Nude heritage selfies as a visual practice

In the mid-2010s, the media reported a series of disturbances at heritage sites caused by visitors taking nude self-photographs or selfies. In this article, nude selfies are analysed as a visual practice, and it is discussed what they reveal about visually structured tourist encounters with heritage sites. It is argued that nude heritage selfies continue the practice of old European art visually linking nudity, heritage, and tourism. In fact, many of the violations that the visitors taking such selfies are accused of are relevant for the whole practice of global tourism. Consequently, nude heritage selfies allow discussions of broader cultural and social problems related to global heritage tourism.publishedVersio

Selfie expectancies among adolescents: Construction and validation of an instrument to assess expectancies toward selfies among boys and girls

Selfie-taking and posting is one of the most popular activities among teenagers, an important part of online self-presentation that is related to identity issues and peer relations. The scholarly literature emphasizes different yet conflicting motivations for selfie-behavior, stressing deeper analysis of psychological factors and the influence of gender and age. Expectancies are “explanatory device[s]” that can help us study adolescent behavior. However, no instruments have been devised that specifically explore the expectations teenagers have about selfies and their influence on selfie-frequency. The current study proposes a short and reliable instrument to identify teen expectancies about selfie-behavior. This instrument was validated using a sample of 646 Italian adolescents (14 to 19 years old) by means of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). We also explore the relationship between selfie expectancies and selfie-frequency, as well as the role of gender in shaping selfies. Our results point toward a 7-factor model that characterizes expectations toward selfies as a multi-dimensional construct linked to both positive and negative perceptions of the nature and consequences of selfies. The overall model fitted the data sufficiently (χ2 = 5067.051, p 0.0000; CFI = 0.962; TLI = 0.954; RMSEA ≤ 0.05: 0.035; SRMR = 0.046), showing an adequate reliability of the scale (α = 0.830). Bivariate correlations between selfie expectancies and selfie-frequency (r = 0.338, p < 0.001) confirmed the convergent validity of the tool. Selfie-sharing is a common practice that is widespread among the participants in this study. Self-promotion represents a positive function of selfies. Selfies promote self-presentation and self-confidence, both in boys and girls. Moreover, selfie expectancies address sexual self-attractiveness, especially among boys. Despite the positive aspects of selfies, our results stress adolescent awareness of the negative consequences of this type of web-exposure. This is especially true among girls, whose selfie-behavior is, paradoxically, more frequent than boys. Self-management through selfie-posting is a positive outcome of selfie-behavior that plays a key role among adolescents, even though the dangers of manipulating selfies in order to garner approval from one’s peers need to be considered. The positive psychometric properties of the measure point toward the need for further research on both generalized and specific selfie-behaviors

Semi&#243;tica de la selfie

This article is written in the first person, but maintains that, in order to understand the meaning of a selfie, it is necessary to articulate different levels of analysis. First, we must differentiate between the meaning of the practice of taking selfies and the meaning of selfies themselves as images. In addition, we must consider that there are selfies whose nature is hidden in the communication of these images (crypto-selfies), as well as there are images that circulate as selfies but that are actually not such from the point of view of their empirical production (pseudo-selfies). There are, then, crypto-selfies, pseudo-selfies, and even meta-selfies, that is, representations of social contexts in which selfies are taken (the latter subgenre, as we will see, is widely used by politicians). The practice of taking selfies and the images it produces give rise to meanings that can be distributed according to the famous hermeneutical tripartition formulated by Umberto Eco. In selfies there is an intentio auctoris, that is, a meaning that the subject wants to express in a more or less conscious manner through this photographic format and its content; then there is an intentio lectoris, that is, the meaning that emerges from a selfie or a set of selfies when an audience observes and interprets them; but there is also an intentio operis of the selfie, that is, a meaning that this practice, its format, and the texts it produces implicitly entails within the framework of the history of culture and especially in the structure of the current semiosphere.Este artículo está escrito en primera persona, pero sostiene que, para comprender el sentido de una selfie, hace falta articular distintos niveles de análisis. Primero, hay que diferenciar entre el sentido de la práctica misma de tomarse selfies y el sentido de las selfies mismas como imágenes. Además, hay que considerar que hay selfies cuya naturaleza de selfie se oculta en la comunicación de estas imágenes (cripto-selfies), así como hay imágenes que circulan como selfies pero que en verdad no lo son desde el punto de vista de su producción empírica (pseudo-selfies). Hay, entonces, cripto-selfies, pseudo-selfies, e incluso meta-selfies, es decir, representaciones de contextos sociales en los que se sacan selfies (este último sub-género, como veremos, es muy utilizado por los políticos). La práctica de sacarse selfies y las imágenes que produce dan lugar a sentidos que se pueden distribuir según la famosa tripartición hermenéutica formulada por Umberto Eco. En las selfies hay una intentio auctoris, o sea un sentido que el sujeto quiere expresar de manera más o menos consciente a través de este formato fotográfico y de su contenido; luego hay una intentio lectoris, o sea el sentido que se desprende de una selfie o de un conjunto de selfies cuando sean observadas e interpretadas por un público; pero incluso hay una intentio operis de la selfie, o sea, un sentido que esta práctica, su formato, y los textos que producen implícitamente conllevan en el marco de la historia de la cultura y sobre todo en la estructura de la semiosfera actual

