Selfie and critical theory: considerations on the work with images in psychology

Abstract

Nowadays, image has become an important part of individual’s life. This fact gets obvious on selfie phenomenon. On that, individuals self-portrait themselves in many situations to share those contents at social media. Images become, therefore, relevant to contemporary man’s comprehension, in other words, they become relevant to the comprehension of a subjectivity that constitutes itself on screen – computer’s screen, smartphone’s screen etc. We ask ourselves: how psychology’s research has occupied itself with such delicate work as an image reading? In this paper, we seek to explore image investigation’s possibilities through the theoretical methodological base of Frankfurt’s School Critical Theory. We choose to refer to selfies, because they are paradigmatic at web’s nowadays’ image production. We will approach theoretical methodological aspects on selfie reading and elaborate on image analysis’ challenges. We will point possible paths on this challenges’ handling through Critical Theory. As result, its appropriation by Psychology propitiates practical sense to theoretical work and ameliorations to theory through praxis. Still, Critical Theory foments an accurate look to social whole’s revealing details, allowing the researcher to drift as Benjamin’s flanêur into now’s transience.