Are Selfies egocentric individual acts or empowering forms of self-expression that build community?

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 understanding of bored teenagers sharing narcissistic tendencies online. Selfies have come under considerable scrutiny and debate – ranging from discussions about ego-centric acts to empowering forms of self-expression that build local and global community. (Theresa Senft – The Selfie Research Network – 2014).

Watch the following video for this assignment: Young Women, Narcissism and the Selfie Phenomenon
TEDx Talks. (2016, February, 18). Young Women, Narcissism and the Selfie Phenomenon – Mary McGill [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb2J5eDoFko

Descriiption:

Young women’s love of the selfie is often ridiculed in mainstream media as narcissistic and shallow. Speaking at TEDx Galway, researcher and journalist Mary McGill challenges us to reconsider these preconceived judgments, showing that when it comes to young women’s engagement with the selfie there is a lot more going on than meets the eye.

After watching this video, ask yourself:

Are Selfies egocentric individual acts or empowering forms of self-expression that build community?

You are asked to reflect on the fluid social boundaries of ‘egocentric’ and ’empowering’. Depending on context, and the social location of the ‘viewer” – different people interpret and experience things differently. This is the research question for your module assignment and needs to be included in the introduction.

For this module response assignment, you are asked to offer some background and context of the video (citing properly), posit the research question, and answer it in your submission. You must take a clear stance and provide a thesis statement, and provide evidence (three sources from the list with this assignment) in support of your thesis.

This submission should show argumentative writing, in which you are proving a point with evidence (which is logic based), versus reflexive opinion based with no support, evidence, or proof.

Your submission:

Introduction

Your introduction needs to provide some context and background of the research question you’re going to posit. You’re using the video I’ve provided to do so, be sure to cite it properly and include in your reference list.
Once you have some content/background, you restate the research question: Are Selfies egocentric individual acts or empowering forms of self-expression that build community?
Next – you answer the question Yes/No, and give a clear thesis statement that answers the question. Your thesis statement provides the reader – what the paper will argue (standpoint), how it will do so (support), and why it is important to examine (significance).
Your introduction should clearly layout to the reader what to expect in the paper. Don’t be general or vague – sometimes students do this as a ‘teaser’ for the reader, but it is not the style of writing for an analytical paper. For example, you provide your yes/no standpoint and say something like – “…and this paper will explore why.” <- this is not a thesis statement and doesn’t tell the reader anything.
Make sure your intro is set up for an academic analysis not a descriiptive report – analysis versus reporting. Use online resources to help you with your writing or use Brock’s writing services.

Body/Discussion

In the body you’ll have three paragraphs for your discussion component. Remember, you are proving your thesis or your argument in this section. Also remember that each paragraph is structured like a mini-essay. That means that it needs a topic sentence that restates your thesis. Each paragraph needs to thread together to prove your argument.
If you remember that you’re proving a standpoint/supporting an argument, it will help you to express analytical thinking and a critical perspective instead of just descriiptive commentary that reports facts. Don’t just report and describe.
Because you are proving something to the reader/you’re making an argument about your standpoint, you need support from research and literature to do so and to strengthen your claims. You’re not the expert, so you need the expert’s insights to support your assertions. This means that in each discussion paragraph you will need at least one source in support of your argument. There is a resource list provided to you in this assignment. Each paragraph needs to use a different source, don’t use the same article for each paragraph. You can use more sources outside of the minimum if you want/need to. Be sure to include everything that is cited in the paper in the Reference List.

Conclusion

The conclusion of a paper recaps the premise of the paper and thesis/argument – it’s almost a repeat of the introduction but much more succinct. You remind the reader what you set out to do and how you did it.
Your conclusion needs to include the ‘so-what?’ Offer some bigger picture insight into where do we go from here in the discussion of this topic

Resources List

*These can be found in the PDF Files Tab in Sakai & attached to this assignment in Sakai.

Fardouly, J., Willburger, B. K., & Vartanian, L. R. (2018). Instagram use and young women’s body image concerns and self-objectification: Testing mediational pathways, New Media & Society, Vol. 20(4): pp 1380– 1395.

Monks, H., Costello, L., Dare, J., & Boyd. R. E. (2021). “We’re Continually Comparing Ourselves to Something”: Navigating Body Image, Media, and Social Media Ideals at the Nexus of Appearance, Health, and Wellness. Sex Roles, Vol 84: pp 221–237.