicconnection-forinstanceininstitutional

contexts(Thumim,2009)orfamilialrelations(Vivienne&Burgess,2013).Thethirdfocusin

onthehistoricityofself-portraitureasanartisticgenrethatinscribestheselfieinlong-term

trajectoriesofaesthetic,technologicalandculturalchangeinthepublicpresentationofthe

self(Hall,2014;Tifentale&Manovich,2015).

Ifthistriplefocuson‘performativity’situatesmeaning-makingattheheartofwhattheselfie

isandhowitshouldbestudied,thesecondtheoreticalstrandoffersadifferent,thoughnot

necessarilyincompatible,epistemologyofdigitalself-representation.Itclaimsthat,rather

thanapproachingtheselfieasaperformativesystemofsignificationsoftheself,weshould

insteadconceptualizeitasatechnologicalgesture-amaterialtracedevoidof

representationalmeaning(Gomez&Thornham2015).Initscapacityastechno-trace,the

significanceoftheselfiederivesnotfromitsdiscursivityoritshistoricitybutfromits

systemicsimultaneity,thatisbytheveryfactthatitalways-alreadyappearswithinexisting

circuitsofothertraceslikeitself.Variationswithinthisliterature,consequently,reflect

differentresearchfocionthesocialandtechnologicaldimensionsoftheselfie.Ontheone

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hand,emphasisfallsonthepoliticaleconomyoftheselfie;researchherehighlightstheselfie

astechno-materialprocessembeddedinnetworksofconsumption-drivencommunication

thatreproducethepowerrelationsofneo-liberalcapitalism–whatDean(2005)referstoas

‘communicativecapitalism’.HermorerecentargumentreworksWalterBenjamin’spolitical

economicviewofcultureintotheselfie,readingthelatterasanew‘auratic’objectnolonger

endowedwith‘exhibition’butwith‘circulationvalue’:‘accessibilityandtransportability’

Deanexplains,‘don’tjustincrease,theybecomeendsinthemselves’and‘photosareless

singularobjectsorimagestobecontemplatedthantheyaretemporaryandreplaceable

elements’5.Ontheotherhand,thereisliteratureontherelationshipbetweenselfiesandnon-

humanagents,suchassoftwarecodesanddigitalaffordances,focusingonthealgorithmic

dimensionsofself-representationandtheirsocialeffects(vanHouse,2009;2011).Thisis

becausenon-humanagentsdonotonlyorganizethevastquantitiesofonlineimageryinto

durablepatternsofvisualitybutalsoshapethesocialpracticesthroughwhichsuchpatterns

openuptoindividualizedconsumption,foruploading,sharing,likingetc.Acomparative

studyofthedistributionofLGBTQcelebrityselfiesontwosocialmediaplatforms(Duguay,

2016),forinstance,shows‘therelevanceofplatformsinshapingselfies’‘conversational

capacity’,insofarasdifferentalgorithmicconfigurationsacrosstheplatforms‘influence

whetherselfiesfeatureinconversationsreinforcingdominantdiscoursesorincounterpublic

conversations’.

Emergingoutofthesedistinctbodiesofliteratureisadualistontologyoftheselfieaseithera

meaningfulpracticeofself-representationoratechno-economicpracticeof(re-)

distributions.Iftheformerhighlightsthetextualitiesembeddedintheperformativeactsof

photographingoneself,thelatterforegroundsthebroadersocialandtechnologicalnetworks

whereinsuchperformativeactscirculate.Whatremainsmarginalinboththesestrandsof

researchistheethico-politicaldimensionoftheselfieasawitnessingactthatraises

importantquestionsofidentity,voiceandothernessinthedigitalmedia(butsee,partly,5DeanJ.(2016)http://blog.fotomuseum.ch/2016/02/iii-images-without-viewers-selfie-communism/

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KoliskaandRoberts,2015).Itistheattempttoacknowledgethisdimensionthatinformsmy

dialecticalapproachtotheselfieintroducedbelow.

Adialecticalapproachtotheselfie

Ratherthanexclusivelyfocusingoneitherstrandofresearch,Ioptforadialecticalapproach,

whichviewstheselfieasameaningfultraceoftheself,movingacrossconnected

environments-asboth‘humanconnectedness’and‘automatedconnectivity’,invanDijk’s

terms(2013).Inasimilarmove,Frosh’theorizationoftheselfieas‘gesturalimage’conceives

oftheselfieasbothan‘aestheticandrepresentationalinnovation,requiringtheanalytical

toolsofvisualcommunication’,andasa‘technoculturalcircuitofcorporealsocialenergy’that

givesriseto‘kinaesthetic’,ratherthanhermeneutic,sociability.Thisapproach,Froshargues,

challengesthetraditionalvisualanalyticsoftheselfieinfavourofanintegratedanalyticsof

thebody-the‘broadersomaticandsensorydimensionsofculturalexperienceandpractice’

thatconstitutethe‘mediatedphaticbody’(2015:1623).WhileIconcurwiththesignificance

ofthisdialecticalapproach,mystudyseekstoaddressadifferent,overlookeddimensionof

selfieanalytics:therelationshipoftheselfienotwiththesomaticbodyanditskinaesthetic

capacitybutwiththebodypoliticanditsethicalresponsiveness.Withoutattentiontothe

ethicalnatureoftheselfieasatechnologyofpowerthatregulatescollectiveaffectand

judgment,Icontend,itisimpossibletoaddressremediationasaquestionofdigitalvisuality,

publicityandpowerandtoreflectonthestakesthatremediation,asakeyjournalistic

process,entails.

Inextoffermytheorizationofthecommunicativeenvironmentofthemigrant-relatedselfie:

itsmeaning-makingcapacityasatestimonialactandthemedianetworkswithinwhichitis

remediated.Iarguethatsuchnetworksofjournalisticremediationreclaimthecontemplative

qualityofimages,theircapacitytobegazedatobjectsofemotionandevaluation,andinserts

themintoanexusoftheatricalrelationshipsofviewing.Theserelationships,Iclaimafter

AdamSmith’stheoryofspectatorship,areprimarilymoral;thatis,theystagethefigureofthe

migrantintovarioustestimonialnarrativesandthusinvitearangeofambivalent

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engagementswithher/hispredicament.Isubsequentlypresentapreliminarytypologyofthe

theatreoftheselfieinordertoexploreitstheatricalitybothasastageforaffective

engagementsandasiteofpowerrelationshipsthatproduceshierarchicalclassificationsof

humanity-whatIdiscussas‘symbolicbordering’.

