Selfie Assemblages and the Aesthetics of Experience - Literature review Example

Selfie Assemblages and the Aesthetics of Experience (Name) (University) Introduction As the digital technology is becoming very powerful and portable, the means of self expression has also changed. In this time, to speak in the media involves things like tweeting, posting photographs and updating an individual’s status. These new forms of communications provide a new way of creating connections with each other. The selfie is a type of self portraiture that is created using webcams or smart phones and then shred to the various platforms of social media. The selfie phenomenon has greatly risen to become a visual vernacular that that seems to accent a modern culture that is obsessed with it. Media scholars have studied the physicality of the media and acknowledged that the digital media has migrated from stationery screens to mobile devices that are found in our pockets. De Souza e Silva (2011) described the sudden media migration as moving from the cyber to a “hybrid”. Selfies are becoming ambiguous because the amount of selfies that have been produced over the past five years are a lot, and they suggest that human beings are drawn to their images; this is further supported by many of the people who engage in selfie taking find relief in viewing them. New applications such as Instagram, provides a good platform for people to engage with their images than in the past. Selfies can be described as a photographic item that defines persons feeling in a relationship form. These relationships can occur between: i. The photographed and the photographer ii. The filtering software and the image iii. The users and the social software that they are using iv. The viewer and those that are viewing the image v. The individuals circulating the objects and vi. The user and the architecture of the specific software from the social media (Warfield 2014, p. 3). The ideology behind the assemblages makes selfies to be generally considered as a quotidian message with agency and co-presence to remind people that once anything enters the social media, it becomes part of the infrastructure of the digital public community. Items like the selfies that gain entry to the social media will always outlive the place and time in which it was produced originally. It is for this particular reason that makes the selfies to function both as everyday practice and as an object of publicizing how people ought to represent, share and define their behaviors (Wrammert 2014, p. 2). The banal observation realized from the wide usage of the selfie is conceptualized as a cultural aspect. Despite its obvious photographic provenance, little has been done to understand on the intellectual resource that is closely linked to the host associated with a selfie: photographic theory. In a way, this aspect is new, where selfie is described by its progeny of digital connections. Nowadays, the understanding of the cultural meaning of selfies is becoming increasingly as individuals and organizations are taking the selfie idea to extreme heights. For good reasons, most of the advertising agencies use selfies to depict one as a connected, young and fun individual (Warfield 2014, p. 3). Selfies have been closely linked to serious harms caused to others, such as the accidents resulting from the preoccupation of a camera in someone's surroundings. Selfies are perceived as ways through which young ladies show their delight in technology. Warfield (2014, p.3) showcases the relationship between selfie addiction and narcissism that is more of an accusation than a diagnosis. There is a moral panic with regards to the definition of selfies. As far as sociology language is concerned, the pathology-based rhetoric concerning selfies tries to bring into moral focus panic. Defining Assemblage Assemblage can be defined as an art by summing up everyday objects into a certain composition, specific objects within the composition may have a very different meaning be it symbolic or aesthetic in relations to the content of the whole artwork. In this case, selfies can be depicted to have different aesthetic or symbolic meaning to various groups of people or communities. Digital technology is becoming very powerful in this modern times, there is a change in self expression foe most of the individuals expecially the teenagers and the youth in general. For one to express himself to the media, the idea of tweeting, updating status or posting photographs comes in mind as a form of connecting to one another (Hess 2014). As a modern social practice, the selfie reminds people about the contradictory presence of hybridity, and as a way of expressing objects rhetorically. These selfies normally intend to offer interpretations and various cultural reflections. An easier explanation is that selfies appear as beacons of narcissistic culture, while a deeper understanding in selfies provides a view in the relationship between the self, technology, networks and materiality. Selfies occur in a very unique time in the history of human technology, a time that considers the multiple words that people inhabits (Hjorth and Pink, 2014), and the relationship between networks, spaces and self can be understood as the Deleuzian assemblage. Assemblage can be used to define the dynamic organization and arrangement of some heterogeneous elements (practices, structure, effects, enumerations and materials) that asserts a territory and expresses a character, this is according to Stack (2012, p, 152). For selfies, the assemblage concept defines a way of viewing the connection between the device, the available networks and the users overall relationship with this items. Weis (2005), tried to recognize that assemblages chose items from their surroundings and combined them together in a specific way. With the digital media being carried around in people’s pockets all over the world, selfies will always serve as enumerations of the specific assemblage within the technology milieu. Selfies are a constellation of a lot of heterogeneous planes that exists and conjure the self, machine, space and network relationship complexity. Assemblages will always link the related subjects through the networks and activities to a specific arrangement of technologies and materials to enable the production of good value, secure population and expand the human knowledge. With the digital manifestation, selfies are believed to portray the complicated nature of the social media and the material logics, selfies highlights the tensions between material and digital existence with each of these operating on its own assemblage, and they express the tangible materials around the individual to be seen as very unique places with opportune moments. Different Views on Selfie Firstly, some individuals view selfies as a very wrong way in which ladies use to express their delight in technology. The most understandable dispute made in contradiction of hypothesizing a selfie as acts of narcissism or vanity is that as a genre, it comprise of stereotypical youthful ladies showing their delight in technology (Deuze, 2014, 119). When individuals poses for selfies, whatever the event, it is important for them to become more accurate in the language than that afforded by the classical psychoanalysis when speaking people believe in, as well as the expected hope (Hess 2015, p. 18). In 2010, a Canadian teenager by the name Amanda Todd tried to commit suicide after being bullied by her the people who viewed her selfies, according to her detractors, her selfies appeared more to paint an image of her as a person with low self-esteem, narcissism and slutty activities (CBS News, 2013). Narcissism and Selfie Addiction In the second example, the charge on the relationship between selfie addiction and narcissism is more of an accusation than a diagnosis (Warfield 2014, p. 3). The main reason people judge those that are engaged in taking of selfies as being a narcissist, is because those that considers themselves as the “judges” have a poor understanding of the meaning of the word narcissism. As Weiser (2015, p. 477) argues, the primary reason behind this charge is that it serves as shorthand to reprimand individuals whose graphic self-depiction is viewed as the class. Despite the fact that there is not substantial information that can be used to offer support to the claim that the addition of selfies could be a social concern, there exist information that provide support to the argument damned-if-you-do not as well as damned-if-you-do rules associated with the visual display that applies to some social groups than others. At the equilibrium point, and women's images, appear to be communally policed when compared to the heterosexual men (Rutledge 2013, p. 1). According to most students and reporters the issue of selfies bringing up notions like narcissism and self-esteem, should be explained since they believe that science plays a major role in this matter. (Fox and Rooney, 2015), in their retrospect study, concludes that, that men who take selfies develop a certain type of traits through, notably theory social life that are regarded as normal functioning traits as a witness in Bowman case study (Molloy, 2014). The Bowman’s case study, for example, highlights a teenager who was obsessed to the point of committing suicide. Evidently, the adolescent is increasingly becoming fake and materialists with respect to taking selfies. Viewing perfect pictures of friends makes such individuals feel dissatisfied with their appearance, hence are compelled to enhance their looks in achieving unreal standards of appearance (Handerson, 2012). Moral Panic and Selfies In the final example, there is an Existence of a moral panic in the definition of selfies. As far as the sociology of language is concerned, the pathology-based rhetoric concerning selfies tries to bring into moral focus panic (Cruz and Miguel 2014, p. 140). Moral panic heightens when the youth approves a specific form of media, people of color, females, and the other marginalized individuals (Miltner and Baym 2015, p. 14). Selfies continues to threaten the social order as it raises the concern of who is supposed to take a selfie and the circumstances that are supposed to underpin such actions (Senft and Baym 2015, p. 12).In Australia, for example, a study showed that many of the teenagers engaged in social gender policing that always lead to the creation of a proferred image, they produced their selfies as jokes as to them the sending of these images and texts was as a result of flirtation and other forms of romantic relationships (Putt, 2010). Most of these teenagers resisted using the word romance as they believed that it was associated with the moral panics of the adults. Nowadays most