A flipbook on the negative and positive sociological impacts of selfies.

1. - The sociological impact of -
selfies
Presented by Sylvester Chiang
Photo by Dan Morris – Creative Common License – via Flickr

2. Selfie (also selfy)
Noun -informal
A photograph that
one has taken of
oneself, typically one
taken with a
smartphone or
webcam and
uploaded to a social
media website. Photo by John Keogh
Creative Common License
Via Flickr

3. Selfie won Word of the Year 2013
according to the Oxford dictionary,
earning the prestigious title along
with words such as:
unfriend
sudoku
gif
omnishambles
Photo by Telmo32 – Creative Common License – via Flickr

4. • 1 million selfies taken everyday
• 31 million instagram photos have been
hashtagged #selfie
• 91% of teenagers have posted a photo of
themselves online
• Selfies make up 30% of photos taken between
the ages of 18-24
SELFIE STATS
Photo by Jim Bumgardner – Creative Commons License – via Flickr

5. Some people feel that selfies are a
product of our generation, but in the
context of history, self-portraiture is
not something particularly new.
Photo by Roel Wijnats – Creative Common License – via Flickr

6. Self-portraits have existed
for centuries across many
cultures.
Famous artists including Andy
Warhol, Vincent van Gogh and
Jan van Eyck have all created
famous works of self-portraiture.
Painting by Van Gogh – Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

7. The Difference?
Nowadays with the advent of the portable camera
and smart phones and tablets, self-portraiture is much
more convenient of a task, being only a simple click
away. Social media also has changed the way we
share these images, since by definition, it is not a selfie
unless it is uploaded for others to see.
Photo by Abd Allah Foteih – Creative Common License via Flickr

8. With this rise in popularity and
prominence, selfies are creating a much
Larger
impact
on society than previously
thought possible.
Photo by Thomas
Creative Common License
Via Flickr

9. Selfies are often demonized as a
faucet for narcissism, gaining
popularity only by the merit of one’s
aesthetics. And in fact…
Photo by Camilla Soares – Creative Common License – via Flickr

10. According to surveys, 55% of adolescent
females say that overall, social media makes
them more self-conscious about their
appearance.
58% say that seeing photos of people living
more glamorous lives make them feel bad
about themselves.
Selfies are changing
the way people see
themsleves
Photo by Dia
Creative Common License
via Flickr

11. Selfies alienate
friends.
The University of Birmingham found that there
exists a “clear link between sharing self-
portraits and feeling of decreased relationship
quality among the poster’s peers”.
Photo by Zoomar – Creative Commons License – via Flickr

12. Also, based on a recent report by the American
Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
(AAFPRS), one in three plastic surgeons surveyed
received an increase in procedures due to patients
being dissatisfied with their self-images on social
media. As well, more than half of the surgeons were
reported to have seen an increase in patients under the
age of 30, which may correlate with the prevalence of
social media usage in the younger demographics.
Selfies encourage plastic surgery…
Photo by Julie Kertesz – Creative Commons License via Flickr

13. To that end however the report by the AAFPRS
only contacted 69 surgeons on Survey Monkey,
asking them if they felt like they saw an
increase in patients due to social media. Not
exactly conclusive results.
… apparently
However dubious the study though, the possibility still
stands.
Photo by Brian Talbot – Creative Common License – via Flickr

14. On the
flip side:
According to a body image survey,
65% of teenage girls are said that
selfies help boost their confidence.
Photo by Kevin Meredith – Creative Common License – via Flickr

15. Selfie Studies
Selfies also stand to have significance
in sociological research. Selfiecity is an
inter-university project created to
investigate the style of self-portraits in
five cities across the world, including
Bangkok, Berlin, Moscow, New York
and Sao Paolo.
Photo by Nicolas Raymond – Creative Common License Attribution 3.0 Unported - http://freestock.ca/flags_maps_g80-
world_map__abstract_acrylic_p2970.html

16. They measured
things like which
cities had the
greatest head tilt
to which cities
smiled the most.
Photo by John Ragai – Creative Commons Liense – via Flickr

17. Their findings included:
On average, men
who take selfies
are older
Women’s
selfies are more
Expressive than men’s
people in Moscow don’t smile
much Photo by Sarah van Quickelberge – Creative Common License – via Flickr

18. Alex Chacon also
spent more than 600
days abroad taking
selfies along the way,
raising money for
Children of Uganda.
Photo by Alex Chacon – via Youtube

19. SO WHAT?
So selfies
aren’t just an
act of blatant
narcissism.
They can
have a
personal and
cultural
impact.Photo by Chris Ford – Creative Common License – via Flickr

20. Next time just remember everyone
else is just putting their best self
forward
So feel free to do the same!

21. Sources Cited
“A new report says selfies are causing young
women to get more plastic surgery. Here’s why
it’s wrong.” Washington Post
“Selfie-esteem: Teens say selfies give a
confidence boost” Today Health
“The Good, the Bad, and the Unexpected
Consequences of Selfie Obsession” Teen Vogue
“Annual AAFPRS Survey Finds ‘Selfie’ Trend
Incrases Demand for Facial Plastic Surgery” PR
Newswire
“How Your Friends Really Feel About Your Selfies”
Women’s Health
www.selfiecity.net
“The Year of the Selfie” Media Bistro Nalini Prasanna – Creative Common License – via Flickr

22. The end
Thanks for
reading!