Conceptualcontext

Myinterestinanethicsoftheselfieanditsremediationsraisesquestionsaboutthenatureof

theselfienotonlyasaformofself-representationbutalsoasatechno-aestheticcomponent

ofdigitaljournalism.Whatdoesitmeantomakenewsaboutmigrantsthroughtheaesthetic

oftheselfie?Whichspecificremediationsoftheselfiearedeemednewsworthyandwhy?

Whatdotheseselfiestellusaboutthehumanstatusofrefugees?Andwhatrelationshipsdo

theyseektoestablishbetween‘us’and‘them’?Insofarasthissetofquestionsinvolvesa

complexassemblageofmutuallyembeddedrelationshipsofviewing,includingtheselfie-

takingmigrant,theirpersonalonlinecircleandthepublicsofonlinejournalism,weneedto

developanunderstandingoftheselfieasanetworkof‘theatrical’relationshipsofviewing.

Eventhoughthetheatricalmetaphorhasalreadybeenusedtoframetheselfieasanewform

of‘thepresentationoftheselfineverydaylife’,alongGoffman’slines,whatisstillmissingis

anaccountofdigitalself-representationasanencounterwithhumanvulnerabilitythat

requiresaresponse.Letmeoutlinethisconceptualapproachanditsanalyticalpossibilities.

Theselfieastheatre

Theselfieinterruptstheflowofmainstreamnewsreportinginordertoinsertfragmentsof

‘theother’s’faceintothisflow.Itisthisfleetingencounterbetweenthemandus,framedby

digitalnarrativeson‘our’variousscreens,whichintroducesthestructureoftheatricalityin

theonlineremediationsoftheselfie.Theatricalityherereferstoacommunicativestructure

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thatdoesnotnecessarilybelongtothetraditionalsceneofthetheatrebutoperatesinline

withtheconventionsoftheatricalperformance-namelybydistancingthespectatorfromthe

spectacleoftheotherthroughtheobjectivespaceofaframingdeviceand,atthesametime,

enablingproximitybetweenthetwothroughnarrativesthatinviteouremotionand

judgmentontheother:‘Morethanapropertywithanalyzablecharacteristics,’asFéraland

Berminghamargue,‘theatricalityseemstobeaprocessthathastodowitha"gaze"that

postulatesandcreatesadistinct,virtualspacebelongingtotheother’(2002:97).

WhileforAdamSmiththetheatricalmetaphorconceivesofsocietyasastage,whereseeing

othersinevitablyinvitesamoralresponse,‘whoaretheyandwhoamIasaconsequenceof

meetingthem?’,theselfiepartakesthistheatricalstructureinsofarasitfulfilstwocriteriaof

theatricality.First,itestablishesamodeofspectatorshipthatisbasedonthestagingand

framingoftheselfforpurposesofbeingseenandrespondedtobyothers-Smith’s

‘sympatheticspectator’;andsecond,thisstagingoftheselfsimultaneouslypresupposesnot

onlyanimmediateaudienceofintendedaddresseesbutalsotheimaginaryspectatorshipof

anuninvolvedpublicthatisimplicitlyinvitedtotakeastancetowardsthisstaging-what

AdamSmithreferstoasthe‘impartialspectator’(Marshall,1984).

Inorder,therefore,tounderstandhowthemigrant-relatedselfieoperatesinWesternmedia

landscape,weneedtounderstandbothdimensionsoftheatricalspectatorship:howtheselfie

producesmeaningthroughpracticesofself-representationthatstagetheselfsoastobeseen

andrespondedtobyothers(theaestheticperformanceoftheself);andhowtheselfieis

insertedintobroaderinstitutionalstructuresofnewsjournalismthatconnectusallas

undefinedpublicsof‘impartial’spectatorship–thehierachicalremedationsoftheselfiein

Westernmedia.Letmeexamineeachdimension,inturn.

Sympatheticspectatorship:theselfieasperformanceoftheself

Asperformance,theselfieisinscribedontotwotechnologies:theoldest,thefaceandthe

newest,thedigitalscreen(Pinchevski,2016).Thefaceoperatesasatestimonyofour

universalcommonalityand,inevokingwhatweallprofoundlyshare,itgesturestowards

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authenticpresence6.Thedigitalscreenmaximizesthereachoftheface,enablingdistant

otherstoappeartousasfullypresentandtoconfrontuswiththeirownhumanity.Through

thisperformativedualityoffaceandscreen,theselfiearticulatesandcirculatesclaimstothe

selfasauthenticpresenceand,insodoing,simultaneouslyactsasaninvitationforusto

engagewiththispresenceinvariousmodalitiesofsympatheticspectatorship:empathy,

solidarity,suspicionordisapproval.Itisinthiscapacitytoconfrontuswiththehumanityof

theotherinitshere-and-nowmodethattheselfierecoversitsmoraldimension-its

theorizationsas‘mundane’or‘narcissistic’(egLüders,Prøitz&Rasmussen,2010)beingpart

ofthismoralregimeofsympatheticspectatorshipthatanyselfiebelongsto.Forif,asLevinas

putsit,‘thefacetoface’istheparexcellencemodeofethicaladdress,becauseit‘addresses

humanityatlarge’,thentheselfieisaradicalintensificationofthisaddress,bothinthatit

digitally‘presences’theother’sfacetous(SenftandBurgess,2014)andinthatitexpandsthe

scopeofourface-to-facerelationships–throughwhatFrosh(2014)termsthe‘corporeal

sociability’oftheselfie(itslikes,shares,commentsetc).

Migrant-relatedselfies,inparticular,areaparadigmaticcaseofdigitalself-representationas

ethicaladdress,becausetheyareaestheticperformancesofthefaceunderconditionsofrisk.

