What is a selfie?
Definition: "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media."
The above quote is from the current edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. This shows how much this craze has captured the attentions of the general public at large.
Whats the story here?
Just about everyone who is interested in the entertainment in 2014 is aware of the selfie phenomenon. To many older generations and a fairly large amount of younger people, they are the epitome of technology crazed teenagers and young adults. Some people particularly teenagers and people in their early 20s are obsessed with taking selfies and posting them on social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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| This selfie was taken at the 2013 Oscars. |
How has the "selfie" been spun in the media?
Many people feel that the "selfie" has been unnecessarily pushed by self-absorbed celebrities and the media industry, the popularity of social networking has changed what can and can't be made popular. Celebrities as far reaching as Lady Gaga, Sir Paul McCartney and even Barack Obama have made public selfies. This has been a hot topic in the media and their has been controversy and debate over their use for popularity.
How will this be filmed?
This is something that I feel is a really student based story and it could even take place largely at the UCA campus & with students and older generations based in Kent. The key is to interview those who are interested in culture of media and mainly those who are in our targeted demographic.
However its important to seek out those who are literally obsessed to the point that they have 100's of selfies posted on social networking sites. To the point that they don't even realise. It would also be quite funny I feel to find those who are indifferent or hateful towards selfie culture. Since this is quite a lighthearted story in nature it would be good to get those contrasts in by finding a colourful variety of interviewees for our story.
How will the story be set out?
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| Bill Murray, Lady Gaga and David Letterman. (April 2014.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ8p7g9cCc8 |
The could start the project by asking some interviewees what they think about selfies. Once we have used some good "sound bites" from the general public we can link it back to a definition of the craze. Then we can talk about the controversy and follow a student who is absorbed into the world of selfies.
She can talk about her obsession and we can ask her "do you the selfie is misunderstood by a lot of people?" and "why do you feel like you have to take them constantly?". We can also find another person after this to contrast, then we can link it back to our News host(s) and find a way to relate it to the next topic.
What obstacles might we have to face for this project?
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| We could get interviews from students at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, where I study. |
The biggest task to ask for here is to try and find a person who is obsessed with selfies and is okay with being filmed for the project. The other reason is we don't want it too appear as we're mocking them because of the reputation it has gathered as self-centred. This is why we must be neutral and considerate towards our subject and not show this bias.
Conclusion
I will say that if we are able to gain permission and find some good subjects to interview this could end up as very effective towards our audience. On a broader scope it is very socially relevant to students and the world of creative media. It could also be very informal if done properly and perhaps give many people a new perspective on the subject. Stay tuned for more.
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| The legendary boxer, Muhammed Ali took part in his 1st selfie on 16/10/14 |
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| Barack Obama and David Cameron were heavily criticised for taking a selfie during Nelson Mandela's funeral service. |
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