[ecrea] CFP: Studying Selfies: Evidence, Affect, Ethics, and the Internet’s Visual Turn

Studying Selfies: Evidence, Affect, Ethics, and the Internet’s Visual Turn



A special section of the International Journal of Communication (IJoC)



Guest-edited by:



Dr. Theresa Senft

Master Teacher in Global Liberal Studies

New York University

(Terri.senft /at/ nyu.edu)



Dr. Nancy Baym

Principal Researcher

Microsoft Research

(baym /at/ microsoft.com)





Overview



The fact that “selfie” was Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year 
for 2013 indicates that the selfie is a topic of popular interest. Yet 
for scholars, the selfie phenomenon represents a paradox. As an object, 
the selfie lends itself to cultural scorn and shaming. As a cultural 
practice, however, selfie circulation grows by the moment, moving far 
beyond the clichéd province of bored teenagers online. The rapid spread 
of camera-enabled mobile phones worldwide means that selfies have become 
a global phenomenon. Yet dominant discourses about what selfies are, and 
what they mean, tend to be extremely U.S. focused.



In this special section, we aim to provide international perspectives on 
selfies.  As an act of production, we are interested in why 
selfie-making lends itself to discussions featuring words like 
“narcissistic” or “empowering.” As a media genre, we are interested in 
the relationship of the selfie to documentary, autobiography, 
advertising, and celebrity. As a cultural signifier, we ask:  What 
social work does a selfie do in communities where it was intended to 
circulate, and what happens when it circulates beyond those communities?



As an emblematic part of the social media’s increased “visual turn,” 
selfies provide opportunities for scholars to develop best practices for 
interpreting images online in rigorous ways. Case studies of selfie 
production, consumption and circulation can also provide much needed 
insight into the social dynamics at play on popular social media 
platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, WeChat and Tumblr.



We are seeking scholarly articles from diverse fields, and a wide range 
of theoretical and methodological approaches, including: media studies, 
communication, anthropology, digital humanities, computational and 
social sciences, cultural geography, history, and critical cultural studies.



Possible topics include, but are not limited to:



Selfie as discourse: What is the history (or histories) of the selfie? 
How do these histories map to contemporary media and scholarly 
discourses regarding self-representation, autobiography, photography, 
amateurism, branding, and/or celebrity?

Selfie as evidence: What are the epistemological ramifications of the 
selfie? How do selfies function as evidence that one attended an event, 
feels intimate with a partner, was battered in a parking lot, is willing 
to be “authentic” with fans, or claims particular standing in a social 
or political community? One uploaded, how do selfies become evidence of 
a different sort, subject to possibilities like “revenge porn,” data 
mining, or state surveillance?

Selfie as affect: What feelings do selfies elicit for those who produce, 
view, and/or circulate them? What are we to make of controversial genres 
like infant selfies, soldier selfies, selfies with homeless people, or 
selfies at funerals? How do these discourses about controversial selfies 
map to larger conversations about “audience numbness” and “empathy 
deficit” in media?

Selfie as ethics: Who practices “empowering” selfie generation? Who does 
not? Who cannot? How do these questions map to larger issues of class, 
race, gender, sexuality, religion and geography? What responsibilities 
do those who circulate selfies of others have toward the original 
creator of the photo? What is the relationship between selfies and other 
forms of documentary photography, with regard to ethics?

Selfie as pedagogy: How can selfies be used as case studies to better 
understand the visual turn in social media use? How do selfies “speak,” 
and what methods might we develop to better understand what is being said?



Formatting and Requirements



To be considered for this collection, a paper of maximum 5,000 words 
(including images with captions, footnotes, references and appendices, 
if any) must be submitted by June 15, 2014. All submissions should be 
accompanied by two to three suggested reviewers including their e-mail 
addresses, titles, affiliations and research interests. Submissions will 
fall under the category of “Features” which are typically shorter than 
full research articles.



All submissions must adhere strictly to the most recent version of the 
APA styleguide (including in-text citations and references).  Papers 
must include the author(s) name, title, affiliation and e-mail address. 
Any papers that do not follow these guidelines will not be submitted for 
peer review.



The International Journal of Communication is an open access journal 
(ijoc.org). All articles will be available online at the point of 
publication. The anticipated publication timeframe for this special 
section is March 2015.





Contact Information



All submissions should be emailed to (ijocselfieissue /at/ outlook.com) by June 
15, 2014. Late submissions will not be included for consideration.





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