WITH MY SELFIE I CAN BE ME AND EVEN MORE: TOWARDS A FEMININE PHOTO-CONSTRUCTION AND PRESENTATION OF THE SELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE

Abstract

Indeed, selfie represents technological evolution in self-portraiture which embodies the flexibility underpinning advance in photography. Yet when attention shifts from selfie as technology to selfie as an interpretive construction of the self, it becomes clear that selfie is also an embodied enterprise of nuances hinged on the making, remaking and the presentation of the exorcized self in everyday life. Using Erving Goffman’s approach of life as a dramaturgical stage performance of actor’s before diverse audiences along with the qualitative research method predicated upon 40 In-depth Interviews, 20 Key Informant Interviews and 5 Focus Group Discussion instruments, this study identifies selfie as an enclave of four theatrical performances: aesthetic emotional construction of the self; an idealized reconstruction of the self; a communicative expression of self; and a validation-seeking presentation of the self. Ultimately, the social relations sustaining selfie as drama are rooted not in sociability but in mastery of smartphone photo-technology.