The conflation of facial recognition surveillance with the stream of selfies uploaded every second across the web is a bonanza for corporations. Even more sophisticated algorithms will be used by the rich and powerful to sift through the superabundance of data, to protect the status quo, oppress the poor, and sell products. The analytical profiling of people is very likely to deaden any civil, vibrant, inventive multi faceted society.
So why do I add my free content to the myriad of pixels sucked up by mega-digital companies to pad out their public presence, when I know their business model is to gather data to attract advertisers and sell customer profiling? Hmm …the answer to this requires a re-evaluation of my own digital presence.
Meanwhile, on a lighter note, the selfie does provide an immediate subject for picture making. There is a view that the “arty” self-portrait is a lazy use of subject matter due to the ease of capture. This view ignores the creative challenge of remaking the familiar. Whether the resulting images provide insights or interest to others is another matter.
The following selfies are posted in the national interest 🙂
Reminder: Rembrandt’s life time diligence in capturing his ageing persona was bundled into a wonderful time lapse animation made in the 80’s (I think)- always worth a look.