SelfiesofmigrantswhojustreachedtheGreekshoresperformauthenticitythroughthe

affectivegrammarofthefaceandthebody,whicharticulateseuphoricaffect.This‘being

here’isamoraladdressinsofarasarrivalherealsosignifiessurvivalfromadeadlysea

crossingintheMediterranean.Thedigitalscreenbrings,inthiscase,thefaceofthemigrant

closerthroughactsof‘presencing’thatare,simultaneously,alsoappealsforsympathetic

spectatorship–aninvitationforustoconnecttoitsaffectivegrammar.Inordertostudythe

selfieasaestheticperformance,therefore,Iproposetoengagewithitstwodimensionsof

sympatheticspectatorship:theauthenticationoftheselfie,throughasemioticreadingofthe

‘face’asvisualmeaning-makingthatproducesvariousnarrativesofhumanity;and,the

6ForadiscussionofselfieauthenticityseeSenftandBurgess(2014)

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presencingoftheselfie,throughareadingofthemoralrelationshipsitenablesbetweenthe

subjectsandobjectsofdigitalself-representation.

Impartialspectatorship:theremediationoftheselfie

Theglobalvisibilityofmigrant-relatedselfies,however,dependsontheircirculationbeyond

horizontalnetworks,suchasthesocialmedia,toverticalones,suchasprofessionalnews

organisations(CNN,BBC,DWorTheGuardian).Thisshiftsimultaneouslymeansthatthe

selfiegivesupsomeofits‘circulation’valueinfavourof,whatwemaycall,‘contemplative’

value:aformofvaluethatdrawsattentiontotheselfieasanobjecttobefocusedon,gazedat

andrespondedtobyanundefinedbodyof‘impartial’spectators–theWesternbodypolitic.

Inthis‘contemplative’conception,however,theselfiecannotbeunderstoodsimplyasa

diffusedtechno-traceaccumulatingmeaning-free‘circulation’value.Itshouldinsteadbeseen

asamatteroftheatricalre-mediation,wheremulti-platformjournalismselects,re-assembles

and,importantly,re-signifiesothermediaaccordingtoitsownlogics-impartial

spectatorshipherereferringnottoapositionfromnowherebuttothe‘naturalized’visual

narrativesof‘us’and‘them’thatroutinelycontextualizetheselfie-as-news(Schudson,1993).

Whilstsuchremediationswere,inthepast,amatterofprofessionalauthorship,citizen

testimoniesnowturnremediationintoaneditingactivity,wherenon-professionalcontentis

subjecttoprocessesof‘re-contextualization’(editing,reframing,re-narrativizing)and‘re-

moralization’(re-investingitinmoraldiscoursessuitabletothenewsplatform)(Chouliaraki,

2015).Incontrast,then,todisintermediationaccounts(Downey&Fenton,2013)thatlink

socialmediawiththebreakingdownofnewsintermediaries,itis,Iargue,preciselythrough

theregulativeworkofjournalisticremediationthatsocialmedianewsultimatelyreachmass

globalaudiences(Al-Ghazzi,2014).

Theanalysisofthemigrant-relatedselfieinthenews,Ipropose,shouldthusfocusonboth

dimensionsofthetheatreoftheselfie:theaestheticperformanceoftheself,whichconstitutes

sympatheticspectatorshipthroughauthenticityandpresenceanditsremediationinnews

journalism,whichconstitute‘impartial’spectatorshipthroughre-contextualizationandre-

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moralization,inlinewiththeethico-politicallogicsofvariousjournalisticinstitutions.Howdo

differenttypesofmigrantselfieperformtheselfasanauthentic‘hereIam’?Howarethese

claimstoauthenticityandpresencerecontextualizedinWesternnewssites?Whatarethe

moraldiscoursesofsuchrecontextualizationsandwhatdothesetellusaboutthenewsas

moralandpoliticalspaces?

Analyticalcontext

Mytheatricalapproachtotheselfiedrawsontwokeyaestheticandtechno-socialinsightsof

therelevantliterature,namelythenarrativityofdigitalself-representationandthe

‘circulationvalue’oftheselfie.Itcomplicatestheformerbyintroducingverticalremediation

asconstitutiveofthevisualnarrativityoftheselfie,whilstitexpandsthelatterby

demonstratingthat,farfromfree-wheeling,the‘circulationvalue’oftheselfieisembeddedin

techno-institutionalrelationshipsofpower,asinglobalnewsjournalism.

Thechoiceofthemigrant-relatedselfieastheempiricalmaterialofthisstudyismotivatedby

aninterestinunderstandinghowthevisibilityofmigrantsisregulatedinWesternmedia,

duringthe2015migrantcrisis.Studyinghowmigrantsappearinournewsmattersbecauseit

helpsusbettercomprehendthebroadercommunicativeenvironmentofthecrisis.Thiswasa

versatileenvironmentmarkedbyanoriginallypositiverhetoricofreceptionthatenjoyeda

waveofcompassionafterthedeathofthree-year-oldAylanKurdi,buteventuallyturnedinto

suspicion,followingtheNovember2015Parisattacks;itwasthelatterthatlegitimized

Europe’sexclusionarypoliticsofborderingandblocked58.000migrantsinGreecewithmass

deportationstoTurkeyontheagenda,inMarch2016(Gillespieetal2016).Focusing,

therefore,onthetimespanofthecrisis,June2015-March2016,enablesmetoanalyzethis

periodasa‘peak’momentinmigrantself-representation,whichhassomethingimportantto

tellusnotonlyaboutmigrantsthemselvesbutcruciallyaboutWesternjournalismasasiteof

regulationfor‘our’moralsensibilities.

Thechoiceoftheterm‘migrant-relatedselfie’,insteadof‘migrantselfie’reflectsthefactthat

onlyapartofthoseimageswereactuallyselfiestakenofandbymigrants;theotherswere

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imagesaboutmigrants,butneitherbynorofthem.Indeed,thethreekeytypesofmigrant-

relatedselfiesthatappearedinglobalnewsnetworks,suchasBBC,CNN,DWorTheGuardian

duringthe‘peak’moment,were:i)migrantsbeingphotographedtotakeselfies;ii)migrant

selfieswithcelebritiesandiii)celebritiestakingselfiesas-iftheyweremigrants.Thereare

variationswithineachcategory,buttheyareallthreecharacterisedby,whatWittgenstein

(1958)terms,a‘familyresemblance’intheiraestheticandtechno-socialqualities.Iexamine

eachinthesections‘Theselfieasperformance’and‘Theselfieasremediation’below.

