Abstract
This study explores the practice of “the selfie,” a self-portrait photograph, to understand what the selfie means to young adults. We examine how the people who take and share their selfies discover, present, and pursue their real selves and how this process is subject to social consumption practices. In-depth interviews with 66 young adults were conducted. Findings reveal three phases of authenticating acts in selfie practice: to embody, transfer, and use the self. The valued identity benefits that consumers obtain in selfie practice are identified; these are feeling connected, feeling in control, and feeling virtuous. Throughout the performance of multiple roles as photographers, models and users of selfie pictures, the young adults to take selfies reap benefits that are relevant to their identity projects and to their quest for their authentic selves.
Highlights
1.1 Introduce the ProblemSelfie is a new word that describes self-portrait photography, a practice traceable to the early 1900s (Wikipedia, 2014)
Three phases of authenticating acts emerged in selfie consumption and the valued identity benefits that consumers derive from the acts were identified
Consumers take selfies whenever they wish, they transfer their self-images to social media in the hope of maintaining or increasing the number of interactions
Summary
Selfie is a new word that describes self-portrait photography, a practice traceable to the early 1900s (Wikipedia, 2014). The popularity of selfie has spread since 2000 with the widespread availability of front-facing camera phones such as iPhone and Samsung Galaxy. Selfies originally were the photographs that people took of themselves with their camera phones. President Barack Obama made a news headline for his selfie with the prime ministers of Denmark and Britain during Nelson Mandela’s memorial celebration (Soltis, 2013). This President’s selfie signifies that it is no longer only limited to young people
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