Selfies
The documentation of events has been an important precept for centuries. From the Paleolithic
era, when life was documented through writing in stone, to esteemed writings on paper, like the
American Constitution, or the diary of Anne Frank, documentation is crucial to history. Today’s
form of documentation is through selfies. J Wortham claims that selfies are a kind of “visual
diary, a way to mark our short existence and hold it up to others as proof that we were here.”
Although selfies are a source of documentation, they are largely invalid because of their lack of
credibility.
Firstly, selfies are an invalid source of documentation because of the underlying emotional
selectiveness. A common argument in favor of the validity of selfies is that they capture happy
memories. While this is true, it’s also the problem. Selfies are taken in happy states. Rarely
does one say “1, 2, 3, frown,” instead it’s “1, 2, 3, smile.” This is emotional selection. Selfies are
largely only taken in joyous moments. This undercuts them as valid sources of documentation of
a person’s life because not all events in a person's life are happy. Humans are complex beings,
with a variety of emotions. Humans can be happy, angry, sad, confused, etc. However, selfies
fail to capture the full picture. In order for them to not have emotional selectiveness, they would
have to capture all sorts of moments with a variety of emotions within them. Compare this with a
diary, specifically Anne Frank’s diary. In Anne Frank’s diary, her emotions are felt and her voice
is heard throughout the book. This is not just because of her writing style, but also because of
the events captured and the way they are presented. Now, if her diary was to be replaced with a
book full of selfies, with smiles, a reader would be deceived into thinking that Anne and her
family enjoyed hiding when nothing could be further from the truth. Selfies are highly emotionally
subjective, this infringes on the credibility of selfies as a source of documentation when it comes
to the complexity of the human experience.
Additionally, selfies are an invalid source of documentation because of the common purpose
behind them. Largely in our world today, the purpose is exhibitionism. The most famous selfies
of the day are ones with the most likes on Instagram or X. They often include celebrities
showcasing unreal and inauthentic lifestyles. In other words, “it’s all for show.” This shows that
the intention behind selfies today aren’t necessarily documentation but moreover, exhibitionism.
While opponents may argue that selfies display proof of one’s lifestyle, the truth is that selfies
are a filtered version of proof. People will only see what the photographer and the subject want
them to see. Essentially, a selfie presents the most eccentric and interesting aspects of a
person, not their genuine personality. Finally, another common objection is that selfies are a
valid source of documentation because of their accessibility. However, this isn’t true either.
While it is true that selfies are easily accessible as they are taken with the click of a button, real
photos are taken just as easily as well; all that needs to be done is flipping the camera. Photos
are a more valid source of documentation, because of the often lack of preparedness within
them. More often is a photo taken with an unprepared subject than a selfie. The reason this
serves as an advantage for photos is because this increases credibility. The purpose behind
documentation is to know the truth: how did one feel when the photograph was taken? A key
delineation of this is the photograph of the migrant mother. Within the image taken during the
Great Depression, displayed is the subject of a mother who has migrated, looking for a better
life for her children. While she is met with hardships and obstacles, the photo is taken in a
manner showing personal dignity. In the photograph, it can be seen that the migrant mother isn’t
expecting to be photographed, instead it is authentic. Simply put, selfies are unreliable as they
are taken with an exhibitionist purpose, discarding the person’s genuine self, and comprising the
true emotions of an individual in their lifetime.
All in all, it is true that selfies are important. They give us happy memories to reflect on and
serve as proof. However, they aren’t a valid source of documentation because of their many
shortcomings.
