Lookatus:CollectiveNarcissisminCollegeStudentFacebookPhotoGalleries

InTheNetworkedSelf:Identity,CommunityandCultureonSocialNetworkSites,
ZiziPapacharissi(Ed.),2010,Routledge.


By
AndrewL.Mendelson
TempleUniversity
&
ZiziPapacharissi
UniversityofIllinoisChicago



Contact(firstauthor)
DepartmentofJournalism
2020N.13thStreet,Room316
TempleUniversity
Philadelphia,PA19122
215.204.5020
215.204.1974(f)
amendels@temple.edu

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Lookatus:CollectivenarcissisminCollegeStudentFacebookPhotoGalleries

Inrecentyearsthepopularityofsocialnetworksites(SNSs),suchasFriendster,

MySpaceandFacebook,hasexpanded,enablingacultureofremoteconnectivityforyoung

adultsmaintainingavarietyofsocialtiestoprimaryandsecondarygroupsofcontact.Thisis

especiallytrueforcollegeageadultswhouseSNSstostayconnectedwithfriendsandfamily

dispersedacrossremoteornearbylocations.Thesenetworkedplatformsofsociallyoriented

activitypermitanintroductionoftheselfviapublicdisplaysofconnection(boyd&Ellison,

2007;Donath&boyd,2004;Papacharissi,2002a&b;2009).Asubsequentnetworked

presentationoftheselfinvolvesperformativeelements,usingavarietyoftoolsandstrategies

topresenttastes,likes,dislikes,affiliations,andingeneral,personality.Suchaperformative

paletteonsiteslikeFacebookmightincludelistingsofinterestsandfavoritemusic,films,and

books,linkingtogroupssharingpointsofvieworinterests,postingofcommentsand

responses,and,relevanttothispaper,postingandlabelingofphotographsofonesselfand

onesfriends.Thepurposeofthispaperistoexaminetheuseofphotogalleriesasan

instrumentofselfpresentationandameansofvisualautobiographyonline.

Photographshavelongservedasignificantfunctionofpreservingbiographical

memories.Albumsofphotographsfromtintypeandcabinetcardalbumsinthemidandlate

1800stodigitalgalleriesinthe21stcenturyareusedtotellandretellexperiencessharedby

membersofonesfamilyandbyoneswidersocialcircle.Thesephotographsserveas

mnemonicdevicesforthemomentsthatbondustogether,sparkinglargerconversationswithin

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families(Chalfen,1987).Further,theyallowsus,asBarthes(1981)suggests,tosearchthrough

thepastandrediscoverthetruthofourlovedones.Similarly,themannerinwhichcollege

studentsportraythemselvesandtagothersthroughphotographsonFacebookisa

contemporarymeansofintroducingtheselfandperformingonesidentity.Howdothephotos

selected,presented,andtaggedhelpreifythismediatedperformance?Ifphotosaretakenfor

thepurposeofbeingdisplayedandtagged,doesthisrendertheexperiencesandthesocial

relationshipspresentedmorereal?Collegestudentsconsciouslyuploadandtagdisplayed

photographs,thusselectingcertainsubjectsandeventstoemphasize.InspiredbyChalfens

(1987)examinationofhowweconstruct,manipulate,interpret,livewith,participatein,and

generallyusevisualsymbolicforms(p.5),weexaminehowvisualimageryisemployedto

presenttheselfandeverydaycollegelifeviaFacebookphotogalleries.Inthisstudy,we

interrogatethephotographscollegestudentspresentofthemselvesasimportantformsof

symboliccreationoftheirworlds.

SelfpresentationandSocialNetworkSites(SNSs)

Ineverydaylife,peopleconsciouslyandunconsciouslyworktodefinethewaytheyare

perceived,hopingtoengenderpositiveimpressionsofthemselves.Thiseffortentails

emphasizingcertaincharacteristics,throughdress,hairstyle,behaviorand/orspeech,while

hidingordiminishingothercharacteristicsperceivedasflawed,dependingoncontext.Goffman

(1959)usesthetermperformancetorefertoalltheactivityofagivenparticipantonagiven

occasionwhichservestoinfluenceinanywayanyoftheotherparticipants(p.15).

Contemporaryscholarsfromavarietyofdisciplinesarguethatidentityisperformed,initsmany

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iterations,incontextsthatarebothvirtualandreal,mediatedornot,offlineoronline

(Buckingham,2008;Butler,1990;Turkle,1996).

Researchonselfpresentationhasmovedfromexamininginterpersonalinteractions,to

displaysthroughmassmedia(Mendelson,2007;Meyrowitz,1985)tomorerecentformsofnew

mediainwhichelementsofinterpersonalandmasscommunicationsaremerge,likepersonal

homepagesandblogs(Dominick,1999,Papacharissi,2002a,2002b,Walker,2000).Newmedia,

suchastheWorldWideWeb,allowpeopletheopportunitytopresentvariousformsof

themselvestoothersatadistance.Peopleareabletopostonlythatinformationwhich

presentsadesiredimage.Whilepeoplearepurportedlypresentingthemselves,theyare

presentingahighlyselectiveversionofthemselves.Socialnetworksites(SNSs)presentthe

latestnetworkedplatformenablingselfpresentationtoavarietyofinterconnectedaudiences.

boydandEllisonargue(2007),SNSsconstituteanimportantresearchcontextforscholars

investigatingprocessesofimpressionmanagement,selfpresentation,andfriendship

perfomance(p.10).Indeed,SNSsaffordavarietyoftoolsthatpotentiallyextendand

compromiseimpressionmanagement.Insomecases,peoplecreatemultipleversionsof

FacebookorMySpacepagesfordifferentaudiences(notunlikehowwepresentdifferent

versionsofourselvesinfacetofacecontexts);oneforpeersandoneforparents.

Socialnetworksitesconnectnetworksofindividualsthatmayormaynotshareaplace

basedconnection.SNSs support varying types of interaction on diverse and differing platforms.

Some of the popular SNSs include MySpace, Facebook, Cyworld, LinkedIn, and Bebo, among

others, in terms of millions of users attracted, but also in terms of public attention and

scholarship focus. Even though most SNSs are structured around a profile and a display of

connections or friends, they may vary to the extent that they support additional services such as

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blogging (e.g., LiveJournal), audio/visual content sharing (Flickr, Last.FM, YouTube),

professional orientation (LinkedIn), focus on status updates online and mobile connectivity

(Twitter, Dodgeball), exclusive membership (ASmallWorld), or specific ethnic, religious, sexual

orientation and/or particular content genres (Orkut, CyWorld). Donath&boyd(2004)define

SNSsasonlineenvironmentsinwhichpeoplecreateaselfdescriptiveprofileandthenmake

linkstootherpeopletheyknowonthesite,creatinganetworkofpersonalconnections.

Participantsinsocialnetworksitesareusuallyidentifiedbytheirrealnamesandofteninclude

photographs;theirnetworkofconnectionsisdisplayedasanintegralpieceoftheirself

presentation(p.72).

