I can so I will, now we must: a creative response to selfie culture

Abstract

Social Media and Online Social Networks have become increasingly integrated into our every day lives. Digital technologies have progressed from an extension of body to an extension of self. With this integration may come unintended consequences that we are often unaware of. Who would have thought that posting an update on Facebook or browsing your Instagram feed might have an effect on your well-being? The digital world–traditionally–is not a tangible one, but it is most definitely connected to the life experience of those who are part of it. This connection gives it influence, the ability to inform our development as individuals and as a collective. “I can so I will, now we must: A creative response to Selfie Culture” takes a deeper look at this phenomenon. Within this creative response, proof of a new visual language emerges. The users of Instagram are engaged in a universal self-defining system based on posting selfies in repeated categories. Explore the responses in this paper, which seek for ways to find new perspective and heightened awareness of our online activities. The final response is a reflection of knowledge gained from all prior responses. It is a physical interactive cube–controller–used in combination with a visual interface that incorporates aspects of haptic, kinesthetic, visual, and auditory sensory perception as an alternative way to view and interact with selfies. Knowledge is power. If you were more aware of how your interactions online can influence you, your wellbeing, and your sense of self, would you still interact with Online Social Networks in the same way?