Selfies: in the Face of Gender
Do men and women take selfies differently? How and why? JSC 224 class blog
Miriam Hamade, Mira Marini, Karen Zeeny
Social media is one of the many extensions of mass communication that impacts the society, public sphere and as well as shape, reshape or construct ideologies. One of the most influential commodities that have been created through and for social media is the Selfie concept. Millions of people around the world are enticed by posting their selfies on daily basis for different intentions of self-representation, esteem acquisition or communication. Selfies have become a priority for most of the population, mainly the youth generation who express their intents, needs and interests through this communicated 2D picture.
However, before attempting to conceptualise the culture of selfies, it is critical to understand the selfies as a concept itself. According to Kozinets et al (2017), selfies are digital images characterised by the innate desire to present and frame oneself in a picture to be shared with the online users, mainly on social media platforms. Significantly, due to the upsurge in the reliance on and use of selfies and its accompanying impact on the current cultures, it was given a dictionary definition. Oxford (2013) has acknowledged and included the definition of selfies as “photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” (Warfield, 2015). Therefore, one cannot deny the Critical role that the technology has played in the convergence 2D Images to a phenomenon. It is a method of communication between an object that has different actors of human and non-human response.
Senft and Baym (2015), highlight that the main current interest in selfies isn’t in its rise as a digital phenomenon but more in its dimensions as social and cultural practices. Nevertheless, despite its proliferation into society as a cultural norm and practice, communication theorists and psychologists are concerned with its psychological implications and its correlation to narcissism prominence. For instance, Burns (2015), highlights that the utilisation of a selfie occurs through three dimensions over the nexus of photography, gender and social media. More significantly, based on Foucault’s illustration of the selfies conception, it is the self-indulgence in a social process that is practiced across social networking sites.
The social capital behind the conceptualisation of selfies in the public sphere is different among men and women. Thus the main purpose of this presentation is reflecting on the differences in taking selfies between genders through highlighting the approaches and the reasons.
Selfies: Difference between Women and Men
The differences between male and female selfies isn’t based only on gender, but more related to social hierarchies, ideologies and intrinsic traits. In order to explain better these differences, this paper will highlight three main categories which are: 1- exaggeration versus triviality, 2- narcissism, and 3- body language and facial expressions.
In the context of highlighting the factor of exaggeration versus triviality, Burns (2015) study on the cultural and social dimensions of the selfies practice, illustrates that men tend to take less selfies with more exaggerated content that women. while women practice taking selfies as a trivial practice of self-presenting, appearance and self-indulgence. Interestingly, this impacts stereotyping on social media since men who tend to indulge in more selfies practices similar to that of women are associated with homosexuality.
Whereas, when narcissism is concerned, Kozinets et al (2017), highlights that despite the indication of narcissism being more evident in men than women, some suggest that women practice taking selfies for narcissistic approach of communicating with others. Moreover, Senft and Baym (2015), argue the selfies are self-empowerment practices rather than narcissism approaches and it is used to empower self-expression, communication and free speech. However, with accordance to Burns (2015), the viscous circle of understanding selfies practice in women revolves between vanity and narcissism, since selfie practice indicates that women are vain because they talk selfies but selfies demonstrate vanity since women takes them or are present within it.
Significantly, one of the major differences between men and women selfies are facial expressions and body language. Accordingly, Burns (2015) study suggests that the facial expressions which women use in the selfies capture are meant towards a devaluing sexual content where females are trying to capture the attention of males. Nevertheless, Warfield et al (2015), argue that women partiality cannot be conveyed as subjectivities of sexual content since the subjectivity that women are trying to portray depends on a multilayered meaning which should objectified, subjectively embodied and negotiated. For instance, Kozinets et al (2017) explain that women tend to tilt their heads by 150% more when attempting to take a selfie as an indication of expressing gender imbalance governed by expressiveness, moral decade and abuse. Furthermore, Senft and Baym (2015) explain the gender imbalance in selfies practice as images of women and queers of all genders tend to be more socially policed than those of heterosexual men.
In an attempt to explore the difference in selfie practice between males and females, a survey was created. The main goal behind the survey was to explore the diversity of values and purposes which selfies represent among LAU students and friends. It was created and published on Survey Monkey Platform where a total of 10 questions were included. Significantly, 31 total participants responded to the questions and the results provided a great insight on the gender difference of selfies practice.
The results demonstrated that 80% of the respondents affirmed that selfies are more practiced by women than men. These findings are correlated with the literature findings that suggest the prominence of selfies more in women than in men. Moreover, 77.4% of the participants confirmed that in their perception selfies are mostly shared on Instagram platform mainly and 44% suggested Snapchat. Interestingly, 70 % of the participants confirmed that facial expressions and body language are the most prominent differences between selfies according to the answers collected by the survey. Indicating that the answers are correlated and parallel with the previous research highlighted previously.
Burns (2015), suggested that males’ selfies are more exaggerated than women’s and that is mainly to demonstrate confidence and as tools of showing off. Significantly, the results of the survey support this. However, since female selfies are more prominent that male ones, there is a prevalence of different stereotypes on the perception of these selfies that vary between sexualization, confidence or self-expression, vain and showing off.
Understanding the difference between females and males’ practices of selfie taking go beyond social media platforms and interests. The research conducted highlights how mass media communication is impacting the society, translating its hierarchies and presenting the false consciousness of values based on pre-constructed ideologies where women are always in the front rows of criticism, where sexuality is undermined and although welcomed is in fact non tolerated. Selfies are modes of expression, communication and significantly tools of capitalism that are being exploited for profits and sociological impacts.
References
Burns, A (2015). Self(ie)-Discipline: Social Regulation as Enacted Through the Discussion of Photographic Practice. International Journal of Communication 9(2015), Feature. DOI: 1716 — 1733 1932 — 8036/2015FEA0002
Kozinets, R., Gretzel, U., and Dinhopl, A (2017). Self in Art/Self as Art: Museum Selfies as Identity Work. Frontiers in Psychology, May 2017 | Volume 8 | Article 731. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00731
Senft, T.M and Baym, N.K (2015). What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating a Global Phenomenon. International Journal of Communication 9(2015), Feature. DOI; 1588 — 1606 1932 — 8036/2015FEA0002
Warfield, K. (2015) Digital Subjectivities and Selfies: The Model, the Self-conscious Thespian, and the #realme The International Journal of the Image, Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2015, pp.1–16.
