"One reason for this might be their fit with widespread self-presentation strategies such as self-promotion and self-disclosure" said Sarah Diefenbach, professor at LMU. "Interestingly, despite 77 per cent of the participants taking selfies regularly, 62-67 per cent agreed on the potential negative consequences of selfies, such as impacts on self-esteem.This negative perception of selfies was also illustrated by 82 per cent of participants indicating that they would rather see other types of photos instead of selfies on social media.Taking these attitudes at face value, selfies should not be as popular as they are. This phenomenon, where many people regularly take selfies but most people do not appear to like them has been termed the "selfie paradox " by Diefenbach.The key to the paradox may lie in the way the participants view their own selfies, compared with those of others.The participants attributed greater self-presentational motives and less authenticity to selfies taken by others, compared with those taken by themselves, which were also judged as self-ironic and more authentic. "This may explain how everybody can take selfies without feeling narcissistic. If most people think like this, then it is no wonder that the world is full of selfies," said Diefenbach.The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Source: Economic Times February 12, 2017 09:33 UTC