dannah boyd adresses in her blog post about the term, “super publics”; the notion of a newly changed public world constructed as a biproduct of a digital social life and its push for a certain information flow. She gets to saying that this new public is an alteration from it’s previous meaning by the infusion of the digital sphere; a place where time has little affect on the present that changes every reload, and audience members are unknown. Everything is understood on a public platform, we are aware of the Internet nature, and it is not something that we fear but appreciate. I do not however take selfies very seriously, but more for comedic relief. Although, I am guilty of my few on fleek selfies that will just sit in my phone as a beauty reminder! This past weekend, one of my favorite beautiful diasters took part in a commercial which was meant to change the way data is consumed. Kim Kardarishian West gave a compelling reason as to why everyone should switch to T-mobile, which was to gaze upon her many selfies of course! Daily life is shifting, there is always more information to access, and unlimited space for expression, broadcasting, and its affect, exposure. I do not however think this a bad thing necessary. Our world suddenly is more aware of anothers gaze, forcing us to behave in a more appropiate manner, because you really dont know who is watching. Photos taken 55 years ago display only one side of life by only capturing celebratory moments, it is kind of an unfair vantage point to look back on situations. Photographs now are able to document everything, because of the convenience of the smartphone. I am wondering now how many other parts of our culture are shifting because of this digital life and this partnership with technology; what ideas and habits has technology instilled in our culture?
I myself have been apart or taken selfies that in my opinion are worth all the shame I get for taking them. Most of these pictures are taken within the confines of snapchat, and are displayed only to a limited friend circle, which is 35 people tops. However, some of this pictures have been taken moved to another form of social media, most of these where only meant for my eyes, but they are too good not to share! The selfies in my photo library are obvious moments that should be documented.
Selfie with some of my younger siblings. The front facing camera is great in moments where you are the only one with a phone! This one I did add a filter on so I could post it to Instagram.
Selfie with the gals! We were about to in the water but first, Snapchat! #Snorkool
Selfie at the hospital! What a night. Midnight trip to urgent care which turned surgical! This was meant to document this moment of destruction.
Probably the most interesting selfies I have on my phone (besides the one I took through the hole of a Dunkin donut) are the ones I took with someone asleep. A lot of my friends do this is as well. If you are hanging out with someone, selfie with them. It’s kind of an unusual concept, especially since no one wants to have their picture taken when asleep, but we do it to others anyway. This act publicizes the vulnerability in a way that makes people even more vulnerable when they fall asleep seeing that they can be unconscious, but also be exploited and put into the super public at the same time.
I love taking group selfies cause they’re just super fun and a great way to remember moments, but when it comes to my personal selfie, I’m still really hesitant because of this whole “shame” factor that most of us feel when we take them. That’s why I find myself taking selfies that go against the norm of “I look hot today, so I’m postin’!” I definitely look like a mess in most of the ones I take, but it’s more for entertainment purposes and comedic relief as well. They’re usually of awkward situations I find myself in, and the reason I feel most comfortable is because I know it’s only being shared between a small group of people… at least I hope haha.