PeopleuseSNSstopresentaspectsofthemselvestotheirnetwork.Theseexpressions

cansimultaneouslyexpressuniquenessandconnectiontoothers.Thesesitesareabout

establishing,presentingandnegotiatingidentity,throughthetastesandinterestsexpressed

(Liu,2007),thosewhowefriendandhighlight(Donathandboyd,2004),throughthe

applicationsweaddtoourSNSpages,andthroughthepicturesofusandourfriends(boyd,

2004,Donath,2007).Inaddition,theseidentitypresentationsaresupportedbycommentsfrom

otherusers.

SNSsaremostoftenusedtoconnectwithindividualspeopleknowfromoffline

environments,ratherthanformeetingnewpeopleonline,differentiatingSNSsfromonline

datingsites(Lampe,Ellison,&Steinfield,2007;Lenhart&Madden,2007).Thenumberof

peoplelinkedtoonSNSsisgenerallylargerthanthosewouldcommunicatewithonaregular

basisandcertainlybeyondthosewhowouldseeonespersonalphotoalbums(boyd&Ellison,

2007;Donath,2007).LittleoftheresearchintoSNSshasexaminedthepostedphotographs

beyondacknowledgingthemaselementsofselfpresentation.Still,photosplayalargerolein

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howidentityispresented(Dominick,1999).Accordingtoonestudyofteenuseofsocial

networksites,includingFacebook,mostusersdopostphotosofthemselvesandtheirfriends

(Lenhart&Madden,2007),withthisactivitybeingmorepopularwithgirlsthanboys.

Facebookspublishedstatistics,atpresent,reportover250millionactiveusersandmorethan1

billionphotosuploadedeverymonth(FacebookPressRoom,Statistics,2009).Thephotographs

onaFacebookpagespresentaseriesofperformancesstrategicallychosenbyanindividual.

Thephotographiclifeofyoungadults,includingcollegestudents,isnotmuchunderstood,and

relevantresearchispresentedinthefollowingsection.Thus,Facebookpresentsausefulcase

studyintohowcollegestudentsconstructtheirlivesthroughphotographs.

PersonalPhotography

Personalphotographsarephotographsmadebyourselves,membersofourfamilyor

peergroupforourownuse,notbyprofessionalphotographersandnotformassaudiences

(Chalfen,1981;Slater,1995).TheseimagesarepartofalargersocialpracticewhichChalfen

(1987)referstothisastheKodakculture,whateveritisthatonehastolearn,know,ordoin

ordertoparticipateappropriatelyinwhathasbeenoutlinedasthehomemodeofpictorial

communication(p.10).

Whilewethinkofpersonalphotographsasratherhaphazard,Chalfen(1987)and

Musello(1980)arguethattheyarehighlyritualizedandconventionalized,witharatherlimited

rangeofsubjectsandeventsbeingrecorded.Whilethereistheoreticallyanunlimitedrangeof

subjectstodocument,culturalpracticedictatesarathermorelimitedsetofsubjectsand

moments.Personalphotographspresentideals,emphasizinghowwewishourlivestobe

remembered(Holland,1997).Thepositiveisalwaysrecordedoverthenegative,withmoments

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ofcelebrationemphasized(King,1986;Slater,1995),especiallythoseassociatedwithlifetime

milestones:birthdays,holidays,weddings.AsHolland(1991)argues,theseprivatepicturesare

entangledwithinandinfluencedbylargerculturalstoriesaboutcommunity,familyandgender.

Personalphotographsreaffirmculturallystructuredvalues(Chalfen,1987,p.98),through

whatisshown(Orhn,1975).

Relationshipsarealsokeyaspectsofpersonalphotography,demonstratingimportant

bondsbetweenfamilyandfriends.Thereisanevidentiarypurposetopersonalphotographs,

providingproofofexperiencesandrelationshipsforourselvesandforothers(Barthes,1981;

Jacobs,1981).Thesemomentsandtherelationshipsbecomesanctifiedthroughtheir

documentation.Theyaredeemedworthyofrecordingandpreserving.Digitalphotographyhas

expandedtherangeofsubjectsdeemedphotoworthy,withmoreemphasisontheeveryday

andbanal(Okabe&Ito,2003;Murray,2008).Holland(1997)suggeststhatPicturesofleisure

activitiesincreasinglyincludethecarnivalesquecrossdressingforthelastnightparty,sidling

uptotheGreekwaiter,thecluboutingwheneveryonewasimpossiblydrunk,therisqunude

image(p.137).

Thereisnormallyastronginteractionbetweensubjectandphotographerinpersonal

photographs.Thephotographerismostoftenknownintimatelybythesubject,andbothshare

aninterestinmakingphotographsthatemphasizehowpeoplewouldliketobeseen.Further,

personalphotographyisasocialactivity,wherepeopleactivelyposeforeachother.Holland

(1991)arguesthat:Recordinganeventhasbecomepartofthateventandperhapsthemost

importantpart;for(p.2;seealsoBoerdam&Martinius,1980).Mostsubjectsposedirectly

beforethelens,lookingstraightahead,highlyawareofbeingphotographed.Thephotographer

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holdsthecameraateyelevel,emphasizingthenormalnessoftheviewpoint(Jacobs,1981).

Whilethetechnologyofpersonalphotographyallowspicturestobemadewiththesubject

unaware,thisseldomoccurs(Holland,1991).

Wethereforeconsciouslyandunconsciouslytransformourselvesbeforethecamera,

portrayingaversionofourselveswehopetobe(Barthes,1981;Jacobs,1981;Slater,1995).

Boerdam&Martinius(1980)alsodrawonGoffman:Peoplegiveaperformancewhenthey

allowthemselvestobephotographed,inthesensethattheymakeallowanceforapublicthat

willultimatelyseethephotograph(p.109).

Thepresentationofpersonalphotosisalsohighlyritualized.Thesocialprocessdictates

notonlyhowthesephotosaremade,butalsotowhomtheyareshown.Thesearenotmeant

formassaudiences.Theyaremeantforpeoplewhowereknownpersonallytothesubjectsin

theimages(Chalfen,1987;King,1986).Thephotosareproducedforandconsumedbythose

subjectsandphotographersandslightlylargercircleoffriendsandrelatives.Chalfenstates

that:Orderedcollectionsofhomemodeimageryarerepeatedlytellingthesamestories

accordingtosomemasterscenariostoriesbasedonthepictorialrenderingandunfoldingofan

interpretationofexperienceddailylifeandthepunctuationofspecialexperiences(p.142).

Thesecollectionsdeliverculturallysignificanttalesandmythsaboutourselvestoourselves

(p.142).

Mostpeoplesphotographsareediteddependingontheviewingaudience.Some

imagesaredisplayedatwork,someinframesinthehome,someinalbums,andstillothersare

keptforpersonalviewingonlyordestroyed.Personalphotoalbumsaregenerallyorganized

chronologicallyfromoldesttonewest,aswellasaroundspecificevents(Miller&Edwards,

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2007).Albumsarenotstructuredaroundanarrative.AsChalfen(1987)suggests:Thenarrative

remainsintheheadsofthepicturemakersandoncameraparticipantsforverbaltellingandre

tellingduringexhibitionevents(p.70;seealsoHolland,1991).