theorists believe that the mode of image spectatorship needs to be updated; various factors like sexuality, class, race, certainty and education may change the spectator identification while looking at the camera. This upgrading will make it difficult to determine what the viewing experience means to different viewers. The images that are doing rounds online, the perspective multiplicity, becomes a lot more obvious. In this modern time, people can produce materials and distribute them online using the many to many techniques and court the viewer interactions. Selfie and Social interactivity Given that selfie are typically taken by hand held camera, it is usually visualized as the private life of the photographer. It is thought to form a high self disclosure of social media given that it is a process of communicating information with others. Evidently, self disclosure plays an imperative role in the social relationships. Self disclosure is a major contributor to the closeness and intimacy among divergent people as showcased in the interpersonal process model (Lee et al, 2008). Self disclosure is an imperative aspect in development of social relationship. Conclusively, it is clear that selfies have become ubiquitous as there is an upward trend according to big data analysis of the English words used daily. The mentions of the word selfie have risen more than most of the other words in the English language. Technology has played an important role in making this selfie idea phenomena, theorists should be more concerned about the effects of selfies to the social practices and cultural artifacts. Evidently, it presents divergent psychological changes to individuals addicted to its usage. As such, its preeminent conductor of embodies social change presents its kinetic image among the user of movements in digital-based technologies. References De Souza e Silva, A. (2006). From cyber to hybrid: Mobile technologies as interfaces of hybrid spaces. Space and Culture, 9, 261–278. doi:10.1177/1206331206289022 De Souza e Silva, A., &Frith, J. (2012). Location-aware technologies: Control and privacy in hybrid spaces. In J. Packer & S. B. C. Wiley (Eds.), Communication matters: Materialist approaches to media, mobility, and networks (pp. 265–275). New York, NY: Routledge. Drucker, S. J., &Gumpert, G. (2011). The urban communication infrastructure: Global connection and local detachment. In R. J. Firmino, F. Duarte, & C. Ultamari (Eds.), ICTs for mobile and ubiquitous urban infrastructures (pp. 48–66). Hershey, PA: IGI Global Hess, A. (2011). Critical-rhetorical ethnography: Rethinking the place and process of rhetoric. Communication Studies, 62, 127–152. doi:10.1080/10510974.2011.529750 Hjorth, L. (2011). Mobile@game cultures: The place of urban mobile gaming. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17, 357–371. doi:10.1177/1354856511414342 Slack, J. D. (2012).Beyond transmission, modes, and media. In J. Packer & S. B. C. Wiley (Eds.), Communication matters: Materialist approaches to media, mobility, and networks (pp. 143–158). New York, NY: Routledge. Cruz, E. G., & Miguel, C. (2014). I’m doing this right now, and it’s for you. The role of images in ambient sexual intimacy. In Marsha Berry, Max Schleser, Mobile Media Making in an Age of Smartphones, New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 139-148. Deuze, M .( 2014). Journalism, media life and the entrepreneurial society.Australian Journalism Review, 36(2), 119. Molloy, A. (2014). 'Selfie obsessed' teenager Danny Bowman suicidal after failing to capture 'the perfect selfie.' The Independent Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/selfie-obsession-made-teenager-danny-bowman-suicidal-9212421.html Hess, A. ( 2015). The Selfie Assemblages.International Journal of Communication, 9, 18. Fox, J., & Rooney, M. C. (2015).The dark triad and trait self-objectification as predictors of men’s use and self-presentation behaviors on social networking sites. Personality and Individual Differences, 76, 161–165. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.017 Miltner, K., and Baym, N. ( 2015). The Selfie of the Year of the Selfie: Reflections on a Media Scandal. International Journal of Communication, 9, 15. Putt, J. (2010).Community Policing in Australia. Australian Institute of Criminology Rutledge, P. (2013). Making Sense of Selfies.Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/positively-media/201307/making-sense-selfies Senft, T. M., &Baym, N. K (2015). Selfies Introduction~ What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating a Global Phenomenon.International Journal of Communication, 9, 19. Senft, T. M., &Baym, N. K. (2015). Selfies Introduction~ What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating a Global Phenomenon.International Journal of Communication, 9, 19. Warfield, K. (2014). Making Selfies/Making Self: Digital Subjectivities in the Selfie. Weiser, E. B. (2015) Narcissism and its facets as predictors of selfie-posting frequency. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 477-481. Wrammert, A. (2014). Selfies, dolls, and film stars-‐ a cross-cultural study on how young women in India. CBS News. (2013). Amanda Todd suicide: RCMP repeatedly told of blackmailer's attempts. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/amanda-todd-suicide-rcmp-repeatedly-told-of-blackmailer-s-attempts-1.2427097 Read More

