The selfie can be distinguished from other photographs of which it is a portray of the photographer and usually taken from smartphone and uploaded to social media website. Selfie is no need for photography theory.
From my perspective, the selfie is an evidence of oneself being part of events or social communities. It enables photographer to be with the photographed objects in the picture. Due to this digital technology of the smartphone, the composition is no longer referring to the arrangement of elements but now it refers to the act of posing together (Frosh, 2015). It is a ‘gestural image’ or ‘kinetic image’ that embodies kinaesthetic sociability (Frosh, 2015).
In the same way, the photography is a ‘mirror with a memory’ (Holmes,1980, p.74), selfies are doing to the same function but more powerful. It is a reflection. Holding smartphone is as if holding the pocket mirror. Although to make a selfie, it can be limited only in the frame of the viewed at arm’s length. However, the position of arms can function as the pointing finger to draw attention to the photographer. It shows photographer’s identical as an image. Due to this, selfies are used as the representative of people identity. Selfies promote the identity of sociability. The more uploading, the more showing social activities that photographers have attended. Furthermore, selfies are uploaded on social media sites usually referred to the present context. It connects to the deictic words which refer to ‘look’, ‘see’, ‘here it is’ (Frosh, 2015).
Bibliography
Frosh, P., 2015. Selfies| The Gestural Image: The Selfie, Photography Theory, and Kinesthetic Sociability. International journal of communication, 9, p.22.
Holmes, O. W. (1980) The stereoscope and the stereograph. In A. Trachtenberg (Ed.), Classic essays on photography (pp. 71–82). New Haven, CT: Leete’s Island Books. (Original work published 1859).
Communication and Culture: Theories and Approaches 