Space, place, and the self: reimagining selfies as thirdspace

The rise of digital and visual communication has brought an increased focus to the places that people occupy. While places are created through various meaning-making processes, one way of establishing the meaning of a place is by inserting oneself into spaces by taking selfies. The places depicted in selfies may reflect a desire to associate oneself with the place, to make a statement challenging that place or the dominant meaning associated with it, or to create new meaning concerning the place and the self. Drawing on the concepts of Thirdspace and heterotopias, we proffer a framework for the practice of taking and sharing selfies that depict a place. We argue that people colonize points in space to reproduce, counter, or mix the meanings of places. People then both draw from and contribute to the construction of places and are motivated to “place” themselves to provide alternative or personalized perspectives of these places but also to represent their self.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Selfies at the border: a terror management reading

© 2020 The Author. Published by Liminalities. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: http://liminalities.net/16-2/selfies.pdfThis article investigates selfies as a cultural practice, examining the innate agency in selfie taking, positioning selfies as a form of resistance. The analysis considers the way Syrian refugees are framing themselves and are being framed, in a variety of photographic images depicting “Europe’s migration crisis” (Crawley and Skleparis). Through an application of Ernest Becker’s discourse on the ‘terror of death’, which is the basis of the social psychology concept of terror management theory, the research asserts the significance of participation and composition in selfies. It questions both literal and conceptual framings of these images and interrogates the ethics of recognisability and response in relation to the multiple frames of conception through which we view and interpret human life

Evolutionary Multi-Objective Design of SARS-CoV-2 Protease Inhibitor Candidates

Computational drug design based on artificial intelligence is an emerging research area. At the time of writing this paper, the world suffers from an outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. A promising way to stop the virus replication is via protease inhibition. We propose an evolutionary multi-objective algorithm (EMOA) to design potential protease inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2's main protease. Based on the SELFIES representation the EMOA maximizes the binding of candidate ligands to the protein using the docking tool QuickVina 2, while at the same time taking into account further objectives like drug-likeliness or the fulfillment of filter constraints. The experimental part analyzes the evolutionary process and discusses the inhibitor candidates.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, submitted to PPSN 202

Young People and Digital Intimacies. What is the evidence and what does it mean? Where next?

The digital age makes new forms of connection possible, enabling ‘digital intimacies’ including the many practices of communicating, producing and sharing intimate content (‘sexting’; selfies; making, viewing and circulating sexual content; using hook-up apps; and searching online for advice about sex). Where young people engage in digital intimacies, policymakers have tended to respond with alarm and commissioned research premised on demonstrating negative outcomes. Young people’s take up of technologies is contrasted with previous generations and ideas of ‘healthy’, ‘natural’ and ‘normal’ sexual development which ignores and marginalises diversity of sexuality and sexual expression, and leads to campaigns that seek to supervise and regulate youth sexuality. This in turn results in legislation and censorship with consequences including blocking websites for sexual abuse support and sexual education. The government has suspended introduction of Age Verification for pornographic websites but is pressing ahead with its ‘Online Harms’ White Paper which plans for broader and more comprehensive regulatory frameworks in the interests of protecting children and young people in online spaces. The UK government has positioned itself as a world leader in developing new regulatory approaches to tackle online harms but the evidence base for those approaches is neither robust nor nuanced enough to respond to the increasing mediatisation of everyday life and sexual identity. This briefing advocates for a broader recognition of young people’s investments in digital intimacies, acknowledging what growing up and learning about sex in the digital age means for young people in order to inform future policy and practice. Policies that are informed by robust research and understandings that accommodate the nuanced practices of digital intimacy will provide the support that young people need and deserve as they navigate their media lives, develop awareness of ethical and unethical behaviour, and what is right for them