TheproductionandpresentationofpersonalphotographsconnectswithCareys(1975)

notionoftheritualviewofcommunication:Inaritualdefinition,communicationislinkedto

termssuchassharing,participation,association,fellowship,andthepossessionofacommon

faith(p.6).Thesetypesofphotoshelpbuildandsustainsocialgroupsbycommunicating

sharedvaluesandstories.Theseimagesplayanimportantroleinperpetuatingmemoriesfora

group,callingupmomentsforreflectionandreminiscence.Theyarethevisualmyths,capturing

thebestmomentstobetoldandretold,orasSturken(1999)says,photosareanartifact[s]

usedtoconjurememory,nostalgia,andcontemplation.(p.178;seealsoHirsch,1999).

Littleresearchhasexaminedthephotographicworldsfromtheearlyadulthoodtimeof

lifeafterhighschoolgraduation.ThisiscertainlybecausethealbumsChalfenexaminedwere

controlledbyparentsandnottheyoungadultsthemselves.Tinklers(2008)overviewof

researchonyoungpeoplesphotographicpracticesechoesthis.ShesuggestsUntilrecently,

however,mostchildrenhadlittlesayoverhowtheywererepresentedinamateur,commercial

orinstitutionalphotographs(p.258).Shegoesontoargue:Today,youngpeoplefromacross

thesocialclassspectrumhaveawiderrangeofopportunitiesforphotographicself

representationduetotheavailabilityofcheapcameras(p.258).Digitaltechnologyhas

placedcamerasandphotographsinthehandsofalmostall.AndFacebook,Flickr,Snapfishand

othersitesallowforsharingofphotographseasilywithothers.

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 Innetworkedenvironmentsthatblendprivateandpublicboundaries,likesocial

networksites,personalphotographscantraverseamultiplicityofaudiences,towhichthese

photographicnarrativesareofvariablecoherenceandrelevance.Yet,sincetheyallemanate

fromtheegocenteredbasisofsocialnetworksitelikeFacebook,theyinadvertently

communicatecontentofaperformativenaturetoavarietyofaudiences.Inordertobetter

understandtheworldsandaccompanyingnarrativescollegestudentsvisuallyconstructfor

themselves,ouranalysisisguidedbythefollowinggeneralthematicquestions:Whatkindsof

visualnarrativesdocollegestudentsconstructthroughthedisplayofphotogallerieson

Facebook?WhatarethedefiningelementsofthevisualrhetoricpresentedbyFacebookphoto

galleries?Finally,whatsenseofselfispresentedviathevisualstorytellingmediaofFacebook?

Byexaminingvisualdepictionsofbehaviorsbroadcasttoasimultaneityofpublicandprivate

audiences,wehopetobetterunderstandthenatureofidentitiesthatareperformedononline

spacesonthebasisofexperienceslivedoffline.

Method

Wechosetoanalyzecollegestudentsphotosqualitativelyusingmethodsbasedin

visualanthropologyandsemioticsinordertocapturetherichnessoftheimages,inadditionto

themoresubtleaspectsofthepresentations.Thisqualitativeanalysiswasguidedprimarilyby

Chalfens(1987)eventcomponentframeworkforanalyzinghomemodeformsof

communication.Thisframeworkcontainstwoaxeseventsandcomponentseachmadeup

offiveelements.TheeventsChalfendetailsare:Planninganyaction(s)inwhichthereisa

formalorinformaldecisionregardingtheproductionofaphotographicimage(s)(p.20);

Shooting:oncameraanyaction(s)thatinsomewaystructurestheperson(s)orthing(s)that

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happensinfrontoftheoperatingcamera(p.2122);Shooting:behindcameraany

action(s)notinfrontofthecamerabywhichinsomewaystillstructurestheuseandoperation

ofit(p.22);Editinganyaction(s)whichtransforms,accumulates,eliminates,arrangesor

rearrangesimages(pg.23);andExhibitionanyaction(s)whichoccursaftershooting,in

whichphotographicimageryisshownandviewedinapubliccontext(p.25).Weadopted

Chalfensaccompanyingdefinitionofpublicasanyaudiencethatconsistsofmorethanthe

picturetakeroreditor(p.25).Wefocusedonthelastevent,theexhibition,inouranalysisof

photoalbumsaspresentedthroughFacebook.Wealsoemployedhisfivecomponentsofhome

modeimagery,asaguideforouranalysis:Participantsthisconcernsidentifyingpeoplewho

takepictures,appearinpictures,andlookatpictures(p.27);Topicdescribesimagecontent

intermsofthesubjectmatter,activities,events,andthemesthatarepresentedinpictures(p.

29);Settingreferstowhenandwhereaparticularcommunicationeventtakesplace(p.30);

Messageformthephysicalform,shapeorkindofpicture(p.31);andCodeincludesthe

characteristicsthatdefineaparticularmessageformorstyle;ofimageconstructionand

composition,focusingontheconventionsthatdefinethenatureofthephotographicimages

(p.32).Inaddition,Chalfensuggeststhatthevisualaloneisnotenoughtounderstandhow

theseformsofcommunicationareused.Scholarsmustalsoexamineverbalinformation

includedwiththeimages,suchascaptionsortitles.Tothisend,weexaminedvisual

identificationsofphotographedsubjectsortags,andcommentaryaccompanyingall

photographs.

InadditiontoChalfensframework,thisanalysiswasinformedbysemioticanalysis,

whichattemptedtoqualitativelyplacecontentinalargerculturalcontextofmeaning,looking

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forrecurringpatternsofpresencesandabsence(Hall,1975;Rose,2001).Thechoiceofone

subjectoveranotherframesourunderstandingofanevent.Thus,itisalsonecessaryto

considerwhatwasnotchosenforinclusioninthephotographs(Fiske1990;Szarkowski1966;

Trachtenberg1989;vanLeeuwen2001).Choicesofwhattoincludeareonlyoneaspect;we

mustalsoexaminehowthedifferentchoicesarecombined.Meaningiscreatedbythe

relationshipsamongthepresentsigns(Fiske1990).Theentirebodyofworkmustbeexamined

toascertainthesepatternsofrepresentation.Whilepeoplearetheoreticallyfreetorecordand

postpicturesofanything,therearelimitationsbasedonthesenormsorconventionsofwhatis

acceptableorreasonable.BasedonChalfen,weexaminedtheParticipants,Topics,Setting,

Form,Code(aesthetics),asrevealthroughthephotosexhibitedwhenclickingontheprofile

link,SeePhotosof.

ParticipantsinanonlinesurveyonFacebookuses(Papacharissi&Mendelson,2008)

werecontactedbyagraduateassistantforthepurposeofaccessingtheirphotos.The

participantswereinformedthattheirphotoswouldbekeptconfidential.Allphotosofthose

agreeingtoparticipateinthisportionofthestudywerecollectedbyproducingportable

documentfilesoftheirphotopages.Forthisstudy,weexaminedthephotosofeachperson

togetasenseofhowcollegestudentsareportrayedbythemselvesandtheirfriendsthrough

theprocessesofpostingandtaggingphotographs.Thisexaminationdidnotfocuson

specificallyonthealbumseachpersonposted,butontheoverallcollectionofphotosfeaturing

thepersonwhosepageswewereexamining.Currently,thearchitectureofFacebookgroupsall

taggedphotosofapersontogether,regardlessofwhethertheyarepostedbythesubjectorby

others.WhenasubjectsFacebookpageopens,thereisalinkundertheirprofilephotowhich

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says,ViewPhotosofme,containingalltheimagesweanalyzed.Basedontheabovemethod,

theleadauthorexaminedeveryphotographfoundwhenclickingonthePhotosoffromthe

studentsFacebookhomepageandeverycommentpostedaboutthephotos,producingatotal

N=20,962photosexamined,andN=13,543commentsanalyzed.

