Selfies of victims: image and authenticity in social networks posts

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to reflect on the growing exposure of self-portraits, more commonly known as selfies, of people presented as victims in the social network sites. Victims of violence declare and present themselves in photographs that expose situations of pain and suffering. Designed as a gesture that represents a form of self-reporting, it indicates certain aspects of the online process of visibility. Therefore, our analysis indicates two standing out points a) the selfie is a kind of resource for the affirmation of authenticity, as a cultural indicator of morality that defines acceptance of declaration of the one who calls himself a victim; b) it promotes forms of affective interaction with other users. Our analysis favors recent examples that have been distributed through a hashtag campaign on Instagram.