The Psychology of the Selfie

The Selfie.

A strange phenomenon in which the photographer is also the subject of the photograph. Usually conducted by the subject him/herself because the subject cannot locate a suitable photographer to take the photo. 


Or, you know, the name of that song by The Chainsmokers. 

But as I was listening to this particular song about "taking a selfie" it got me wondering why people take selfies to begin with. 


I've seen so many selfies over the past (oh, I don't know) year and the phenomenon doesn't seem to be fading away in the near future. I'll admit, I too am guilty (if not then very guilty) of taking maybe one, two (okay maybe six) selfies of myself whenever I go out partying with my friends. 


What can I say? There is a certain appeal to taking a selfie. There's the obvious:


They are casual.

They are meant to be posed on a social media website.

They are meant to generate "likes" on Facebook and Instagram.

And they are meant to be commented on.

But according to sociologists and psychologists, the real appeal for taking a selfie derives from the fact that selfies are the easiest photographs to take.


Like. Ever.


Because when you really think about it. All you are essentially doing is holding your phone in front of your face and clicking a button.

And because our love affair with the selfie keeps on growing, we take them by the millions, everywhere from the gym to grandma's funeral. 

Every major social media site is overflowing with millions of selfies. Everyone from the Pope to the President of the United States. 

Recently, social psychologists read serious meaning into the selfie, seeing it as a positive mode of identity formation and an important way of presenting and reinforcing a personal image on the Web's vast social stage.

Other researchers read the selfie as an extension of modern narcissism. According to Cornell professor of psychology, Peggy Drexler, she sensed that "selfie subjects feel as though they're starring in their own reality shows, with an inflated sense of self that allows them to believe their friends or followers are interested in seeing them lying in bed, lips pursed, in a real world headshot. It's like looking in the mirror all day long and letting others see you do it." 

Yes, it's true that selfies reflect a type of narcissism within ourselves, but honestly no one really cares. And why should they? Everyone has posted selfies of themselves at one point in their lives on a socail media website. It's just bound to happen because our culture revolves around the easy capabilities of smartphones and cameras. In this day and age, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr provide potentially far-reaching platforms to broadcast close-ups of our faces, particularly the ones we deem fit for consumption by others. Or by Oscar nominated celebrities.

But there is more to the self-portrait than sheer narcissism. Indeed, perhaps the selfie and its wordless ability to inform an audience isn't quite as self-centered as we make it out to be. A recent New York Times essay by Jenna Wortham looks at the bigger picture of the selfie. "Instagram isn't about reality – it's about a well-crafted fantasy, a highlights reel of your life that shows off versions of yourself you want to remember and put on display in a glass case for other people to admire and browse through. Its why most of the photographs uploaded on Instagram are beautiful and entertaining slices of life and not tedious time in-between of those moments, when bills get paid, cranky children are put to bed, little spats with friends." Seen through that lens, the selfie could be an empowering tool that grants us a modicum of control (or at least the illusion of it) over our own ephemeral identities. 

But the most logical answer as to why we take selfies of ourselves (WAY before we even consider posting them to our Facebook wall) is the subconscious fact that we essentially have very little experience of looking at our own faces. Our perception of our own facial expressions comes from our sense of feeling our faces move. This lack of visual knowledge about our own faces means we have very inaccurate representation of what our own faces look like at any given time. This lack of knowledge about what we look like has a profound effect on what we think we look like. When people are asked to pick a photograph which they think looks most like them – from a series of photographs in which an actual photograph has been digitally altered to produce more attractive and less attractive versions – people are very bad at selecting the original photograph. 

This might in part explain our obsession with selfies. For the first time we are able to take and retake pictures of ourselves until we can produce an image that comes closer to matching our perception of what we think we look like. 

So do selfies actually help or hurt overall? Turns out it may be a little bit of both. According to The Huffington Post, a recent U.K. study found out that sharing too many personal photos – including selfie photos – can actually hurt our relationships and make us less likable. Lead researcher Dr. David Houghton said in the report, "Our research found that those who frequently post photos on Facebook risk damaging real-life relationships. This is because people, other than very close friends and relatives, don't seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves." 

However, some psychologists argue that selfies can be affirming, despite sometimes being more self-involved tendencies. Again, Peggy Drexler agues in her article: "Women, whether rich and powerful . . . or otherwise, increasingly have a healthy image of themselves. That's a good thing. Girls creator Lena Dunham is a big fan of the selfie, both on social media and through her show – which shares with selfies a confessional quality. On TV, Dunham's character often appears naked or in various states of undress; in real life, her Instagram selfies aren't necessarily flattering by typical standards. They challenge the "Hollywood ideal" and that, too, is a good thing, especially when size 0 celebrities dominate so much of the modern day visual barrage. The more we see a range of body types, the better."  

In other words, although the act of taking a selfie can come across as a self-involved act that plays into expectations of gender, age and social status, selfie-takers are not just subjects – they are also directors who are capable of sharing a greater message and artistic vision, just like a more traditional photographer would. And because that's the case, some selfies can diverge from the way women and men are typically portrayed. 

So let's be honest, we are obsessed with ourselves. In fact, we are so obsessed with ourselves that we were the ones who invented the selfie.  But our generation, the generation of "ME" isn't so black and white (Instagram filters aside). We might come off as narcissistic brats sometimes, but maybe we're just trying to get to know ourselves better via our selfies and the pictures that we take. Maybe we want and should believe that we already are beautiful people – inside and out. Everyone wants to find a purpose in life and the selfie generation is looking for it on the Internet. And who knows, maybe our version of soul-seeking can be found off from Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr and maybe one day we can find and accept ourselves for who we are without the Internet declaring what's good and what's bad.

But first . . .

Let me take a selfie.

Sources:

Psychology Today by Peggy Drexler: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-gender-ourselves/201309/what-your-selfies-say-about-you

New York Times Essay by Jenna Wortham:  https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http%3A%2F%2Fbits.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2013%2F06%2F24%2Fdigital-diary-instagram-video-and-death-of-fantasy%2F&OQ=Q5fQ72Q3dQ30


The Huffington Post by Ryan Grenoble: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/13/too-many-facebook-photos-study_n_3749053.html