The phenomenon of selfies is interesting. I’m not sure if it is an age ‘thing’ or a ‘me’ ‘thing’ but the apparent comfort levels I see on most young people’s faces when taking a selfie is superficially and delightfully reassuring. The speedy process of phone to hand, the thumb flip to reverse, tilt of the head (and, sometimes, hip), chin down, smile dazzling seems a world away from self-image based anxiety.
What do we see in a selfie?
The potential for editing out and addition of filters? A mere starting point for later address, enhancement and refinement? Either way, the act begins with a positive inclination: to capture the self in a moment. We all know the pressures. To conform to what we must/mustn’t/should/shouldn’t look like and the anxiety created regarding if we do or if we don’t and furthermore, whether we care or not. The selfie can be a moment of defiance, an attempt to capture the truth of identity or to reject it and to declare ‘I am what I am’ which, by extension, means ‘I know what I am’. On the other hand, a selfie can also be a mask to hide behind. On the surface, everything is perfect; the confident smile hiding the cracks underneath.
Know Thyself
The imperative to ’Know Thyself’, supposedly captured on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, remains part of the common parlance. We are encouraged to know ourselves in many self-help books, blogs, podcasts and a plethora of other formats. Apollo, the Greek god associated with rationality, order and control, may not be the most obvious association for the self for many of us, however, it highlights ancient wisdom still being current in modern day life.
For children and young people, the pressure to ‘Know Thyself’ can be overwhelming. We change and adapt throughout our lives due to internal and external factors. Selfies only capture part of the self that exists at that particular moment. How might we move from that being a problem, to that opening up multiplicity and potentiality? Is the impulse to find a fixed identity point stronger than the acceptance of change? I wonder how a series of selfies over time might track a person’s evolution of self.
Diversity and inclusion in schools
Despite students being encouraged to ‘know thyself’, the climate surrounding diversity and inclusion in schools as well as a drive for identity recognition and respect can be a little more stormy in the current political climate. This work must not weaken even if it reaches the eye of the storm in terms of funding and resources.
The moments whereby children and young people begin the ongoing, never ending process of ‘Knowing Thyself’ may well intersect with the moments in which the image in the selfie feels the most disconnected and the most fake. It may capture a moment when a person is the most at risk. Yet by our natural desire to fit in this phenomenon will continue for now at least.
Thumb flip to reverse, tilt of the head (and, sometimes, hip), chin down and smile? Dazzling.
Dr Jo Trevenna has held a wide variety of leadership roles in a wide variety of schools. Her company, Potential Education, seeks to maximise the potential of organisations, teams and individuals through leadership training, mentoring and coaching. She specialises in EDI and has a range of research interests centred on leadership, discrimination and identity.
