Why do we photograph ourselves? For some, the selfie is the symbol of a self-absorbed generation. But is that really true? 3sat shows the origins of the mass phenomenon of the self-portrait.
The quick picture of oneself – the so-called selfie – has been commonplace for many young people since the introduction of the smartphone and is considered a phenomenon of our time. The origins of the self-portrait lie far back, as the documentary “The Selfie Story – From Self-portrait to Ego Addiction” shows, which can be seen on Saturday (3 August) at 7.20 p.m. on 3sat.
Albrecht Dürer’s “Self-portrait in a fur coat” sparked the revolution in 1500, which later developed into a mass phenomenon. Although it is not the first self-portrait by an artist, Dürer presents himself more consciously than usual. “When we look back at a picture like this, we can assume that Dürer also wanted to communicate a lot about himself here,” explains curator Gabriel Dette. The art expert sees a parallel in Dürer’s inscription to the captions found on social networks.
Many artists were inspired by Dürer’s works. In 1839, Robert Cornelius took the first photo of himself with a camera. In the early 2000s, technological advances made the self-portrait commonplace – and a youth trend on the Internet.
“It has narcissistic, self-absorbed traits, which is why an entire generation is not narcissistic,” says psychologist Ines Imdahl. “But the desire to occupy oneself, so to speak, to show oneself to the outside world, to represent oneself to the outside world, has become extreme.”
The “Supercandy Pop-Up Museum” in Cologne, which the documentary makers visit, shows that this can also be a business. A place that, with its artificial backdrops and bright colors, is intended to invite selfie lovers to take photos. Some of the guests here say that they have taken more than 1,000 selfies with their cell phones.
While many of these selfies were probably shot quickly, the documentary also focuses on artists with special demands on their photos. The photographer Laura Zalenga uses her self-portraits to convey an environmental message. “It’s just a big issue for me that people blend in with nature and not the other way around,” she says. In her photos, Zalenga poses in nature, uses her body to represent the extension of a tree trunk or blends into a crevice in a rock.
Even though the entertaining documentary cannot delve into every aspect in its 40 minutes, it still succeeds in painting a comprehensive picture of the selfie phenomenon and touching on a wide variety of cultural facets.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