Selfie-takingphotographs:self-representationascelebration

CelebrationselfiesarealmostexclusivelyshotonthebeachesofLesbos–oneofthemigrants’

mainentrypointsintoEuropefromtheTurkeycoast.Theyportraymigrantstakingselfies

smilingandmakingtheV-sign,aloneoringroups.Weneverseetheseselfiesassuch,

however.Whatweseeisphotojournalisticpicturesofmigrantstakingselfies.TheCNN’s

videolink(thereisasimilaronebytheBBC),forinstance,isaone-minutelongpiece,entitled

‘Themigrantselfie’,whichbeginswithamigrantexplainingthesignificanceofcelebration

selfiesandcontinueswithasequenceofselfie-takinginstancesonthebeach7.

Selfieasperformance:Eventhoughallselfieshaveastronglocativedimension,‘Iamright

here,rightnow’(Hess,2015),thiscategoryofselfieswithitssmilingfacesandV-signs

situatesthelocativewithinaparticularlyintenseauthenticityofaffect(Thumim,2012):the

euphoriaofarrival;hencetheterm‘celebration’todescribethem.‘Ofcourseyes,asyouare

VERYhappyyou’rehere’,confessesthemigrantinterviewedbyCNN,‘thefirstthingthatyou

did(sic)isaselfieyeahandwesendittoourfamiliesyeah’.Havingdreamedofreaching

Europeagainstallodds,migrantsextremeemotionsuponarrivalrendertheseselfiesnot

simplyoccasionsforself-presentationbut‘visualproofs’oftheextraordinaryeventof

reachingEurope–whatReadingcalls,‘mobilewitnessing’(2009:69).Itistheforceof

emotioninherentinmobilewitnessingthatsimultaneouslyforegroundspresencingasan

7http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/08/21/migrant-selfie-kos-mediterranean-orig.cnn

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ethicalforceintheseselfies.Thisisinsofarastheselfie’slocativeclaim(‘Iamhere’)also

entailastrongexistentialdimension(‘Iamhere’).Farfromindexingjustanyrandom

location,thedeicticfunctionofthecelebrationselfiegoesbeyondarrivaltoconnotesurvival,

thefactofhavingenduredadeadlysea-crossingintheMediterranean.Itisthisdeixisof

arrival-as-survival,theselfie’s‘I’vemadeit’moment,whichmobilizesitscorporeal

sociability,itslikes,commentsandshares,asanoccasionofonlinejubilation(Frosh,2016).

Thetheatricalityofthecelebrationselfie,itfollows,canbereducedneithertoitspurely

locativecontent(‘Iamhere’)nortoaplayfulassertionoftheself(‘thisisme’).Itconsistsin

stagingtheeuphoriaofsurvivalbothasdescriptiveandasanormativemoment.Beyondits

denotativevalueofsignifyingsurvival,theselfie’snormativemeaningconnoteshope.It

capturesamomentofpregnantpossibility,asprojectsofthemigrantselfthatwere

previouslyunthinkablenowcomewithinreach–whatErnstBlochhastermedtheutopian

‘notyet’(1995:xxviii).Thesympatheticspectatorofthecelebrationselfieisinvitedtorelate

totheaestheticperformanceofthecelebratoryselfieasa‘yettocome’.

Selfieasremediation:Theremediationofthecelebrationselfiereliesonestrangement,on

turningtheordinaryactofselfie-takingintoextraordinary.Byfocusingonselfie-takingas

curiousorrare,Westernnewsplatformsre-contextualizetheselfiefromanoccasionof

corporealsociabilityonsocialmediatoaninvitationofethicalappraisal,opentopublic

commentaryandjudgment:whoarethey?whyaretheyowningmobilephones?whyarethey

takingselfies?andshouldtheybetakingthem?Situatingthesequestionsattheheartoftheir

stories,‘our’newssimultaneouslyturnsmobilewitnessing,intometa-witnessing:itisthefact

that‘they’takeselfiesnottheirfacesthatweareinvitedtocontemplate.

Twoconsequencesfollowfromthis.Theauthenticityandpresenceeffectsofmeta-witnessing

nolongerresideinthedeicticandexistentialfunctionsoftheselfiebutinthenarrativityof

thenewsabouttheselfie.Themoralmechanismoftheatricality,consequently,alsochanges:

nolongerabouttheauthenticityofeuphoricaffect,theselfieisnowre-moralizedasan

ambivalentpractice,suspendedbetweensympathy,asintheCNNpiece,andsuspicion,asina

14

seriesofotherpressoutlets.Authenticity,tobeginwith,reliesonjournalisticauthorityandis

aboutattachingaprofessionaljurisdictionofvaliditytothenews;CNN,forinstance,achieves

sympathythroughtheinclusionofafirst-handtestimonial(themigrant)andthesequenceof

selfie-takingvisuals,allofwhichavoidsovertjudgmentyetseektoraiseawarenessaround

theissue.Bythesametoken,presenceisnolongeraboutexistentialdeixis,the

subjectificationofspacethroughtheselfie’s‘hereIam’,butaboutinvitationstocontemplate

themigrants’selfieactivityitself-‘seewhattheyaredoing’.CCNfeaturesthepieceinits

‘Edition’,aseriesofbriefvideosforswiftconsumptionwithoutin-depthcontent.Incontrast

totheselfies’aestheticperformanceofpresenceassurvival,migrantsarehere

recontextualizedas‘presentabsences’:ratherthanhumanagentsreachingfortheir‘notyet’,

theyaretheobjectsofourcuriosityandsuspicion.

Whileempatheticcuriosityinformsthemajorityofmainstreamnewsoutlets,includingCNN,

TIME,BBC,TheIndependentandNewYorkTimes8,evidenceofsuspicionispresentin

certainright-wingoutlets,suchasTheDailyMailandTheSun,andsocialmediaplatforms.

Re-moralizationhereproducesamoreambivalentnarrative,wheretheuseofheadline

languagestirsxenophobia(…‘theyareamongthethousandstohaveflockedtoLesbos’Sept.

