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Readings

The readings this week are about selfies and identity. They are a way for you to start investigating and writing about your own online identity, and how that shapes (or doesn't) your identity IRL (in real life). You can find all of the readings in the UnTextbook tab.

By Wednesday, write a reading notes blog post reflecting on one or all of the pieces you interacted with.

1. Watch the TedXYouth talk from Julian Baggini, "Is There A Real You?" This is a good entry into thinking about how we consider ourselves and our identities. Do you see your identity as fixed, or as flexible? How might that differ in your on- and off-line spaces?https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_baggini_is_there_a_real_you

2. Read Stephanie Rosenbloom's New York Times article "Putting Your Best Cyberface Forward." Consider the concept of "impression management." In what ways do you notice impression management in the world around you. In what ways do you engage in impression management?

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/fashion/03impression.html

3. Read Terri Senft's academic article "What Does The Selfie Say: Investigating A Global Phenomenon." This was published as an introduction to a collection of articles on selfies in the International Journal of Communication, a scholarly journal. As you will learn a bit further along in this class, you do not have to read every single word of an academic article to derive important information. Read the opening and closing paragraphs; skim through and see what interests you; go back and read sections that intrigue you. Mark or write down quotes that you might use.

4. Select at least one of the remaining articles to read and reflect on. They each have a different take on selfies and images in the digital age. 

· Hess, NYT: "Celebrity Culture is Burning"

· https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/arts/virus-celebrities.html

· Vulture: "Art At Arm's Length: A History of the Selfie"

· https://www.vulture.com/2014/01/history-of-the-selfie.html

· Tumblr: "Which Picture Would They Use: If They Gunned Me Down"

· https://iftheygunnedmedown.tumblr.com/

· Buzzfeed: "The Downfall of YouTube's Biggest Star Is A Symptom..."

· https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jacobclifton/pewdiepie-isnt-a-monster-hes-someone-you-know

· Conscientious Photo Mag: "Your Post Has Been Deleted..."

https://cphmag.com/ig-censorship/