Analysis

Beforegoingfurtherintothequalitativeanalysis,webeginwithsomedescriptiveresults

fromthecloseendedsurveyofcollegestudents(n=333)fromwhichthissamplewasdrawnin

ordertoprovideadescriptivesenseofthepopularityofphotopostingandtagging.Women

reportedhavingmorephotosontheirpages(4.36vs.3.48,ona1to5scale;F(1)=38.18,p=

.000),beingmorelikelytopostphotos(3.22vs.2.51;F(1)=47.26,p=.000),andmorelikelyto

tagphotosthanmen(3.02vs.2.5;F(1)=20.6,p=.000).Further,thesizeofonessocialgroup,

asdefinedbythenumberoffriendsparticipantsreportedhavingwaspositivelycorrelatedwith

thenumberofphotosapersonreportedhaving(r=.39,p=.000).Finally,thenumberofphotos

correlatedmoststronglywithmaintained(r=.23,p=.000)andbondingsocialcapital(r=.20,p

=.000)measures,reflectingtheextentofpasttiessustainedandclosetiesstrengthened

respectivelyonFacebook.Aswewillsee,thecollegestudentsphotographsarefocusedmost

stronglyonsocialrelationships.

Qualitativeanalysis

Eightyninestudentswhoparticipatedintheabovesurveywerewillingtohavetheir

photosmorecloselyexamined.Thissampleincluded37malesand52females.Forthisgroup,

thenumberofphotosrangedfrom1to1,523(mean=236;sd=3.11;median=124),whilethe

numberofcommentsrangedfromzeroto1,348(mean=152;sd=2.11;median=83).Not

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surprisingly,womenhadmorephotosofthemselves(whetherpostedbythemselvesorothers),

averaging337tomensaveragenumberofphotosof93(t(58)=4.6;p=.000).Likewisewomen

(mean=213)hadmorecommentsabouttheirphotosthanmen(mean=66;t(69)=3.9;p=

.000).Thenumberofphotoswashighlycorrelatedwiththenumberofcomments(r=.716;p=

.000).Becausethesestudentswereenrolledinanintroductorymasscommunicationclass,

mostwerefreshmenorsophomores.

TheresultsofthispaperareorganizedaroundChalfenscategoriesofanalysis:the

subjectmatterpresentinthephotographs(participants,topicsandsettings)aswellaswhat

subjectmatterdoesntshowuporshowsupverylittle;thebehaviorofsubjects;the

photographicaestheticsoftheimages;theorganizationofthephotographsandfinallyan

analysisofthecomments.

AnalysisParticipants,topics,settings

Relationshipsarethedominantsubjectmatterinallthephotographs.Thevastmajority

ofthephotosareofpairingsorgroupsoffriends,mostlyofthesamegender,posingforthe

cameraatformalorplannedevents,suchaspartiesorsportingevents.Thisincludesphotos

takenbyaseparatephotographerandthoseshotbyoneofthesubjectsholdingacameraout

tophotographhimorherselfwithafriendorfriends,andwasthenormforbothmenand

women.Menweremostoftenphotographedwithmalefriends,andwomenwithwomen.

Thedominanceofthesamesexsubjectsinphotoscanmoststronglybeseeninhigh

schoolpromphotosencounteredintheanalysis.Whiletherewerephotosofapersonposing

withhisorherdate,pinningonaboutonniereorcorsage,orgroupshotsofaseriesofcouples

posinginfrontofahouse,thevastmajorityofphotospresentedeithergroupsoffemale

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friendsposingintheirdressestogether,orgroupsofmalefriendsposingtogetherintheir

tuxedos.Thebondingofsamesexfriendsevenatacoupleseventwasofthemostimportance.

Similarly,highschoolgraduationoccasionsoftenfeaturedimagesofthesubjectposingwith

samesexfriendsintheircapsandgowns.

Theprevalenceofsamesexgroupphotosdoesnotimplytheabsenceofphotosof

peopleoftheoppositesextogether.Atpartysettings,bothmaleandfemaleparticipants

photographedwithmembersoftheoppositesex,posinginaplatonicmanner,ortogether,in

largegroupphotosfeaturingeveryonepresentattheparty.Butoverall,photographsrevealed

theimportanceofonespeergroup,mostoftenfortheseunderclassmen,membersofthe

samegender.Pictureswithmembersoftheoppositesexwereposedinmuchofthesameway

asthosewithsamesexfriends.Theyrevealedmostlyfriendshipsoverromanticconnectionsor

evensignificantflirtation.

Onceapersonhasasignificantotheroftheoppositesex,thecontentoftheposted

photographsdochange.Inthosecases,therelationshipbecamethemainfocusofthe

photographicnarrative,throughthefrequentpostingofpicturesofthecouplealone(takenby

athirdpartyorbythemselvesholdingacameraout),orposingwithagroupofoneofthe

partnerssamesexfriends.Theromanticrelationshipswerealsodemonstratedandconfirmed

visuallythroughtheamountofphysicalcontact,usuallyreflectedthroughsittingontheothers

lap,huggingeachother,andheadstogether.

Certaineventswererepeatedwithinandacrossthroughmostofthecollegestudent

photocollections.Thesemostlyincludedtypicalplannedhighschoolandcollegeactivitiesor

rituals:parties,roadtripswithfriends(tothebeach,toNewYorkCity),dancesandproms,

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schoolyearholidays(suchasHalloweenandSt.PatricksDay),collegesportingevents,and,toa

lesserextent,professionalsportingevents,andhighschoolgraduation.Therecordingand

postingofasubjectsparticipationinthesocialritualsofcollegeiscentral.Forexample,aseries

ofagroupofmalefriendspaintingtheirchestinteamcolors,eachwithaletteroftheschoolon

hischest,wasphotographed,bothduringthepaintingprocessandattheactualsportingevent.

Still,almostanymomentsharedbyfriendsisworthytoberecorded.Severalotherphotos

depicteddrivinginacarorridingonthesubwayorwalkingsomeplaceoreatingatafastfood

restaurant.Friendshipswereconfirmedthroughtheinclusionofroadtripphotos,showing

friendsposingonthebeachinswimmingsuits,atsitesinthelocationbeingvisited,suchas

TimesSquareinNewYorkCity,orinrestaurantsaroundatable.

Partiespresentedbyfarthemostcommonsettingforphotos.Theseweremostoften

posedphotographsofgroupsoffriends,oftenwithbottlesofbeerorplasticcupsinhand.

Occasionallytherewerebottlesofhardliquorshown.Fewphotosshowedcigarettesmoking.

Drugusageorparaphernaliawerealsonotpresent.Becauseoftheagegroupunderstudy,bars

werelessoftenthesettingfordrinking.Still,therewaslittleornoefforttohideoravoid

photographingunderagedrinking.Infact,itwasmostoftenblatantlyincludedintheframe,by

holdingthebottleorclassuphighorouttowardthecamera.