6th20159;‘smartphonesarethesecretweaponfuellingthegreatmigrantinvasion’Sept.28th

201510;‘Policediscoveredhundredsofdisturbingimagesofexecutionsonphonesimages

includedISISflags,deadchildrenandvictimsofwarandterrorism’Dec.15th201511).Social

mediaresponsestothiscoveragearemoreexplicit,pointingtoan‘incompatibility’between

beingarefugeeandbeingasocialmediauser(‘WithanOtterBox!RT:Povertystricken

Syrianmigranttakesselfiewithher$600smartphone’12).

8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWTFG-x1dnk(BBC)

9 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3224305/Selfies-shore-Refugees-lifejackets-celebrate-beach-reaching-Greek-island-thousands-waiting-enter-Europe.html 10 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3251475/DOMINIC-LAWSON-Smartphones-secret-weapon-fuelling-great-migrant-invasion.html 11 https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/?iframe=true&theme_preview=true 12 https://twitter.com/near_chaos/status/640247516596842496

15

Thishatediscourseisevidentlyattachedtoextremeright-wingnews,yet,Iargue,the

misrecognitionofmigrantsisinherentinallremediationsofthecelebrationselfie.Thisisfor

tworeasons.First,becauseremediationasestrangementalreadypresupposesthatselfie-

takingasdigitalagencycanonlybeassociatedwithpeoplelike‘us’,not‘them’.Informedby

thisorientalistpresupposition,narrativesofestrangementultimatelyrepresentthemigrants’

selfie-takingactivityinwaysthat,atonce,assertandunderminetheirhumanity.Eventhough

affirmingthedigitalliteracyofmigrantsmaybeuseful,inthatitchallengesstereotypical

viewsof‘backwards’non-Europeans(TheIndependent’s‘SurprisedthatSyrianrefugeeshave

smartphones?Sorrytobreakthis...’,7Sept.201513),thenewsstatusofsuchanaffirmationis

simultaneouslyanactof‘othering’,insofarassuchitinvitesustocontemplatemigrants’

selfie-takingasextraordinary.Themeta-witnessingofcelebrationselfiescould,inthislight,

beseenasthecontemplationofthoserarepublicoccasions,whenthosewhohavenovoice

attempttospeak.Andyet,ourmediagivethisvoicenostage.

Thesecondreason,therefore,whytheseremediationsareaformofmisrecognitionisthatno

migrantselfiesarepresentinourmedia.MigrantsdonotrepresentthemselvesinWestern

news,‘othersdotherepresentingforthem’(Malkki,1996).Ifselfiesare,inFrosh’words,

‘reflexivetexts’wheretheselfoperates‘asadeicticshifter,fluctuatingbetweentheselfasan

imageandasabody’(2015:1621),thentheremediationofmigrants’selfie-takinginWestern

newschoosestokeepitsfocusontheimage,photographingtheactthatrepresentsthebody,

notthebodyitself.Atthesametime,itisnotjustthecorporealbeingofthemigrantthatis

missingbut,crucially,alsotheirhistoricalexistence.Whilethenewsmayinformusonwhy

refugeestakeselfies,itleavesoutthecorequestionofwhatmighthavedriventhemaway

fromhome(Gillespieetal,2016).Inkeepingmigrants’voiceandhistoricityoutsidethe

regimeofremediation,then,Westernnewsmaythematizetheirdigitalactivitybutultimately

failtohumanizethem.Thesympatheticspectatorshipofmobilewitnessingmutateshereinto

13 http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/surprised-that-syrian-refugees-have- smartphones-well-sorry-to-break-this-to-you-but-youre-an-idiot-10489719.html

16

an‘impartial’spectatorshipofmeta-witnessingthatobjectifiesthefigureofthemigrantand

putstheirstatusashumanatstake.

Solidarityselfies:Self-representationasrecognition

Thiscategoryconsistsofselfiesthatmigrantshavetakenwithcelebrityfiguresstandingin

solidaritywiththematdetentioncampsaroundEurope.Celebritiesareheredefinedaspublic

figureswithasurplusofsymboliccapitalthatendowsthemwithrecognizablebrandvalue

(Chouliaraki,2013a);forinstance,AngelaMerkelorPopeFrancis14.Becauseofthissymbolic

capital,then,solidarityselfies,unlikecelebrationones,arefullyremediatedinWesternnews.

Selfieasperformance:Theauthenticationofsolidarityselfiesisestablishedthrougha

aestheticsofimmediacy.Borrowingfromthephotographicsnapshot,themigrant-with-

celebrityselfiemimicstheinformalityof‘kodak’familypictures(Iqani&Schroeder,2015)

andbearsconnotationsof‘performedintimacy,authenticityandaccess’-allkeymarkersof

unstaged,imperfectself-expression(boyd&Marwick,2011:140).Theauthenticityof

spontaneity,however,primarilybenefitsthecelebrity,whosepublicpresentationssuffer

from,whatboydandMarwickcall,aninherently‘indeterminate‘authenticity’’(2011:139):

doescelebritymeanwhatshe/hedoesorisitallshowbusiness?Thisisbecausetheselfie’s

compositionalstructure,whichsetscelebrityandmigrantside-by-sideasequals,conceivesof

solidarityasanarrangementofco-presence,wherethecelebrity’sphysicalpositioningnext

tothemigrantissymbolicallydisplacedontomoralpositioning;she/heisseentopossessthe

emotionaldepthandvirtuouscharactertostandbythemigrantandcommittotheircause.

Ifauthenticationisaboutthetransferoftruth-valuefrommigranttocelebrity,presencingis

aboutthetransferofsymbolicvaluefromcelebritytomigrant.Whileordinaryselfieslargely

generate‘phatic’exchanges,performativeactswithlittlemeaningtransferbeyondthe

locativefunctionof‘hereIam’(Frosh,2016),solidarityselfies,Iargue,tacticallyusethe‘here

14Onthecelebrificationofpoliticians,suchasMerkel,seeWheeler(2012);onthecelebrificationofreligion

seeLofton(2012).

