Somewhere, the modern-day variation of the tale of Narcissus is being reenacted by a man or woman as he or she gaze at their reflections, consciously enamored by their looks.

Self-expression will always be a part of humanity, but the means of expressing ones individualism is constantly changing as technology is developing and becoming more immersed within ones life.
According to the Oxford Dictionary a selfie is, “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

The selfie has found a place in the daily life of the average consumerist, but what does this form of expression do for humanity?

Selfies, something we have all partaken in whether we admit to it or not, has not only sparked a frenzy of self-expression among the participants of social media, but it has also provided a means of social empowerment.

Manuel Pino, sociology professor at Scottsdale Community College, said, “One of the things that the mass media and social networking has empowered is individuals who are more introverted to come out of their shells, and I think the internet and the World Wide Web have provided that.” With the help of media, it has never been easier for individuals to reevaluate their confidence, self-perception, and to unite with others under one shared purpose.

A short film was showcased at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival that is breaching new grounds in terms of redefining society’s definition of beauty.
Sponsored by Dove in association with the Sundance Institute, “Selfies,” directed by Cynthia Wade and produced by Sharon Liese, is reaching out to women of all ages using the Real Beauty Program.

As the film depicts, mothers and daughters alike were challenged to refresh their perspective upon selfies, and to realize the true potential of power that was already waiting in their hands in the form of a cellular device. The goal of the documentary aimed to weaken society’s harmful standards of beauty by utilizing social networking in order to broaden the true meaning of what is beautiful. Those who partook in the Real Beauty Program concluded the film by conveying their recently discovered sense of self-worth, love, and self-esteem.

The film “Selfies” is not only a testament to the success that selfies can have in uniting the masses of social media, but is a new-age way of seeing and depicting beauty.

However, for a selfie to be intrinsically good and of worth, neither a call to action nor an attempt at redefining societal values necessarily has to be associated with the image. For some, it is a way of showcasing hard work and personal progress.

SCC film student Mark Silba said as of September last year he weighed approximately 210 pounds. Now weighing approximately 181 pounds, Silba has utilized the purpose of selfies not only to unveil his new self-image to the world of social media, but to cause others to acknowledge his hard work and dedication as well.

For some, the selfie seems to have minor undertones of narcissism, while for others, the general meaning behind the image evokes confidence – something we all love to have bottled-up inside of us. However, hand-in-hand with the good is the not-so-good and the potentially harmful.

The analytical thought process, the assimilation of thoughts pertaining to selfies – under the influence of the sociological imagination – was evidently underway as shown by the face and eyes of Pino.

As Pino said, it is likely that many organizations, like those who align themselves with the religious right or foundations of a specific religion, will find this trend ominous to the socialization process of young women.

From a parental perspective it isn’t apparent as to how one would control the explicitness amongst young girls, and whether or not the posting of these images would allow for other social problems, such as bullying, to occur.

Pino said, “I think the possibility of a dangerous outcome, as a result of this trend, could be the aspect of sex trafficking and sex workers. A lot of times these guys just spend their entire day on internet sites trying to track the identity of these individuals who make those types of postings. It depicts promiscuity, sexuality, so I think that could be a dangerous outcome – for young girls – in exposing the explicitness of the selfie. The other social structural outcomes is how can law enforcement, or other aspects of social control, control the process? It would be very difficult to do, so I see those as possibilities of other social, negative outcomes into the future if this trend continues.”

However, what about the rest of social media who aren’t young teenage girls but rather men who are trying to recapture their youth via Crossfit or cougars neglectful of their age? What threats do they pose to social media and to all of society?

Absolutely nothing. But if anything, the sort of selfie that is void of any direct or indirect rhetorical appeals are, objectively, the most effective at remaining true to the inherently meaningless origins of the selfie.

“There’s nothing here that causes me the least bit of concern whatsoever,” said Dr. Michael Valle, philosophy professor at SCC.

Appearing to be at ease and full of vigor while joyfully maneuvering the fruit-flavored candies out of a box of Mike and Ike, Valle said, “I don’t think selfies are going to have any particularly negative impact on society because it’s just a really easy and awesomely convenient way to take a quick picture of yourself with other people without bothering other people.”

With the rise of technology, the simplicity of portraiture has come to life and has begun to surround us on a daily basis. “Digital technology has progressed so rapidly that selfies have become a social norm,” Reese Byerrum, general studies student at SCC, said.

Ultimately, the perception of selfies is capable of being both a good source of unification among people as well as a source of degradation due to the possible looming social problems.

But all-in-all, it is merely a form of modern-communication that is capable of being abused like any other luxury. Despite whatever may arise due to selfies, the selfie will always exist as it continues to evolve with technology.