Perception.

The selfie is an arising trend that will continue to grow. It has really touched every part of the world with its popularity. The newest addition to the ‘selfie’ is the ‘selfie stick’ where more people can fit into one image and a deeper depth of field. The article from the BBC – http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22511650 – explores the ideas surrounding selfies.

A selfie isn’t a true representation of an individual. It is different to a self portrait where the individual cannot angle and adjust themselves to appear more ‘attractive’ or better looking. A self portrait is a more authentic exploration of an individual in an image whereby the individual has less control and therefore the inability to filter their image in comparison to a selfie.

Selfies have their place, as do self-portraits, where a selfie is the ‘less informal’ ‘beautified’ version of an individual. The self-portrait is a more realistic representation of an individual as it isn’t done or taken my the individual in the self-portrait and therefore they have no control over it.

If an objective individual was presented with a selfie and self portrait of an person they have never seen before their perception of the stranger would differ depending on the image. Whereby the selfie would determine to be more controlled and filtered to what the person believes to be their ‘best’ angle and lighting etc, where the self portrait would appear to be ‘layered’ and formal way of depicting the individual.

Perception can be explored further and in more depth when one takes into consideration the factors that influence the preconceived idea of a particular individual.