17

Iam’ofthecelebritytoshedlightonthepresenceofthemigrant.Itis,again,the

compositionalarrangementofco-presencethatproduceseffectsofpresencing,astheside-

by-sidevisuallyjuxtaposesthemigrant,unknownandpowerless,withthecelebrity,

establishedandpowerful,and,inanactparalleltoproductendorsement,associatesthe

latter’sbrandvaluewiththeformer–whatFuquaterms‘humanbranding’(2011).

Presencingheremeansthat,eventhoughtherefugeedoesnotbecomefamous,he/she

acquiresapotentialfor‘recognizability’(Cavarero,2000),forlegitimatepresenceandfor

publicacknowledgmentinthespacesofWesternnews.

Thecombinationofauthenticityandpresenceinsolidarityselfiesestablishes,whatSchudson

(1993)calls,the‘celebrification’ofthemigrantcause.Celebrificationrefersheretoa

synergeticconfigurationoftheatricalrelationships,wherebytheselfiecapitalizesonthe

figureofthemigrantsoastostagethecelebrityasa‘true’brandofbenevolentactivism,

whileitreciprocallytransfersthesymbolicvalueofcelebrityontothemigrant,endowing

themwithapotentialforrecognizability.Thesympatheticspectatorofthesolidarityselfieis,

thus,invitedtoengagein,whatwemaycall,‘humanitarian’witnessing–amodeof

witnessingthatconstruesmigrantnewsasahybridbetweenthe‘truth’ofsufferingothers

andthelegitimacyof‘our’ownpublicpersonas.

Remediation:Itispreciselythetheatricalrelationshipofcelebrification,albeitnowreduced

fromreciprocalsynergiesofvaluetoauni-directionaltransferofvaluefromthemigrantto

thecelebrity,whichrenderstheremediationofsolidarityselfiesin‘our’newspossible.

Newsworthiness,inotherwords,isattachedtotheauthenticperformanceof

humanitarianismattachedtothecelebritybrand,asshe/hestandsbesidethemigrant,and

becomesevidentinthesystematicprioritizationofMerkelorthePope,innewsstoriesthat

featuretheseselfies;aprioritizationthatissimultaneouslycorrelativetothefullsilencingof

themigrants’self-representation,inthesesamestories.BothCNNandBBCrecontextualize

thesolidarityselfieasanillustrationonstoriesaboutthepoliticsoftheWesternfigures:

Merkel’sopenmigrationpolicy(‘Germany’sMerkelstandsbyrefugeepolicydespite

18

“terrifying”attacks’15,CNN,Jul.26,2016‘Migrantcrisis:HowlongcanMerkelkeepGerman

doorsopen?’16,BBC,Oct.1,2015),orthePope’svisittotheGreekislandsinDW(‘Pope

FrancistovisitLesbostoreviewrefugeecrisis’,Apr.5,201617)andCCN’s‘Edition’(‘Pope

FrancisposesforaselfieduringhisvisittoarefugeecenterinRomeonThursdayMarch24’,

March30,201618).

Eventhoughnewsnetworksfavourthepromotionofcelebrity-drivenpiecesfortheirown

benefit,thiscelebrificationofthesolidarityselfiehas,asIhavealreadyinsinuated,acost.

Ratherthanplacedattheheartofthemigrationstory,asavictimofEuropeanpoliticsanda

potentialcarrierofrightstosafetyandresidence,themigrantremainsinsteadabsent.

Despitehavingimportantstoriestotellaboutwhyandhowhe/shehasturnedupinEurope,

hehas,inArendt’swords,lost‘therelevanceofspeech’(1998:297).Theimpartialspectator

ofthesolidarityselfienews,consequently,isnotinvitedtobethewitnessofahumanitarian

story,wheresolidarityisaboutengagingwiththemigrant’sfaceandtakingresponsibilityto

reflectonandactonthecrisis,butthemonitorialwitnessof‘our’ownfamiliarpublicfigures:

followinguponroutinenewsstoriesof‘our’GermanChancellorortheCatholicChurch

leader.

Thiscelebrificationofthesolidarityselfiefurtherre-moralizesthemigrantcausein

ambivalentnewsnarratives:shouldwereceivethemorcloseourborders?Notice,for

instance,CNN’sheadline‘Germany’sMerkelstandsbyrefugeepolicydespite‘terrifying’

attacks’orTheIndependentthatfusesmigrantandterroristinoneheadline(March29,2015

TheIndependent‘AngelaMerkelselfiewithSyrianrefugeegoesviralafterheiswrongly

namedasBrusselsbomber’19).Justascelebrationselfiesopenupaspacewherethehuman

statusofmigrantsisultimatelyundermined,evenifitisrhetoricallyasserted,sosolidarity

selfiesintroducearuptureinthesymbolicstatusofmigrants,whereby,eveniftheymaybe

15 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/28/europe/germany-merkel-security-refugee-policy/ 16 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34402001 17 http://www.dw.com/en/pope-francis-to-visit-lesbos-to-review-refugee-crisis/a-19165871 18 https://twitter.com/i/moments/713421646883737600 19 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/syrian-refugees-selfie-with-angela-merkel-goes-viral-after-he-is-wrongly-named-as-brussels-bomber-a6958371.html

19

entitledtorightsofresidencyandprotection,theyareultimatelydeniedpublicrecognition.

Recognizability,theuniversalmoralrighttobeacknowledgedasalegitimatepublicpresence,

ismarginalizedinfavourofmonitorialwitnessing.Themigrant,itfollows,onlyfiguresinthe

newsasaby-presence,apresenceauxiliarytothestoriesaboutourleaders,ourpolitics,our

politics,ourcontroversies.

Celebrityselfies:Self-representationaserasure

Thiscategoryconsistsofasequenceofwidely-circulatedimagesfromoneparticularevent,a

star-studdedCinemaforPeacegala,partofthe2016BerlinFilmFestival.Organizedby

world-knownactivistartistAiWeiwei,thisselfiesequencewaspartofaseriesofsolidarity

tokens,suchascoveringofthebuilding’sfaçadewithplasticlife-saversfromsearescue

operations,thattheartiststagedtoprotestagainstEurope’snegativeresponsetothe

migrationcrisis.Theselfiedepictscelebritiesimpersonatingmigrantsbywearingthermal

blankets-anotheremergencyaiditemusedinsearescueoperations.Asbefore,celebrities

aredefinedaspublicfigureswithatransferablesurplusofsymboliccapitalyet,unlikethe

solidarityselfie,thesearenotpoliticalorreligiousfiguresofauthoritybutfilmandmusic

stars(eg,CharlizeTheron,PussyRiot'sNadyaTolokonnikova).Importantly,thereisnoco-

presencetomobilizecelebrity-migrantvaluetransfers.Themigrantisnowabsent.