Selfie for Attention: Practice of Hijab Selfie on Instagram

This paper studies digital self-portraiture (the ‘Selfie’), a social phenomenon and part of modern life. The Selfiecity research project (2014) demonstrates that selfies are mostly done by women. However, there is little research related to the so-called ‘hijab selfie’. Hijabed women deal with the tension between religious norms and their desire to be recognized. This paper considers the practice of hijab selfies using Foucault’s concept, technologies of the self. This study also applies Theo van Leeuwen’s social semiotics. This study is based on the compilation account @jilbab_chantik, an active account with more than 39,000 followers. Instagram is considered a space to celebrate the freedom of self-representation. Attention is indicated by the number of likes, comments, and increasing follower numbers. This compilation account @jilbab_chantik facilitates the desire of hijab women to add followers attaining their desire for recognition. Keywords: Hijab Selfie, Instagram, Practice, Desire, Attentio

"Why can't I take a full-shot of myself? Of course I can!" Studying selfies as socio-technological affective practices

This article studies selfie-production as a socio-technological affective practice, bringing attention to a new and largely unstudied type of selfies, private selfies. Discussing an example of five Finnish women's experiences with a body positive #righttobeseen campaign, the article argues for selfie scholarship to move beyond analyses of representation and image-sharing on social media platforms, if it is to understand selfies' diverse role in selfie-takers' lives. The article offers an analytical schema for studying selfies as socio-technological affective practices, combining the method of interview studies with affect theory and examination of selfies' socio-technological underpinnings

How HEXACO personality traits predict different selfie-posting behaviors among adolescents and young adults

Selfies are usually defined as self-portrait photos shared on social networks. Recent studies investigated how personality traits, and specifically narcissism, can be associated to different kinds of selfies. The HEXACO model, a new theory on personality structure, investigates personality on six dimensions, among which there is the Honesty/Humility trait, found strongly and negatively associated to narcissism. Thus, this study aims to investigate how different kinds of selfies could be predicted by HEXACO personality traits, controlling for age, gender and sexual orientation. Participants were 750 adolescents and young adults (59.1% girls, N = 443) from 13 to 30 years (Mage = 20.96; SDage = 4.23) who completed an online survey composed by the Kinsey scale, three questions about the frequency of different kinds of selfies (i.e. own selfies, group selfies and selfies with partner) and 60-item Hexaco Personality Inventory-Revised. Results showed that females, adolescents and not- exclusively heterosexuals posted more own selfies, and that adolescents posted also more group selfies and selfies with partner. Moreover lower Honesty/Humility, lower Conscientiousness, higher Emotionality and higher Extraversion significantly predict both own selfies and group selfies. Finally, only lower Honesty/Humility and higher Emotionality predict selfies with partner. Results suggested a common pattern of personality traits that can explain selfies behaviors according to literature on HEXACO model. Specifically, these findings enlightened that Honesty/Humility and Emotionality traits seem to be relevant in understanding selfies. People who post more selfies are lower in Honesty/Humility, showing a strong sense of self-importance and feeling superior. Moreover, they show higher Emotionality that is related to looking for social reinforcement on social networks. Only for own and group selfies, people high in Extraversion probably feel self-confident in groups, also in the online dimension, and low extraverted people probably posted less frequently because they feel uncomfortable being at the center of attention. Finally, people with high Conscientiousness spend less time online because they consider social networks as a distraction from their tasks. Thus, HEXACO model allows to better understand which personality traits can predict different kinds of selfies. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed