The Selfer, Personality in a Virtual Paradigm

Abstract

In view of the emerging behaviors facilitated by digital innovations, this article proposes an insight of the development of identity in the virtual paradigm. The task is to inscribe the selfie phenomenon in an exploratory manner within a pertinent theoretical framework that allows apprehending its aspects in terms of value and relationships. Using a qualitative ethnomethodology (Semantic Analysis Based on Images), it’s sought to locate certain narrative of the body in a context of interdisciplinary exchange in relation to a hypothetical category; namely the Selfer. Compiled sources derived from psychoanalysis, psychology, sociology, cybernetics etc. offer to inscribe these new phenomena into theories of mediation and the Subject. The ethnomethodology employed here considers selfie-narrative as a deployment of the body image. The interest lies in understanding motivations and consequences as individuals and societies through discursive consciousness. A group of three components were derived from the collected data: Self, The Ideal Virtual Collective Self (IVCS) and the Symptom. The results are presented as a narrative analysis of the participants’ discourse. This study considers selfies as trans-aesthetic objects with notable elicitation of self-impressions, based on a critical analysis of the participants’ testimonies. The findings of this study are relevant in a social context in terms of exploring the effect of selfies on mental health, psycho-dynamics and semiology.