In selfie mode we have known the most casual side of the Royal Family, love stories like that of Gerard Piqué and Clara Chía have been made official or controversies have been unleashed like that of Carlos Herrera in front of the Bataclán concert hall, after the attack in the French capital.
The selfie appeared ten years ago and since then politicians, celebrities, athletes and social agents of all kinds have turned to it to gain notoriety or sell us their products. The democratization of the selfie happened quickly and today it is used both to flirt and to find a job. Because of him, some people shy away from his image or risk their lives; Others, however, thanks to him, find a way to make themselves heard. The selfie, which continues to bear the label of a narcissistic and frivolous gesture, is a much more serious phenomenon than it seems. One capable of empowering us and enslaving us at the same time.
Andrea Henry, the president of the Youth Council of Spain, took this selfie after the swearing-in of the Constitution by Princess Leonor
If we want to get philosophical, we could say that human beings have always taken self-portraits, ever since they stamped their hand on the Paleolithic caves. And if you want to be literal, the first person to take a photo of himself was Robert Cornelius in 1839. However, what we now know as a ‘selfie’ came much later. It was in November 2013 when the prestigious Oxford dictionary named it word of the year and, from that date, it entered our vocabulary and also our photo reel. The RAE accepted and included the term selfie in December 2018.
When ‘Snow White’s’ stepmother wanted to reinforce her self-esteem, she went to the magic mirror and asked her who was the most beautiful in the kingdom. Pilar San Pablo, doctor in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Valladolid, uses this story to define a phenomenon that was born together with the millennial generation.
«A selfie is a technological expression that is offered to us thanks to the possibility of having a mobile phone with a built-in camera. We observe ourselves in it whenever we want to ask ourselves how adequate or not we are,” explains the academic. She then clarifies: «But if the self-portrait is not shared on networks, that is, if it is not made visible, then it is not a selfie. Because with the selfie what you are looking for is a response from the outside.”
«The selfie is a technological expression with which a response is sought abroad»
Pilar San Pablo
Professor at the University of Valladolid
Faced with the apparent innocence and spontaneity of the first selfies, with the passage of time, famous and mortals, we have become more skillful when it comes to seeking that external reaction: there are already authentic repertoires of angles and poses that are repeated ad infinitum, the Selfie sticks and light rings are increasingly common accessories and there are plenty of tutorials on the best times to post on social networks and accumulate ‘likes’.
The mirror selfie is one of the most frequent categories. The possibilities are many: in the bathroom, in the elevator, in a dressing room, in front of the closet…
“We have become ‘community managers’ of our lives,” says Eudald Espluga, author of the book ‘Don’t be yourself’. “Our experiences have become ‘content’ that we aesthetically refine and adjust to algorithmic demands.” For this philosopher and cultural journalist, the selfie is more than just the testimony of a special moment and the context in which it appeared has a lot to do with it.
«The year 2013 coincided with a post-crisis scenario where, due to the lack of opportunities, the figure of the individual as his own entrepreneur ended up being imposed. We all had to invest in our personal brand, it seemed essential to succeed in the labor and sexual markets,” he explains.
Selfies then flooded all applications, from professional ones, like Linkedin, to dating ones like Tinder. Always according to the pace that Silicon Valley was setting.
Number of monthly active users (in millions) of social networks since their creation
Changes its name to ‘X’ in 2023
In 2016 they added Instagram Stories
Number of monthly active users (in millions) of social networks since their creation
Changes its name to ‘X’ in 2023
In 2016 they added Instagram Stories
Number of monthly active users (in millions) of social networks since their creation
Changes its name to ‘X’ in 2023
In 2016 they added Instagram Stories
Number of monthly active users (in millions) of social networks since their creation
Changes its name to ‘X’ in 2023
In 2016 they added Instagram Stories
At the beginning, social networks were considered a haven of peace and happiness, refuges where self-portraits with smiles and moments of euphoria predominated. Now, however, discomforts are also rewarded by the algorithm, this is what is called ‘sadfishing’.
Before announcing her breakup with Rauw Alejandro, Rosalía published a carousel of images with this cover photo in which she showed her sadness
Behind that photo with teary eyes or without makeup is the gesture of seeking compassion and support, but also something more. “What is intended with this emotional transparency is to confer authenticity to our personal brand, so that from the outside it is perceived as genuine,” argues Espluga.