Theimportanceofpartiesisreflectedintheprevalenceofcertainholidays,suchassuch

asHalloweenandSt.PatricksDay,bothholidaysassociatedwithpartiesanddrinking.Thevast

majorityofstudentshadphotosofHalloween,mostoftenposingbeforeapartyinones

apartmentorresidencehallincostumewithonessamesexfriends.Outfitswereimportantfor

St.PatricksDayaswell,asphotosrevealthetypicalbrightgreenshirtandgreenpartyhats.

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Apparelbecomesimportanttothevariousritualsofcollegelife.Costumeswerenaturally

prominentinHalloweenpartyphotos,greenoutfitsforSt.Patricksday,whilesportingevents

photosfeaturedsubjectsdonningteamwear,displayingteamorcollegeaffiliation.Photos

wouldtypicallybetakeninsaidoutfitsbeforehandatonesapartmentordorm,onthesubway

orinacargoingtotheevent,tailgatingbeforehandintheparkinglotandsittinginthestands.

Theseritualsofcollegelifeseemedlargelygenderneutral,beingequallycommonfor

maleandfemalephotographedsubjects.Incontrast,avisiblegenderdividebecameapparent

inhangingoutphotos,thatisphotosofrelaxationordowntimeinonesapartmentor

dorm,incasualclothing,suchassweatsandtshirts(i,e.,notdressedtogoout),mostoften

againwithmembersofonesgender.Womenweremuchmorelikelytohavephotosofthese

moments,andtheseincludedlaughingtogether,eatingpizza,dyingsomeoneshairandjust

talking.Anothercommonphotoforwomenwasthereflectionshotwithanotherfriendina

bathroommirror.Thiscouldbeinanapartmentbathroom,butthiswasalsoseeninbar

bathrooms.Mostoftenthesepresentedaseriesofatleastthreeorfourphotoswiththe

subjectsplayingwithposes.Somewomenproducedthesemirrorphotographsofjust

themselves.Menwerelikelyonlytohavepicturesofactualformalevents.

Portraitsofthesubjectsalonewerepresent,thoughtheydidnotoutnumberphotos

withfriends.Portraitswerebothtakenbythesubjectbyholdingoutacamera,byusinga

mirrororbyusingacomputercamera.Somemenandwomen,wouldplaywithposesof

themselves,postingaseriesofphotosmadeatthesametimewithdifferencebodypositionsor

facialexpressions.

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 Certaintypesofsettingswerenotencounteredoften,althoughitbearsrepeatingthat

thephotosofeachsubjectarenotnecessarilyallthephotostakenofthissubject,butonlythe

selectionofphotosthathavebeenpostedandtagged.Withthisinmind,mostofthestudents

displayednoimagesofthemselveswithfamilymembers,specificallywithfamilymembersof

oldergenerations,includingparentsorgrandparents.Similarly,fewpeoplehadphotographs

withveryyoungchildren.Thefewcaseswhereparentsappearedwereatfamilyfunctionssuch

asholidaypartiesorweddingsorofparentssocializingwiththesubjectandhis/herpeergroup.

Inonecase,amotherandfatherwereplayingbeerpongwiththeircollegeageddaughterand

herfriendsattheirhouse.Familymembers,whentheydidappear,weremoreoftentoshowup

inphotosbeforecollegestarted,upthroughthesummerbeforefreshmanyear.Afew(though

veryfew)newbabypictureswerepresent,intheformofchildrenofsiblings.Olderpeopledid

appearedintheformofacelebrity,anathlete,orservicepersonnelataresortorrestaurant

withwhomthefriendsareposing.

Negativeevents,suchasillnessesorseriousaccidentswereabsentfromthesegalleries.

However,other,lesssomberyetembarrassingorbadphotosremained,evenwhensomeone

commentedthatthiswasawfulorthattheycouldnotbelieveaphotowasposted.Thefactthat

theimagesandthecommentswereseensuggestthatthecommenterwasnotconcerned

enoughtoremovetheimage.Oneexampleisofaseriesofagirldancingcrazilywithadrinkin

herhand,lickingagirlsfaceandlickingthetopofagirlfriendschest.Thefactthattheimage

remainspostedsuggestsshedidnotfeelthiswastooembarrassingtotakedown,possibly

containingsometypeofmeaningforherandherpeergroup.Toanotherembarrassingphoto,

thesubjectcommented:Badhair!!!!DESTROY!DESTROY!Similarly,anotherperson

18
commentedonadifferentphoto:LMAOheyhey.ithoughtwehadanunderstandingthatthis

nightneverhappened.shush,[nameremoved]babe.tryingtofindourburiedsecrets.Despite

theprivatenatureoftheeventdescribedandtheinformationrevealed,thesepictureremain

onpublicdisplay,suggestingthattheirpublicitysurpassesthestateddiscontentor

embarrassmentbroughtonbythedisplayedimage.

Landscapesandcityscapeswithoutpeopleinthemwereseldomposted.Landscapes

wereseeninphotosofthesubjectorthesubjectandfriendsposingintheforegroundofa

widerimagewhileonatrip,thusdocumentingthesharedexperienceofbeingsomeplace

together.Mostofthetravelimageswerelikewiseimagesofthesubjectwithhisorherfriends,

forexample,posingwithcharactersatDisneyWorldalongwithfriends.Mostofthesubjects

neverappearedwithanimals,whetherpetsfromtheirparentshouseorpetstheyownin

school.Thislatterexampleisnotsurprisingsincemostofthesubjectswerestilllivinginadorm

wherepetsarenotallowed.Finally,imagesofstudentsinclassesorotheracademiccampus

buildings,orstudyinganywherewereabsent,thusvisuallyremovingtheacademicsideofthe

collegeexperiencefromthecollegebasedpresentationoftheself.

AnalysisBehavior

Beyondsubjectmatter,welookedatthetypesofactivitiesandbehaviorssubjectswere

pursuinginthephotos.Whatbecameimmediatelyapparentwasthatsubjectswerealmost

alwaysawareofandinteractingwiththecamera/photographer.Therewerefewcandidphotos

takenorphotoswherethesubjectswerecaughtcompletelyunaware.Mostofthebehavior

wasintentionallyphotographicinwhatwouldbeconsideredaformalpose,standingand

smilingfacingthecamera.Subjectsweremostoftenphysicallyclosetoeachother,withparts

19
oftheirbodiestouchingandtheirheadsleaningintoeachother.Whereaswomenweremore

likelytobehuggingsomeoneinthephotowiththem,menwouldmerelystandphysicallyclose

toeachotherorhavetheirarmsaroundeachother.Buteventhisdifferencediminishedat

parties(presumablythroughthepresenceofalcohol),asmencanoftenbeseenhuggingas

well.

Furthermore,therewasmuchexaggeratedbehaviordirectedtothecamera,reflecting

avarietyofposesandaplayfulattitude.Thiswasapparentthroughbroadgestures(e.g.,arms

upabovethehead),exaggeratedposesandfacialexpressions,suchaslargegrinsorlaughing,

stickingoutonestonguesatthecamera.Otherbehaviordirectedatthecamerawasovert

drinking,whichincludedbeingphotographeddrinkingwithafriend,playingdrinkinggames

suchasbeerpongordrinkingfromaliquorbottle.Mostofthesestudentsareunderage,and

didnotappearoverlyconcernedwiththeillegalityofunderagedrinking.Thefewcandidphotos

weretypicallyofplayataparty,includingdrinkinganddrinkinggames,dancingandplaying,

ofteninaserieswhereatleastoneimageshowinganawarenessofthecamera.Peoplewere

alsophotographedoutsideofpartysituations,justgoofingaroundwithfriends,playingoutside,

jumpingonafriendsback,orlaughingwithfriends.

