Accomplishments
Looking Behind & Beyond Selfie
- Abstract
Technology has fueled the selfie fire. The young generation has been carried away by the selfie syndrome. Youth are looking out for creating their identities through the concept of Selfie. The need for getting approval from their peers is making the youth vulnerable. Some research studies have shown that excessive use of selfies indicated lack of confidence or sense of self which might make one a victim of other problems as well as some surveys indicated an act of empowerment for youth specially girls which helped to boost their self-esteem through the use of selfies. The researchers were curious to know what is it that drives youth to post photos of them every day or even every hour. So for this exploratory case study method was used to assess perceptions of teenagers towards the use of selfies and its impact on their self-image. The sample comprised of 20 students of 9th standard studying in SSC Board School at Vikroli.An open ended questionnaire was used for collecting the data. Results from the analysis included themes like peer imitation, conflict between external expectations and personal aspirations, entertaining as well as time consuming and some responses with mixed feelings were found from perceptions of teenagers about use of selfies and its impact on their self-image. This study provides a framework for future explorations of identity construction through self-presentation and social media use in a rapidly changing, communication environment. The paper concludes that there is a need of counseling of teenagers regarding not limiting their self-image within the boundaries of mirrored world.