Selfieasperformance:Ifsolidarityselfiescelebrifythemigrantcauseincontextsofco-

presence,herethecelebrificationofthecauseerasesthepresenceofthemigrant.

Authentificationworksinsteadthroughimpersonation:celebritiesactoutthepartofthe

migrant,bycoveringthemselvesinathermalblanketwhileattendingthegala.Theselfie’s

truthclaim,it’s‘Iamhere’,isthusnotbasedonverisimilitude,theclaimto‘reality-as-it-is’,

butthe‘as-if’ofstageacting:thecelebrity,bearingtheblanketasanactingprop,standsfor

themigrant.Insofarasitreliesonthesuspensionofdisbelief,theauthenticityofthecelebrity

selfieisthusparexcellencetheatrical.

Inlinewiththetheatricalmodel,presencingalsopresupposesanimaginativemobilityof

positions,insofarastheanguishedrefugeeisevoked,notvisualized,throughthemetonymic

20

placingofagala-attendingcelebrityinhis/herposition.The‘Iamhere’claim,inotherwords,

denotestherefugeeonlyinsofarasthesymbolicmeaningoftheblanketmomentarilyre-

signifiesthecelebrityasasufferer.Aswithsolidarityselfies,here,too,theperformanceof

celebrityselfiesworksto‘celebrify’themigrantcause.Unlikesolidarityselfies,however,

celebrificationnowentailsnoneofthereciprocalsynergiesofvaluebetweenthetwo.Instead,

giventhatthecelebrityistheonlyoneonstage,thesymbolicvalueofacting-outtherefugee

throughmetonymicaldisplacementontothecelebrityentailsanambivalentpotential–itis

bothabout‘humanbranding’andaboutacritiqueofinauthenticity.Thesympathetic

spectatorofthecelebrityselfieis,inthissense,invitedtoengagein,whatwemaycall,‘ironic’

witnessing–amodeofwitnessingthat,seriouslyasitmaytakethecauseofrefugeesuffering,

remainsprofoundlysuspiciousofthespectaclesofpopularcultureandtheir‘ventrilocation’

ofhumansufferingthroughtheglamorousvoicesofshowbusiness(Chouliaraki2013a).

Remediation:Itfollowsthat,similarlytothesolidarityselfie,itiscelebrificationthat

catalyzesthenewsworthinessofthecelebrityselfie,too:thepresenceofCharlizeTheron,the

glamorouscontextoftheactors’galaandtheoccasionofaworldfamousculturalevent..Yet,

unlikethesolidarityselfie,wenolongerseetheselfieitselfbutaphotojournalisticshotofthe

actofselfie-taking.Whilethisisreminiscentofcelebrationselfies,theirrecontextualizationis

different.Ifcelebrationselfiesderivedtheirnewsworthinessfromtheestrangementofthe

migrants’digitalagency,celebrityselfiesarenewsworthypreciselybecausetheyrelyon

intimacy-at-a-distance:aformofmediatedagencythat,accordingtoThompson,maintains

thecelebrity’sproximitytoher/hisfanbase,throughthepara-socialinteractionsofmassand

digitalplatforms(1995).

Eachtypeofselfiewasconsequentlyremoralizedindifferentnarrativesofambivalence.

Whilstthecelebrationselfie,letusrecall,openedupnarrativesofcuriosityandsuspicion

aroundtheverylegitimacyofcelebrationselfies(whyaretheydoingitandshouldtheybe

doingit?),thecelebrityoneisremoralizedasastoryofbothfascinationandcritique.For

instance,TheGuardian’s(Feb16,2016)titleandsubtitleonthesubjectis‘Celebritiesdon

21

emergencyblanketsatBerlinfundraiserforrefugees’and‘Charityeventatartinstallation

designedbyAiWeiweioutragesBerlin’sculturesecretary’,whiletherestofthearticleis

aboutthe‘obscene’aspectsofcelebrityactivism:thethermal-blanketimpersonationsaswell

asAiWeiwei’searlierinitiativeofphotographinghimselfasadeadAylanKurdi.Incontrastto

thedeclaredintentionsofselfieactivism,itfollows,theimpartialspectatorofthecelebrity

selfienewsishereinvitedtofocusonaninternalcontroversyof‘our’ownpopularculture:

theinauthenticityof‘our’celebrityfiguresascommunicativeplatformsfortrans-national

solidarity,ratherthanthetroublingabsenceofthemigrantfaceacrossnewsplatforms.This,I

argue,isa‘narcissistic’formofwitnessingthat,whileitcapitalizesontheglamorous

voyeurismaroundcelebrityculture,itsimultaneouslyapproachescelebrityhumanitarianism

asaterrainof‘our’self-reflexivityforitsauthenticitydeficits,without,however,touchingon

amorefundamentalquestion–thesystematicmarginalizationanddisplacementofthe

migrant’sfaceinWesternspacesofpublicvisibility.

Indeed,despiteitsreflexivecritique,theimplicationoftheremoralizationofthecelebrity

selfieisthefullerasureofthemigrantfromthenewsnarrative.Ifearliernewsnarratives

reliedontheauthenticityofthemigranttoarticulateeitherambivalentdiscoursesof

compassionandsuspicionorapotentialforrecognizability,herethereisafulleclipseofthe

migrantasanagentinthecelebrityselfie.Inamannerreminiscentofbothcelebrationand

solidarityselfies,theimpartialspectatorofthecelebrityselfieis,thus,alsoconfrontedwitha

fundamentalambivalenceinwitnessingthemigrantface.Unlikethepreviouscases,however,

thisisacompoundformofambivalentwitnessing.Foritreliesnotonlyinthenews’gesture

toopenupaspaceofvisibilityforthemigrantonlytoimmediatelycloseitdown,asbefore,

butindoublingthisprocessthroughthespecificprocessofremoralizationitembedsthe

selfiein-aprocessof‘post-humanitariancritique’wherethemiseryofothersistakenupbut

onlyinordertoserveasthestagewhere‘we’debate‘our’ownpersonas,eventsandmoral

practices.Thisisaformof‘post-humanitarian’witnessingthatmayincreasethevisibilityofa

causebutdoesnothelpusunderstanditorhumanizeitsactors(Chouliaraki2013).