Womenweremorelikelytostrikeposesthatwereflirtatiousorsexy.Womenoften

posedinexaggeratedsexyposeswitheachother,showinglegorexaggeratingtheircleavage.

Theyalsoweremorelikelytocanttheirheadstogetherforapose.Theirsexyposeswereoften

recognizedandcomplimentedthroughcommentsfrombothmaleandfemalefriends.

Manystudentsgenerallyhavedevelopedclearwaysofposingforphotographsbythe

endoftheirhighschoolyears.Thisisespeciallytrueforwomen.Thereareoftenseriesof

20
imagesofwomenaloneorwithfriendsinanoneventsetting,practicingposing.Mirrorshots

allowimmediatefeedbackonhowoneisposingbeforethecamera.Inoneexample,ayoung

womenpracticesposing,aslightarchtoherback,handonhip,headslightlycanted,eveninself

shots.Thisbecomesherconsistentposesthroughoutcollegeimages.Anotherguyisreferredto

incommentsasalwaysbeinginpicturemode,haveaspecificlookforthecameraevenin

casualsituations.

Therewasseldomovertsexualbehavior,includingfewphotosofpeoplekissingonthe

lips.Liptolipkissingwasanindicatorofamoreseriousrelationship,andlimitedtothosewith

significantothers.Ontheotherhand,thekissingofanotherpersonscheekwasverycommon,

bothacrossandwithinthesamegender.Kissingonthecheekwasalmostalwayshighly

exaggeratedandcomical,withlaughteronthefacesofbothpeople.Whilethiswasvery

commonforwomen,mencouldalsobeseenkissingthecheeksofwomenand,toalesser

extent,men(thelatterwasusuallyatapartyandthusfollowingtheconsumptionofacertain

amountofalcohol).Thecheekkissseemedtoindicateasignofclosefriendship.

Sexualbehaviorofanysortbetweennonseriouscoupleswasnotphotographed.There

wasonlyonephotographthatshowedamalesubjectatadistancekissingagirl.Comments

revealedthiswasaonetimeoccurrence,withnoothersuchhookupsdocumentedand

posted.

AnalysisAesthetics

Themajorityofthephotoswerecenteredandtakenstraightonwiththesubjects

posed,lookingatthecamera/photographer.Thisisnotsurprisinggiventhatmostofthe

photographerswerenotprofessionalsandtheywereusingpointandshootcameras.What

21
wouldbeconsideredmoresophisticatedcomposition(e.g.,ruleofthirds,selectiveuseoffocus,

foregroundframing,etc.)wasseldomseen.Mostweretakenatamediumtoclosedistance,

thuslimitingtheamountofbackgroundinthephotos.Thecontextofthephotosmaterialized

largelyinthemindsoftheparticipantsandviewers.Onepartytendstolookmuchlikeanother

tooutsiders.Captionscanrevealcontextualinformationidentifyingaspecificparty,butlike

familyphotocollections,captionswerentalwaysincluded,beyondthetaggednamesofthe

subjectsinthephotos.Thedistancebetweenthesubjectsandthephotographermainly

dependeduponthenumberofpeopletobeincludedinthephotographs.Themajorityofgroup

shotswereasinglehorizontallinefacingthecamera:themoresubjectsthefurtherbackthe

photographerhadtostand.Widershotswereusedwhenproofofasharedexperiencewas

needed,suchasawidershotwithafootballstadiuminthebackgroundorawidershotof

friendsposinginTimesSquare.

Anothercommonaestheticformatwastheselfshot,holdingthecameraoutto

captureonesselfand,attimes,friends.Thephotographer/subjectsarmwasthusseen

extendingtothecorneroftheframeandthisoftenledtoaslightlytiltedhorizonline.Theact

ofincludingothersinaselfshotphotodemonstratesbothacertainspontaneity(wemust

capturethismomentnow)andconfirmstheclosenessofthefriends(Iwanttotakeaphoto

withyou).Whereasaphototakenbysomeoneelsecouldbesetup,selfshotphotosrevealeda

greateragencyindeterminingthesubjectmatter.

Webcamshotswereoftenmanipulatedusingthedistortioncontrolsoftheimage

capturesoftware.Theseallowforidentityplaybystretchingorcompressingonesimage.Often

Webcamphotosappearinaseries,revealingdifferentfacialexpressionsineachshot.Finally,

22
photoswhichwerebadlycomposed,suchasthosewherepeoplewerecutoffortitled,and

thosewhichwereunderoroverlit,werestillposted,assumingthecontentwasofinterest.

Peoplewouldstillbetaggedinaphoto,evenifonlypartofthemcouldbeseen.

AnalysisOrganization

SimilartoWeblogsthephotographsofeachsubjectwereinareversechronological

order,withthemostrecentimagesfirst.Further,likemostfamilyphotoalbums,therewasno

clearstructurednarrative,butpictureswerejustorganizedaroundtime.Unlikemostfamily

albums,whicharebasedaroundasinglephotographer,thephotosofeachpersonare

collective,basedonalltheimagespostedbythesubjectandhisorherfriendsthroughtags.

ThecurrentarchitectureofFacebookgroupsallpicturestaggedwithapersonsnameunder

profilepictures,althoughindividualsdohavetheoptionofuntagging,andthusremovingtheir

name,butnottheirimage,fromthephotograph.Inmostfamilyalbums,thephotographeris

notofteninthealbumorcollectionasoften.WithFacebook,thesubjectisofteninthemostof

thephotosinacollection.

Thecollectivenatureofthisphotocollectioncancreateadeviationfromchronological

orders,dependingonwhendifferentpeoplepostpicturesfromthesameevent.Further,

peopleoftenpostintentionallynostalgicphotosfromchildhoodorevenearlierinhighschool,

beforeFacebook.Aswewillseeinthenextsectionexaminingcomments,friendsreacttothese

imagesinanostalgicway,remembergoodtimestogetherinthepast.

Finally,inallphotos,thecamerabecomespartoftheevent.Anumberofpeoplehave

andusecameras,asevidencedbythenumberofpeoplepostingimagesfromthesameevent.

Thus,thereisacertaintriangulationofthefriendshipcircle,sincethesamegroupingsappear

23
throughthelensofmultiplecameras.Thisistrueforallevents,eventhemostformalsuchas

proms.Moreover,thephotographerisclearlyknownbyandamemberofthesocialcohort

depicted.Posesthatwouldbeunlikelytoanunknownphotographerarequitecommon;

includingthehamminessandflippingoffthephotographerinjest.

AnalysisComments

Thecommentspostedbyfriendsreinforcegroupcohesivenessandcloseness.

Commentsaretiedtothepictures,nottotheindividual,meaningthateveryonetaggedinthe

photoswillhavethesamesetofsharedcomments.Thegroupnatureofcommentscanbeseen

throughtheconsistentuseofnicknames,referencestoinsidejokesorpastevents,statements

ofaffectionandcompliments,andgentleribbingofeachother.Alltheseexamplesare

understoodbythoseintheknow.Thecontextoffriendshipallowsforstatementsthatthose

outsidethegroupcannotmakeorwouldpossiblyfindoffensive.Commentsallowfriendsto

relivethepicturedevents,emphasizingthesharedgoodtimes.Examplesofthisinclude

statements,suchasOMGTHISISSOSWEET!irememberthis!Wewereinterviewedddddd!

