‘I smile even when I do not feel like smiling’: Construction of Self-identity through Selfies in South Korea

‘I smile even when I do not feel like smiling’: Construction of Self-identity through Selfies in South Korea

The present study explores the selfie phenomenon which has triggered unprecedented interest from researchers over the last few years. This paper’s purpose is to investigate what happens when selfies are taken and shared, and how this contributes to the construction of young students’ identities. The data was collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) with a cross selection of Korean students from Hallym University as well as in-depth interviews with international students (from 9 different nationalities) from the same institution. Three FGDs with 26 students (10 females and 16 males) and structured interviews with 15 international students were organized in a bid to generate enough opinions on how identity is constructed through the use of photos in general, and selfies in particular. The study is informed by Erving Goffman’s (1956) “presentation of the self”. Key findings reveal a general use of selfies by young students who take and share their photos via different SNSs. Very minimal differences were observed between Korean and international students in selfie practice. Respondents take the sharing of photos as a selective process where they seek only the best selfies, while they conceal or manipulate those that they deem improper. Many respondents view selfies as a privileged way to construct and affirm their individual or collective identity. It also appears that identity construction may be a free and pre-planned process, but in other cases, users may be coerced into self-presentation, though very few respondents seem to be too much swayed on by their cultural contexts.