Brandyn Krampert
In Motion Staff Writer
Millennials have been harshly criticized by media figures far and wide as being increasingly narcissistic and self-absorbed in the digital age, in what is referred to as selfie culture, which is the practice of sharing photos of one’s self on social media.
The Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think-tank and hub for research, conducted a survey in 2014 that found 55 percent of millennials, people aged from 18 to 34 years old, have posted a selfie while the percentage for people overall in the survey was 26 percent.
Earlier this year, Ohio State University published a study in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences attempting to link men who posted their selfies to a higher rate of anti-social behavior and narcissism than the general population.
This is the furthest thing from the truth. Jessica Killjoy, a body-positive advocate has another perspective on the trend, “We share our pictures to show people that we are no longer afraid of being photographed, and that people of all shapes, sizes, genders, ethnicity and backgrounds are beautiful. Selfies are this generation’s way of coping with years of body policing from the media, our friends, family and strangers.”
The selfie has become a potentially revolutionary tool for ordinary people in the digital age to show their love for themselves. It has shifted who takes part in the conversation of established standards of beauty from the traditional media such as tabloids, newspapers, film and television to wider varieties of people without any needed qualifications. Anyone can start social media accounts or a blog.
And of course, people do get affirmation from posting selfies, wanted or unwanted, but why is that so bad? That’s not narcissism. It’s a longing for visibility, that we and our bodies exist and it can oftentimes create lasting online communities with people that we strongly identify with. It’s a longing that people in our families and people we happen to meet at different social outings like school and work may not satisfy.
In a changing paradigm of how people communicate with each other and affirm their existence because of technological innovations, it’s a chance for people to tell their own narratives.