(sic).Therearealsoreferencestolongingormissingmembersofonesfriendshipcircleawayat

otherschools,suchas,awwImissthisorImissyouguys.Commentsreinforcethegroups

participationincollegerituals,forexamplethisseriesofcommentsaboutposingwithalcohol:

Persona:water???

Personb:ifthatswhatyouliketocallit

Personc:andmommyanddaddythinkyoursoooinnocent.notfair

Personb:thatswhyimthefavorite:)(sic)

24
 Peoplealsoreliveembarrassingmomentsthroughcomments,especiallyrelatedto

behaviorwhiledrunk,suchascrazinessandpassingout.Forexample,leftthatshirtatmy

cribwhenupassedoutinabush(sic).OrWhatsthatmarkonmysweatshirt?inreference

toastainfromthrowingup.

Manystatementsreflectadesiretobeincludedinthegroup,whethertobeincludedin

theeventpicturedortobetaggedifoneispictured.cansomeonepleaseexplainwhynoone

taggedmeinthis!!!!or.itstillmeansurassneedstogetthehellzzdowntherewoman.

Thislastquotesupportsthegroupoffriendsthroughtheirabsence,byexpressingthedesirefor

theleftoutindividualtocomevisit.

Typically,thesamerecurringgroupofpeoplewilltendtocommentonthephotos,again

demonstratingthetightnessofthesocialgroup.Commentsarenotalwaysaboutthecontentof

thephotos.Thephotosoftenbringuptheopportunityforanextendedconversationabout

individualsinthesocialgroup.Theconversationssparkedbyaphotocanencompassmany

postsextendingoveraperiodoftime(evenmorethanayearbetweenthefirstandlast

commentonaphoto).Commentscontinueadialogueforthoseataspecificeventandthose

whowerenottherebutarepartoftheextendedsocialnetwork.Thus,thesephotocollections,

likeFacebookingeneral,allowvicariousparticipationinfriendslivesevenatadistance.People

usecommentsandthephotostokeepupdatedontheirfriends,suchaswtfbrowhenwas

this?(sic).Photoscanbeusedtolinkupwithmoredistantfriendsadorable!howyabeen

chica?

Discussion

25
 Carey(1975)emphasizedaritualviewofcommunication,whichhelpsfostercommunity

integrationthroughthesharingofcommonexperiencesandvalues.Thisisclearlycentralto

whatisrevealedinthecollectionsofFacebookphotosofcollegestudents.Thecommonalityof

theimageswithineachstudentscollectionandbetweenallthestudentsdemonstratesthat

whiletheoutfitsandlocationschange,thetypesofeventsdocumentedandthenatureofthe

posesdonot.Thesamestoriesaretoldandretoldinthesephotographs.Theseimagesare

highlyconventional,bothintermsoftheirsubjectmatterandtheiraesthetics.Theseimages

recordsocialritualsofcollegelife,withlittleoftheacademicside.

TheseFacebookphotosdonotnecessarilyrepresentallphotostakenbyorofaperson.

Thesemerelyrepresentthoseimageswhichastudentorafriendhaschosentopostandtagfor

others.Thus,thesephotosrepresentastrategicrepresentationofasocialgroupandsociallife

incollege.Morethananythingthesephotosallowcollegesstudentstospeaktoeachother

visually,playingouttheircollegelivesforeachother.Thesephotosestablishproofofan

authenticcollegeexperience,onefilledwithfriendsandtheritualsofcollegelife,drinking,

sports,andtheclosenessofapeergroup.Theydomorethanmerelydocumenttherituals.This

isreadilyapparentbynoticingwhatislacking,imagesofparentsandimageswithoutfriends.

Thesephotoshelpconfirmonesindependencefromfamilyandchildhood.

Theseimagesdemonstratetheprimacyofrelationships.Thephotosareallaboutthe

connectionamongcollegestudents,andfortheseprimarilyfirstandsecondyearstudents,

amongthoseofthesamegender.Thisechoesotherauthorswhohavearguedthatfriendsare

especiallyimportantformembersofGenerationY(Huntley,2006),especiallysamesexfriends.

Itisinterestingtoseethechangeinfocusofthephotosasaseriousrelationshipwithamember

26
oftheoppositesexoccurs.Imagesofthecouplebegintodominate.Chalfen(1987)hadpointed

outthatcollegelifewasabsentinthealbumsheexamined.Thisstudyallowsaglimpseatthe

transitionfrombeingpartofafamilytoanindependentphotographicentityinonesownright.

Further,thetransitiontoacouplereflectedthepossiblebeginningsofafamilycollectionof

photos,focusedaroundadyadandnotalargerpeergroup.Forthelargerpeergroup,images

ofembarrassmentaswellasjoydrawfriendstogether,helpingsupporttheauthenticcollege

experienceandthebondonesfriends.Closefriendsareexpectedtosharebothpositiveand

negativemoments,andonlyclosefriendswouldappreciateanddecodeembarrassingimagesin

thecorrectspiritofgroupbonding.Theseimagesaretheequivalentofthegentleribbingseen

inthecomments.Further,openinguponeselftopotentialridiculedemonstratesthetrust

extendedtoonespeergroup.

Proofoftheclosenessofonespeergroupisconfirmedbyboththequantityandnature

ofpicturesdisplayed.Theclosertherelationshipssharedamongfriends,themorefrequently

theyappearinphotoswithastudent.Likewise,themoretheyappear,themoretheir

friendshipisconfirmed.Theposesandmomentsalsorevealtheclosenessoffriends.For

women,thisincludedmomentsofinformalhangingoutinonesresidence.Forbothgenders,

thisincludedphysicalcloseness(includinghuggingandcheekkissing)andexaggeratedposes.

Physicalclosenesswasmoststronglyseenwhenastudententeredaseriousrelationship

Physicalclosenessindexesemotionalcloseness.

Asstatedearlierandconsistentwithpreviousworkonpersonalphotographs,the

meaningoftheseimagesisconstructedlargelyinthemindsoftheviewersandisintendedfor

membersofonessocialgroup.Contextualinformationaboutlocationandtimewaslargely

27
absent.Thesephotosfacilitatetherecallofalreadyexistingmemories,asevidencedbythe

postingofolderphotographsfromchildhood,whichrequirednocaptionwasneeded.Members

ofthepeergrouprecognizedandrespondedtothesenostalgicphotos.Byunderstandingthe

meaninginthephotos,thecohesivenessofthesocialgroupwasenhanced.Contextual

elements,throughbackgrounds,aredeemphasized,suggestingtheprimacyofthehuman

relationshipsandtheexistingknowledgeintheheadofviewersrequiredfordecodingthe

images.Facebookimageswereclearlyappropriatedbyaclosedgroup,usedtoreinforce

membershipandcohesiveness.Groupmembershipaffordsafullunderstandingoftheovert

andlatentmeaningsofphotos,andsubsequently,identifyingtheseovertandlatentmeanings

potentiallyenhancedonessenseofbelonging.

