Selfies are the new medium of making the “self” accessibly known to the world. With the rise of technology, it’s no surprise how almost everyone are so into this bandwagon of “self-expression”.
But the question remains, is it something psychologically termed to be a form of self-exploration? Is it something of worth in terms of raising our self-esteem? Or is it deemed to be some horrifying cynical way of one’s narcissistic self-projection?
Psychologists say that the selfie movement elicits a feeling of independence from an individual. It makes us in control, as we are able to manipulate the image we are projecting to the world at large. It makes us be, in the long run, “better”. Added to this, some even say, that selfies can be used as a medium in addressing self-perceptions. It aids in a way of molding one’s sense of self to the world. It is a catalyzed form of constant connection and reconnection.
However, in a philosophical light, selfies can be discussed in these two views.
(1) Could selfies be just a medium for the “I” to project its dominance?
Backtracking to the wise philosophical teaching of Levinas, he talked about the domination of I, in the Law of the I. Sure, individuals who invest in selfies say it’s for self-projection. Some even say they are capturing moments of selfies to be able to concretize connection and fully share this to others, and to the world at large. This would then mean it’s something mutual, something beneficial. But are we really investing it only for connection and sharing purposes for others? In retrospect, selfiesrevolve around the idea of egonomy. We concretize the parts we feel uncertain in ourselves, and indirectly seek attention or affirmation from the people around us.
(2) Could selfies be a way of escape? Could it be ones way of instant gratification?
Levinas also talked about the sinking feeling of il y a—the feeling of uncertainty, fear, horror, disturbance, disaster. He talked about how one experiences a state of il y a before one emerges to Being (Heidegger). Hence, would it be possible that man has found a way to “skip” this state of ilya, and thrown oneself into living that sense of Being?
What if selfies is a medium to bypass this? But please, don’t get me wrong. I still think that selfiesare far from the real experienceof actually living the essence and realness of Be-ing itself. However, it makes me think on the lines of “what if”. What if people categorize the movement of selfies as them already reaching that state of “Being”? What if by getting that attention, by making the uncertainties of themselves become certain, they are able to project themselves to the world better? But that’s where the problem mainly lies. They are doing this for self-gratification. They are doing this to invest in the “instant”. They are doing this all for the immediate moment. They are escaping that state of progression into Being. They are running from their experience of il y a.
In terms of self-image, il y a could represent those moments where in we’re unsure of ourselves. We are unsure of our image. We are unsure if our worth’s enough. We are unsure of our look. We are unsure of our confidence. We are unsure of who we are mainly—our placement in the world, our standing. But that’s just the beauty of it—the uncertainty, the dark moments, the indeterminacies.We have get through them, because it is where we grow. We energize. We exude.
After all,it is only in darkness, that we discover our light.
Well, whatever opinion one has on selfies, to each his own. But just always know how to capitalize on it with the right intentions. Selfies has his own perks. It’s a given. But just don’t let it eat you up—whole.
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To cap off this blogpost, here’s a funny article on how far one can revolutionize the selfie life.
Snap away!(?)
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