This week, I’ve been thinking about the individual and the self and what is being portrayed by individuals to show others their uniqueness. As our first assessment task is a ‘self portrait’, I’ve started to realise the way people, through media, convey their own self portrait. I also consider whether the way the modern person communicates this is an entirely genuine representation of themselves.

Most people have Facebook profiles these days which, you could say, paint a portrait of themselves to the public. It tells people (although a limited number) a lot more than their name and what they look like. Even by subtle ways an individual portrays them on a social network platforms shows a lot about the type of person they are. I believe, however, that the intention behind what people post about themselves doesn’t truly represent themselves. Using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even Snapchat we seem to portray images of perfection and happiness which do not wholey convey a ‘self-portrait’.

Very often a number of pictures or tags appear that show a happy group of teenage girls – always going out together, always wearing nice clothes and always always happy. However, this seems to be a facade put front to the public or people they consider friends or even followers. For, as you dig deeper beneath the surface and figure out the reality of how the girls act and feel about each other, the way they have portrayed themselves in completely made up. I think this is what really shows the difference between portrait as an art form and portrait as a Facebook page.