Bachelor project - The selfie social media
The main theme of both my thesis and my project, a 3D animation video, was to provide general information about selfies on social media. Starting with the origin and development of the selfie itself, I then explored what influence selfies can have on their users on social media. These include factors such as pressure, gender norms and expectations. In my thesis, however, I delved even further into the topic and looked into the myth of narcissism and the question of whether selfies can be equated with it.
For this project I began modeling the required objects in Blender. I then inserted them into the correct positions and started the animation process. Lights and colors were assigned and finally I rendered everything. Afterwards I inserted the individual images into Davici Resolve, a video editing program. Adding and adjusting the recorded sounds, at last my video was finished.
The video starts with the origin story, which shows the beginning and development of the selfie.
After that examples are shown, somewhat exaggerated to indicate possible events or side effects of selfies on social media.
Social media users have the opportunity to build a digital identity.
Self-expression is nothing new. It comes in multiple forms and can go as far back as cave paintings, self-portraits, photographs, diaries and autobiographies.
The first published post with the word selfie comes from Nathan Hope. Hope, who’s online name is Hopey didn't invent the word. The suffix -ie is a popular term in Australia for abbreviating words, thus explaining his Username (=Hope +ie).
2013 – Oxford English Dictionary. The word selfie went from slang to an official, common abbreviation.
Effort and expectation. Neither taking a picture spontaneously, nor spending hours to get the perfect picture guarantees success. Just because you put effort into taking a photo doesn't necessarily mean it will be seen.
Duality of the asymmetric network. Almost all of our social networks today are asymmetrical networks. Users don't have to follow others to see their content.
Side effect: A large number of friends, followers and likes shows popularity. A kind of hierarchy of profiles emerges.
Recognition and feedback. The ability to mark a profile e.g. with a symbol, which often means that the person is recognized as a more highly respected public figure, such as influencers.
Side effect: For example, gender-specific enticing selfies could be used to gain popularity more quickly.
The risk of imitation is particularly great among younger people, especially those who want to keep up with their peers.
Reach and responsibility. With reach comes a kind of responsibility. A parasocial relationship between the influencer and the audience arises. Influencers can influence actions from their audience.
Sponsored posts can easily become commissioned works. Influencers engage, build values and brands dedicated to specific groups in society. Even Selfies can turn into a salable commodity that exploits online social networks.
The full video