Thephotosportraycollegestudentssuspendedinsociality,perpetuallybondingwith

friendsandtoastingthebestoftimes.Eventsareopportunitiestoconnectwithfriends,andby

representingthosemomentsinpostedFacebookphotosreinforcesthebondsofthe

relationships.Whileonegameblursinanotherandonepartyintoanother,thephotographsof

themtellalargerstoryoftheimportanceofsharedexperiencesofcollegelifewithones

closestfriends.Onceposted,thesephotographscreateinstantgoodolddays,uponwhich

friendscanreminisceandfeelnostalgic,eveniftheeventoccurredjustlastnight.Formen,the

socialityendsatformalevents,emphasizingtheimportanceofdrinkingbuddies,forwomen,

socialityexistsinbothformalandinformalmoments.Womensfriendshipsarebuiltasmuchat

partiesastheyareloungingindormrooms,reinforcingpreviousworkontheimportanceof

girlsbedroomcultureinestablishingidentityandfriendships(Nayak&Kehily,2008).

28
 Becausepicturesarepostedbymultiplepeople,thephotogalleriesaredynamic.These

collectionsofphotosarepotentiallyalwayschanging,thuspresentingaconfluentplaneof

activityuponwhichperformancesoftheselfareenacted,andtagged.Justaspeopleremove

individualsfromtheirhomephotoalbumswhendivorcehappens,Facebookcollectionscanalso

changeasindividualsremovephotos.Thisactionremovesthephotosfromthecollectionsofall

whoaretaggedonthephotos,aswellasthecommentsattachedtothephotos.Thus,the

convergentnatureoftheplatformallowstheseperformancestoconstantlyevolveandforever

eludepermanence,astheyaresubjecttothemultipleredactionsofnumerousaudiences.This

convergentcontextsimultaneouslyreferencesspacesandevolvesbeyondspace,presenting

whatdeCerteau(1984)hastermedamovingmap,uponwhichvisualdepictionsofmemories

arepiecedintonarrativesthroughthepracticeoftagging.Thefluidcontextuponwhich

performancesoftheselfareenactedaffordsreflexivelyshapedpersonalnarrativesoftheself,

whichareindicativeofwhatsociologistshavedescribedasaconstantstateoffluxorliquid

modernity(Bauman,2005;Giddens,1990).

Interestinglyenough,theaestheticsandtheformofthedisplayedphotosplacetheself

ormultiplesubjectsatthecenter,frequentlythroughcameraplacementthatmayappear

awkwardorunprofessional.Theemphasisontheselfishighlightedbytheabsenceof

contextualinformation,mediumtoclosedistance,limitedbackground,awarenessofthe

cameraandbehaviorsproducedspecificallyforthecamerabyasingleorseveralsubjects.The

totalityofthesebehaviorsreflectacollectivelyperformednarcissism,throughwhichasingleor

multiplesubjectsexhibitselfreferentialbehavior,thatisthenexponentiallytagged,retagged,

commentedandreferencedinfurtherintrospectivemomentsthatculminatetogroup

29
cohesion.Thesetracesofnarcissismarepresentinphotographsthatcontainasingle,two,or

multiplesubjects;thethemeincommon,reflectiveofnarcissism,istheconnotedenamorment

withthesubject,dyad,orgroupphotographed.

Giventhegeneralcontentofthesevisualgalleries,whicharestructuredaround

articulatingindividualautonomyandsignalingindependencefromfamilyandaffiliationwith

peergroups,itwouldbemoremeaningfulandaccuratetointerpretthesenarcissisticlapsesas

asteptowardselfreflectionandselfactualization,ratherthaninstancesofuncontrollableself

absorption.Lasch(1979)connectednarcissisticbehaviorstohedonistictendenciesreflectiveof

amaterialisticculture,butalsoclarifiedthatwhilenarcissisticbehaviormaybestructured

aroundtheself,itisnotmotivatedbyselfishdesire,butbyadesiretobetterconnecttheselfto

society.Alternatively,inSennets(1974)terms,narcissismtakestheideaoftheinvoluntary

disclosureofcharactertoitslogicalextreme,thusaffordingidentityplayandtheperformative

extremesthatweidentifiedinthisstudy.Moreover,theaestheticsofthesephotographsreflect

whatMitchell(1995)callsmetaphotography,thatis,photographsthatrevealtheprocessof

picturemaking.Thesemetaphotographsdemonstratethemannerinwhichthecamera

becomesanextensionofthebodyfortheseyoungpeople,mostexplicitlydemonstratedinthe

selfshotphotographs.Inadditiontothenarcissisticovertones,theformofthesepicturesis

aimedatfurtherblurringthelinebetweenproducerandsubject,throughgroupphotosin

whichpicturetakersandpictureposersdynamicallyrotate,andaudiencesviewingthephotos

participateinphotographicmetaconstructionsthroughcommentingandtagging.

Thisstudysuggestssomeinterestingdirectionsforfutureresearch.First,itbuildsonthe

literatureofpersonalphotographybyexaminingthemorepublicuseofpersonalphotographs

30
onsocialnetworksites.Mostoftheliteratureonpersonalphotographyhasfocusedonhow

andwhatpeoplepresentinthemoreprivatesettingsofthehome.TheInternet,asothermedia

havebefore,blursthedistinctionbetweenprivateandpublic,thusupsettingconventionsof

storytellingandmnemonicrecollectionviaphotography.Second,thispieceexpandsonInternet

studiesofselfpresentationbyfocusingmorecloselyonthephotographicrepresentation

peopleofferofthemselves.Finally,thispapersattemptstoplacethephotographic

presentationcollegestudentsofferinthecontextofalargervisualyouthculture.

OfcoursethesamplestudiedislimitedtoFacebookphotosandisnotmeanttobe

representativeofallcollegestudents.Stilltheconsistencyofthephototypesallowsustodraw

conclusionsabouthowcollegestudentsusephotostospeaktoeachothervisually.Future

researchcouldattempttotrackthechangingnatureandusesofthesephotographic

repositories,followingasmallersampleofcollegestudentsastheyphotographicallymove

throughcollegeyearsandbeyond.Indepthinterviewswouldhelpgainunderstandingofthe

rolesthatphotographsplayinthesestudentslives.Theseinterviewsalsocouldhelp

differentiatepeoplewhopostamanyphotosfromthosewhodonot.

Facebooktaggedphotographspresentmorethanrandommomentsinapersonslife.

Theypresentasuspendedtakeoncollegelifesociality,throughacollageofscenescelebrating

theself,groupcultureandmembershipthatareplayedoutoverandoveragain.Thesame

scenesarerepeatedinavarietyofphotographedoccasionsaswefindthemcomfortingand

reassuring.Theyprovidevisualevidenceofsocialnetworks.Picturesrevealthetransitionfrom

highschooltocollege,buttheydomorethandocument;theyallowphotographedsubjectsto

proveorconfirmthesemilestonesforeachother;theyvalidatethesenseofarealcollege

31
experience.Facebookpicturesarewherecollegestudentsvisuallyplayouttheirlivesforeach

other,demonstratingtheiridentityascollegestudent.Thesepracticesserveasperformative

exercisesofidentityandbelonging,simultaneouslydeclaringandcorroboratingshared

experiences.

32
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