Selfies have been closely linked to serious harms caused to others, such as the accidents resulting from the preoccupation of a camera in someone's surroundings. Selfies are perceived as ways through which young ladies show their delight in technology. Warfield (2014, p.3) showcases the relationship between selfie addiction and narcissism that is more of an accusation than a diagnosis. There is a moral panic with regards to the definition of selfies. As far as sociology language is concerned, the pathology-based rhetoric concerning selfies tries to bring into moral focus panic.

Defining Assemblage Assemblage can be defined as an art by summing up everyday objects into a certain composition, specific objects within the composition may have a very different meaning be it symbolic or aesthetic in relations to the content of the whole artwork. In this case, selfies can be depicted to have different aesthetic or symbolic meaning to various groups of people or communities. Digital technology is becoming very powerful in this modern times, there is a change in self expression foe most of the individuals expecially the teenagers and the youth in general.

For one to express himself to the media, the idea of tweeting, updating status or posting photographs comes in mind as a form of connecting to one another (Hess 2014). As a modern social practice, the selfie reminds people about the contradictory presence of hybridity, and as a way of expressing objects rhetorically. These selfies normally intend to offer interpretations and various cultural reflections. An easier explanation is that selfies appear as beacons of narcissistic culture, while a deeper understanding in selfies provides a view in the relationship between the self, technology, networks and materiality.

Selfies occur in a very unique time in the history of human technology, a time that considers the multiple words that people inhabits (Hjorth and Pink, 2014), and the relationship between networks, spaces and self can be understood as the Deleuzian assemblage. Assemblage can be used to define the dynamic organization and arrangement of some heterogeneous elements (practices, structure, effects, enumerations and materials) that asserts a territory and expresses a character, this is according to Stack (2012, p, 152).

For selfies, the assemblage concept defines a way of viewing the connection between the device, the available networks and the users overall relationship with this items. Weis (2005), tried to recognize that assemblages chose items from their surroundings and combined them together in a specific way. With the digital media being carried around in people’s pockets all over the world, selfies will always serve as enumerations of the specific assemblage within the technology milieu. Selfies are a constellation of a lot of heterogeneous planes that exists and conjure the self, machine, space and network relationship complexity.

Assemblages will always link the related subjects through the networks and activities to a specific arrangement of technologies and materials to enable the production of good value, secure population and expand the human knowledge. With the digital manifestation, selfies are believed to portray the complicated nature of the social media and the material logics, selfies highlights the tensions between material and digital existence with each of these operating on its own assemblage, and they express the tangible materials around the individual to be seen as very unique places with opportune moments.

Different Views on Selfie Firstly, some individuals view selfies as a very wrong way in which ladies use to express their delight in technology. The most understandable dispute made in contradiction of hypothesizing a selfie as acts of narcissism or vanity is that as a genre, it comprise of stereotypical youthful ladies showing their delight in technology (Deuze, 2014, 119). When individuals poses for selfies, whatever the event, it is important for them to become more accurate in the language than that afforded by the classical psychoanalysis when speaking people believe in, as well as the expected hope (Hess 2015, p. 18).

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