Ninth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

In this age of social media, selfies reign supreme. Perhaps their ubiquitous nature, particularly among Millennials and those younger, is what has caused their general abandonment as a subject of critical inquiry. However, through selfies we frame ourselves. Through aesthetics, publication, and circulation, they offer visual primary sources not previously encountered. And their inherent relationship to social media and big data comes ready with numerical and geospatial information that would make any data scientist giddy. Yet still, one might consider selfies in regards to the socio-political implications of their aesthetics, through the lens of such theorists as John Berger. We might contemplate selfies in regards to the performance of identity detailed in the works of philosopher Judith Butler. Selfies exist not in a vacuum and not by a generation of narcissists, but in the exploding intersection of the popularization of digital technologies within cultural history of portraiture. Viewing selfies within this context allows us to trace the affordances of selfie portraiture as popularized art form, cultural capital, engagement of a spectacle society, and symbolic communication. Couched within visual culture, cultural studies, and critical theory, this presentation will trace the aesthetic and use values of the selfie in the age of social media and big data.