KBS News
6th April 2016
Video at link
(left): Appearance as seen; (right) appearance via selfie
Spring flowers are blooming here in Yeouido [in Seoul], and people are using selfie* sticks to capture photos. But why do some people use exactly the same pose in all of their photos? Because throughout our life we see ourselves in the mirror with right and left swapped, when we actually see ourselves as we appear via photographs, it can be an uncomfortable experience. So, we continue taking selfies until we can find one which guarantees [that we look the way we think we do]. More and more people are trying to take that “special” selfie. By putting the information from 100 photos into a 3D printer, a fully 3D impression of a selfie can be made. Also recently appearing and rapidly gaining popularity is a “selfie drone”, which flies in mid-air and follows its subject around to capture selfies from every angle.
It’s a natural instinct for people to be interested in their own faces. Perceiving the outside world through our own eye sight stimulates the brain’s, but it’s only the face which activates the frontal lobe, responsible for feelings. If we compare someone else’s face to our own, the comparison makes more “sense”.
Gim Gyeongil, a Psychology professor at Aju University described the process: “when people see their own faces, people’s reactions, namely their emotional reactions, are maximised. This is actually how we are designed as humans.” At the same time, a selfie can express how a person relates to themselves. Because of this, some people don’t hesitate to take too many [selfies]. Added to that, we’re now living in a time where there’s a craze for people to constantly share their photos on social media.
Analysis: Korea is an intensely image-focused society, and it’s no surprise to see media coverage of the pressure people feel to present a perfect version of themselves via photographs. It’s very common for Koreans to have passport photographs and job application photos digitally retouched (and it’s telling in itself that jobs often require a photograph of applicants); Korea is also a world-leading market for plastic surgery. I don’t believe that selfie drones are becoming massively popular, and this piece also contains some pretty questionable assertions, but there’s no denying the primacy of physical attractiveness in Korea. I was shocked to see mirrors in every single classroom while teaching there – and lots of female students (and a few males) habitually carry small hand mirrors.
*”Selfies” are called “selka” (셀카) in Korean – a contraction of the English words “self” and “camera”. I heard this phrase when I arrived in Korea in summer 2008, a few years before I heard the word “selfie” in English.