Self-Representation

Abstract

Self-imaging has become a ubiquitous part of global networking and selfies have an impact on visual culture and portraiture, since they challenge the aesthetics of self-representation. The differences between a self-portrait and a selfie are not solely in the manner they are produced but also in the way they are structured, distributed and acknowledged by society. A self-portrait is not the same as a selfie; there is a difference in their origin. The definition of a selfie, given by the Oxford dictionary, is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. While the definition of self-portrait is “a portrait of an artist produced or created by that artist.” The aim of this paper is to describe the way self-representation has changed in relation to the media, its distribution and consumption. In this case, the speed of the information flow does not allow for a long contemplation, the seduction of the selfie lies in the attraction towards the ephemeral and overexposed, the hyper realistic version of a person. The mass reproduction of objects, images included, is the trace of modernity; it has become a global cognitive process. Nevertheless, the postmodern legacy is the rapid production and disposal of stories and meaning. The selfie has served as an attempt to answer some questions about the changes within an esthetic experience, where time is important in order to discriminate diverse layers of significance.