Recent technologies have had a profound effect on our self-image. The advent of photography gave the average person the opportunity to nail down their appearance. Photography makes it possible to replace the momentary subjective image we create of ourselves with a permanent picture.

Unlike a mirror image, the photograph stands still and cannot be interacted with. It is easier to have an outside perspective on oneself concerning a photograph. It is easy to forget that, unlike the mirror, it is not reality that is made available through a photograph but an image. The family camera, the video camera, and nowadays the smartphone have had far-reaching consequences for our ability to remember. Nowadays, we take it for granted that we know what we and our parents looked like as children and young people. This knowledge was not available before the invention of the camera, except for the few who could afford to have themselves and their children painted.

A newer phenomenon is selfies. The third-person experience of yourself you get from the picture or movie you just took is mixed with how you experience yourself from a first-person perspective. The more selfies you take, the more your self-perception is influenced by the indirect experience you get through these images. Your external self-image no longer needs to be mediated by other people. You are sitting next to yourself as you looked a few seconds ago.

Until a few decades ago, developing images took a long time. The photograph therefore served mainly as a memory and it was tenderly saved—framed or in albums. Now, digital and mobile cameras allow us to see ourselves more or less directly in photos or videos. The mobile phone camera also acts as a pocket mirror.

Today’s image production is not only fast, it’s cheap too. We can afford to take a large number of pictures of ourselves and immediately discard those that we don’t think do us justice. Then we can easily manipulate and copy images using a computer. They can then be immediately posted on social media. Images become a consumable commodity and are often deleted immediately after viewing. Your self-image becomes a constantly fluttering billboard. The function of photos as memory aids has been greatly diminished. On Snapchat, they are not even meant to create memories, just momentary connections with other people; the photos you send disappear as soon as the recipient has seen them.

The current interest in the personal space is a consequence of the development and availability of these new image media. Inner qualities such as a person’s character, intelligence, and morals have taken a back seat to appearance and other external characteristics.

For some people, the first-person experience is not enough, and they feel they only exist as individuals when viewed from the outside. Narcissus has always had followers, but modern media opens up new opportunities for exposure. Social media such as Facebook, where people ‘like’ other people’s pictures, offers a more generalized approach that fulfills a similar function while contributing to a kind of group community. People compensate for the lack of real-life contacts by eagerly liking others’ social media posts. As a gift, they offer themselves as audience.

Facebook and Instagram are perfect technologies for narcissists. A typical phenomenon is all the personality tests offered on Facebook. For example, you can find out which animal or famous person you are most like. Such tests are, of course, pure nonsense.

Sociologists have extensively studied changes in the relationship between the public and the private. they note that narcissism is not just self-admiration but a preoccupation with the self that prevents the individual from healthy relationships with the outside world. The narcissist constantly asks the question: What does this mean to me? There are no fellow humans, only audiences. He or she is chronically bored, flitting from one thing to another without commitment and without dependency, demanding the admiration of others but avoiding intimacy.

Narcissos in a Pompeian Fresco

Source: Unknown Author on Wikimedia Commons