Ironic Tourist Activity and the iPhone Selfie as Self-Perservation

What started as a personal joke, quickly turned in to a trend amongst my fellow trip-goers, and even Chris started participating.  Observing the strange activities of tourism over the course of the first few days, I noted an activity I had never previously experienced in tourist culture: the selfie.  Arms extended out, iPhones or cameras in air, maneuvering the object to make sure a flattering angel is achieved.  I watched as groups of people thrusted their cameras in front of them, confronting a lens head on, placing themselves in the the same frame as a famous monument or work of art.  

It was hilarious.

And then I tried it.  My first selfie was at Notre Dame on the first official day of activities in Paris.  The irony was not lost on me.  I knew that I looked just as ridiculous as others taking part in the same activity, and several dozen selfies later, others picked up on the activity, and I wasn’t even laughing anymore.  I wanted align my image with these places.  I watched as others began to shamelessly take part in the same activity, and the absurdity developed.  It begs the question: is it more ridiculous to pose in front of an object or space that you wish to be depicted within, or to take matters in to your own hands?  At the Louvre, we collectively sighed at the sight of a tourist posing for a picture in front of images of death and violence, smiles stretched across their faces.  Their naivety only made me want to emulate such a ludicrous act, understanding all of the implications.  

In terms of contemporary culture, the selfie has made a lasting impact, so much so that the gesture has its own Wikipedia page (I do recommend viewing this.)  Digital photography has enabled the trial and error of this mode of self portraiture by allowing image makers to review their work and try again, and again.  

We all want to remember all of the wonderful places our bodies have inhabited.  Memory and legacy are topics of a majority of artworks (see: Portraiture, Representation), and function integrally as desires of humanity.  Images allow us to reflect on these important moments, and better yet, depictions of our own bodies in these spaces remind us of our temporary presences in that time or place. Growing up, both my father and mother were rarely photographed, living in rural 1960’s and 70’s culture.  I remember digging though drawers of my grandparents house, searching for shreds of their past, to inform my own disposition.  I always wonder if they feel as though they’ve lost some part of themselves, unable to reflect on their physical presence in the places and times which meant a lot to them.  Our culture is obsessed with images of self, because we’re trying to hard to hold on to the past, for benefit of the present.  

This is not simply vanity, the selfie gives us control of our own personal memories, and archives moments which were hardly possible to preserve even 10 years ago.  I am beginning to imagine my old children, digging deeply in to the internet, looking for a tiny bit of self in the images of my experiences.  While the selfies I am taking are still laughable at this moment, I truly think of them as valuable records of this incredible first experience outside of my American comfort zone.                  

I haven’t even taken a selfie at the Eiffel Tower yet.