Digital Expressions of the Self(ie): The Social Life of Selfies in India

The book explores the social and cultural role of selfies in India, highlighting their self-referential nature and their impact on social ordering, identity formation, agency, and spaces. It examines the themes of self-making, place-making, gender, subjectivity, and power through the digital selfie and its various uses.

Format: Hardback
Length: 134 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book delves into the intricate tapestry of the social and cultural significance of selfies in India, offering a profound exploration of this captivating phenomenon. Unlike traditional photographs, which aimed to capture an external reality, selfies possess a unique self-referential quality, reflecting the inner essence of the individual. Yet, this self-reflexive nature goes beyond mere introspection, as it reconfigures the very fabric of social ordering, identity formation, agency, and spaces in intriguing and transformative ways.

This volume takes a multi-faceted approach to understanding the construction and performance of the self through the digital selfie. It utilizes this situated, contextualized, and culturally specific phenomenon as a rich site to investigate the profound themes of self-making, place-making, gender, subjectivity, and power. By highlighting the specific contexts of production, the authors delve into the diverse range of self-expressive capabilities unleashed through the myriad uses of the selfie. These uses not only redefine the self but also reshape the spatial dimensions and the interconnected world around us.

As a significant study of visual social media culture, this volume offers valuable insights into interpreting the everyday media experiences of individuals. It appeals to students and researchers alike, spanning the fields of image studies, visual studies, photography studies, visual culture, media studies, culture studies, cultural anthropology, digital humanities, popular culture, sociology of technology, and South Asian studies. By unraveling the complexities of selfies, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolving dynamics of self-representation and its profound impact on society.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032694788