A social and technological transformation
Taking into account the cascade of applications focused on visual language, the technological framework is essential to explain the selfie boom. The configuration of the algorithms has been key and to this we must add, for example, the quality of the cameras. The war between competitors to continue gaining megapixels continues: from the 1.2 MP front camera of the iPhone 4 in 2010 we have gone to 12 MP of the iPhone 15 in 2023.
This technological transformation (along with filters and interfaces) is having great social effects. Pilar San Pablo has studied the ethical and aesthetic implications of self-representation in the digital sphere, especially among young people, and is concerned about what has been coined as ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’, a disorder in which the affected person becomes obsessed with the physical defects she perceives about herself. Selfies retouched with filters can act as a trigger.
‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ is a disorder in which the affected person becomes obsessed with the physical defects they perceive about themselves.
Last spring, this debate was opened again when the Bold Glamor filter went viral on TikTok and in a few days had more than 16 million downloads. Users of all ages, including minors, have used it to see their features much more sculpted.
The Bold Glamor filter smoothes the skin and rejuvenates the face. The problem is making us believe that an improved version of ourselves could exist.
Unlike other filters that can fail if the subject is moving or touching the skin, the Bold Glamor, designed by Artificial Intelligence, does not show these weaknesses. The confusion between fact and fiction can be total and experts warn that it can alter the understanding of what a face is supposed to look like, something that could exacerbate mental health problems related to self-image.
“Years ago, plastic surgeons in the United States began to sound the alarm about the number of people who came to their consultations, not just with the reference of someone else’s photo, but with their own selfies having applied the corresponding filter,” he explains. Saint Paul. In Spain, cosmetic surgery interventions have increased by 215% between 2013 and 2021. The most common are breast augmentation and eyelid and lip retouching. Asked about the influence of social networks in the sector, 78.8% of those responsible for aesthetic surgery centers in Spain believe that it has been positive.
The figures for aesthetic interventions in Spain
There is an increase in
eyelid surgery
(26,640)
Profile of those who undergo aesthetic interventions
Source: Spanish Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Secpre)
The figures for aesthetic interventions in Spain
There is an increase in
eyelid surgery
(26,640)
Profile of those who undergo aesthetic interventions
Source: Spanish Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Secpre)
The figures for aesthetic interventions in Spain
There is an increase in
eyelid surgery
(26,640)
Profile of those who undergo aesthetic interventions
Source: Spanish Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Secpre)
The figures for aesthetic interventions in Spain
There is an increase in
Profile of those who undergo aesthetic interventions
eyelid surgery
(26,640)
Source: Spanish Society of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Secpre)
Another derivative of selfies that poses danger are portraits in inaccessible places that end in tragedy. They are known as ‘risky selfies’ and, according to a study by the iO Foundation, since 2008 they have caused the death of 500 people around the world. That is, one every ten days. In 2021, the average age of the deceased did not exceed 24 years.
Deaths from selfies between 2011 and 2023
Last update: August 15, 2023
Deaths from selfies between 2011 and 2023
Last update: August 15, 2023
Deaths from selfies between 2011 and 2023
Last update: August 15, 2023
Deaths from selfies between 2011 and 2023
Last update: August 15, 2023
Today, Spain occupies fourth place in this world ranking behind countries such as India, Russia or the United States and fatal accidents have been recorded in places such as the viewpoint of a castle in Benidorm or on a cliff in Girona.
Other purposes: power, control and denunciation
That’s it for the most extreme and harmful, because selfies also have their positive side. “We cannot think that it is only the expression of a lack of self-esteem or a compulsive need for external recognition, it has also been a tool for the empowerment of groups that have not had a voice,” explains Pilar San Pablo.
For this academic, groups and minorities that do not have an echo in the mainstream media can relate to their own image thanks to the selfie. They themselves choose the moment, the angle and the way in which to portray their identity. Many women, especially young women, have benefited from this ability to control their self-image to express their individuality and challenge the codes and language of traditional media.
Fu Yu, known as Mad4Yu, is a young Chinese woman who lives in Spain. On her social networks she publishes informative content and dismantles myths about Chinese culture.
For his part, Eudald Espluga explains that knowing the algorithmic dynamics also allows us to use the selfie for purposes such as protest or denunciation. «These days many people were sharing self-portraits on Instagram Stories after having uploaded content denouncing the murders in Gaza. Thus, the Meta algorithm detected the face and gave visibility to the publications, including previous ones. Among all its possibilities, the selfie can also be a Trojan horse.
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