22

Conclusion:Theselfieas‘symbolicbordering’

InAugust2015,aBBCnewsstorybrokeout.Itwasaboutanadvertisingcampaignbasedon

selfie-takingbyanactorwhoposedasarefugeedocumentinghisseacrossingtoEurope.The

story’sfeaturedillustrationsofthesefakeselfies,pointingtosignsoffakenessinthe

campaignandreflectingontheblurringofboundariesbetweenauthenticandnon-authentic

refugeeself-representations.Whatissignificanceaboutthisselfiestoryisthatitistheonly

onewherethemigrantfaceappearsinfullfrontalview20.Itis,inmyview,thisimpossibility,

inourmedia,toencounterthefaceofmigrantsasstagedandphotographedbythemselves,

thatisasasovereignactofself-representationratherthanasforensicmaterialforthestudy

ofdigitalauthenticity,whichemergesasthemostsignificantinsightofthisanalysis.

ItisthisinsightthatIheredefineas‘symbolicbordering’:thesystematicelisionoftheother’s

faceasanauthenticandagentivepresenceinWesternspacesofpublicity.While‘symbolic’

referencestheselfieasatechno-aestheticpracticeoftheatricalperformancethatarticulates

ethicalproposalsforconnectivityasitcirculatesacrossplatforms,‘bordering’referstothe

geo-politiclaregimeofsecuritythatkeepsmigrantsoutsideWesternzonesofsafetyand

prosperity(Vaughan-Williams2009).Symbolicborderinggesturestothedoublingofthis

geo-politicalregimeontodigitaljournalism,asapracticeofthelatterthatconsolidatesthe

securitizinglogicoftheformer,byconsistentlyexcludingmigrantvisualitiesfromitsspaces

ofvisibility.Symbolicborderingcan,inthissense,beapproachedasaregulativemechanism

ofglobaljournalismthatisoperativeinandthrough‘our’newsplatforms,therebyalso

regulatingwhoappears,howandwhyinthespacesofWesternpublicity.

Themigrant-relatedselfie,Ihaveshown,produceseffectsofsymbolicborderinginsofarasit

selectivelyparticipatesinthecirculationflowsof‘our’newscontexts.Insodoing,itbecomes

embeddedindifferenttechno-aestheticconfigurationsoftheotherandtheself,eachofwhich

enablesdifferentmodesofwitnessingbetween‘us’and‘them’.Whilethefaceofthemigrant

figuresindigitalself-representationsofcelebrationandrecognition,itsjournalistic20http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-33764636

23

recontextualizationssituatestheseselfiesinambivalentandopen-endedmoralregisters:

empathyandsuspicion,incelebration(whyaretheytakingselfies?shouldthey?)ordoubt

andfear(areourpoliticiansrightorwrong?shouldweopentheborders?).Eventhoughboth

curiosityanddoubtmayberegardedaslegitimateconcernsintheageofmasshuman

mobility,theirfullyhegemonicstatusinthenewsallowsfornoothermoralregistersto

contextualizeandre-signifytheseselfiesforus.

Asaresult,neitherthetriumphofsurvivalanditspoliticsofhope(themigrants’‘notyet’),

northeirappealtoinclusionanditspoliticsoflegitimacy(themigrants’appearancenextto

‘our’politicians)haveachancetoemergeasvalidethico-politicalclaims,inWesternmedia.

Whatthesemediadochoosetoincludeanddebate,instead,iscelebrityclaimsthat

‘ventrilocate’themigrant,by‘speakingtheirvoice’inglamorousself-representationsof

distantsuffering.Theambivalentcontextualizationsoftheseselfiesbetweenvoyeurism

(‘hereisCharlizeTheronlookinggood!’)anddisapproval(‘itswrongto‘play’therefugee’)

granted,neitherargumentthematizesthevoiceandpredicamentofthemigrantcauseitself;

bothreproducethelocalconcernsof‘our’commodifiedpopularculture.Asaconsequence,

theremediationofmigrant-relatedselfiesinWesternnewsconfirms,whatArendthaslong

agoobserved;asamarginalfigurewithoutrights,shehasargued,therefugeeendsup

‘representingnothingbuthisownabsolutelyuniqueindividualitywhich,deprivedof

expressionwithinandactionuponacommonworld,losesallsignificance’(1998:302).

Symbolicborderingis,Iwouldarguefurther,morethansimplyaregulativemechanismthat

operatesthroughnormsofjournalisticappropriatenessandnewsworthinessaboutwho,how

andwhywewitnessinthenews.Rather,byselectingwhichfaces,bodiesandvoicesare

‘appropriate’and‘newsworthy’,Ihavealsoshownthatsymbolicborderingoperatesasa

crucialformofsovereignpowerthatdefinesthenormsofhumanity(whoishuman?)

recognition(whoisincluded?)andvoice(whocanspeak?)inourpubliclife;aformofpower

that,paraphrasingVaughan-Williams(2009),wemightcall‘bio-politicalsovereignty’.If,as

HannahArendthasputit,Westernpublicityisaspaceofworld-disclosingactionthrough

24

whichindividualsrevealtheirhumannessinthepresenceofequals(Arendt1976),thenthe

powerofsymbolicborderingliesinrestrictingpreciselythisfundamentalactofworld-

disclosure.Insodoing,itreduces‘our’spacesofpublicityto‘post-humanitarian’spaces:

ethico-politicalspacesthatmayallowforformsofempathic,humanitarianwitnessingyet,at

thesametime,thriveinvoyeuristicandironicencountersofmigrantothers,which,whilestill

claimingtocare,areultimatelyunabletomovebeyondthefears,doubtsandconcernsof

ourselves.

----------------------------------

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