Thursday, October 2, 2014

Self and Selfie

Topless Barbie Bathroom Selfie, With Assault Rifle, Pittsburgh, 2014

What does the selfie say about us as a society?   If I was forced at gunpoint to give a short reply, I'd venture that we're an incredibly insecure bunch of self-obsessed narcissists.  A longer answer would involve examining how we lost our sense of self to such an extent that we need, no DEMAND!, constant reinforcement from a variety of social media outlets.  I might also insist that the selfie means nothing.  Although, I don't believe that the selfie is nothing.  I believe that the selfie is the obvious point from which to examine the psychological fissures that are emerging from/through constant contact.  It's sort of like the phenomenon that occurs when you stare into a mirror too long and begin to suffer from the Troxler Effect.  There is an aspect of our psyche that cannot tolerate reflecting on our reflection (appearance), literally, for too long.  The selfie feeds into this desire to peer deeply, to gain some measure of reassurance of who and what we are, but there's no there there, and the next thing you know you're suffering from monsterism.

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