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TEXT 1: Self-portraits and social media: The rise of the 'selfie' (BBC.com)
On the Internet, images can be shared with thousands of other people. Its immediacy - Look where I am! Look what I'm doing, what I look like! - is exciting. To some.
There's the high angle photo. There's the mirror self-portrait. There are posed selfies, with Bambi-eyes and pouting lips. And there are group selfies. The word "selfie" recently appeared in the Oxford Dictionary Online.
Emily Cook, a 22-year-old Instagram user from Lincoln, believes selfies elicit a feel-good factor. "It's always nice to document a good hair day, or an outfit you love". It is also, she believes, just another way to tell a story through social networking: "Instead of saying you're going to work, a photo of you in your uniform does that."
According to Dr Rutledge, we enjoy opportunities to experiment with different identities - and the selfie allows just that. "We all want to be able to 'try' on a new image and imagine how we would feel as that part of ourselves," she explains. “This is especially true for young people, at a stage at which they’re trying to define themselves. They’re trying out different personalities. With selfies, we see ourselves alive and dynamic, a person in progress."”.
According to recent findings from the Pew Research Centre, teenagers in America are sharing more information than ever about themselves on social media. Of those studied, 91% post photos of themselves online.
Selfie-taker Emily points out that her generation has forever been warned about internet risks and, as a result, she's careful. "I know the circle of people who see my images, and if any of them make me uncomfortable, I just block them”.
