The self in the selfie

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It is well published that an unadulterated knowledge & understanding of ones self , or self-awareness, is key to maintaining positive mental health and continuous development of resilience. An ability to look at & see yourself in an unbiased & objective way is the only way to accurately assess your own patterns, tendencies, strengths & weaknesses while making sustainable changes accordingly. For some of us, self awareness processes easily. Some individuals are highly tuned into their intrinsic strengths, weaknesses & emotions, instinctively understanding how to manage them effectively. In the largest, most recent study to date, Dr. Tasha Eurich found “some” to only consist of a remarkable 10-15% of the population. The remaining 85-90% simply have the wrong picture. This has nothing to do with a lack of desire, effort or laziness even. The majority of us just don’t know how. For the majority of the population, processing self awareness is either not a concern, a challenge or a task that becomes more arduous by the day. More now than ever a large number of us feel like we are constantly at war with ourselves. Fighting uphill battle such as struggling with self esteem, motivation & direction. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, it's important to be mindful & aware of the fundamental role self understanding & awareness plays in our daily lives. In the past decade alone, social media companies such as TikTok, Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram & Meta have inundated daily life as we know it. They are everywhere. If we aren’t scrolling through them, all we have to do is walk outside and see the limitless individuals snapping images to mark the occasion. Today there are an estimated 4.62 billion humans on the globe, spending an average of 2.5 hours tuned into the latest social media activities each day. Social media outlets have the undeniable ability to move communities, shift opinions and direct individuals thoughts at an alarming rate. As a result, behavioral researchers, clinicians, therapists, psychologists, physicians, institutions & universities have stepped up their game in this area. For many of us, selfies are a way of participating in social media. Selfies allow us to document our lives and share experiences with others in an attempt to connect with the outside world. As a positive form of self expression, selfies can be fun and empowering. On the flip side, overexposure to selfies can also produce negative effects. Multiple studies have revealed that increasing exposure to social media and visual consumption of selfies, in particular, has the power to distort ones sense of self. When our sense of self is skewed, so is our awareness. Skewing awareness becomes depleting to self esteem as can be seen in increased reports of depression, anxiety & self-objectification after extended periods of scrolling through & viewing.

It is no surprise selfies intrigue us the way they do. Labeled as one of, if not the, most important pieces of visual stimulation our brains will ever receive, the human face has played a key role in individual and societal development since the beginning of mankind. Relying on specific areas within our brain responsible for processing facial recognition and analysis, in as little as 35 milliseconds of exposure to another human face our brain forms an impression. When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a face that is like everyone else’s or do you see something unique? Each selfie carries a unique message. An arrangement of patterns that speaks volumes about the individual self without the utterance of a single word. That message is written in our facial morphology. Scientists have been fascinated with the idea that our facial features can give us insight into our personalities for thousands of years and thanks to modern advances in technology, research is catching up. There is more evidence today than ever before that facial observation and analysis can be a valid way of assessing our intrinsic tendencies, strengths & weaknesses, providing clues into our personality, inner thoughts & mental processes. Combining an ancient knowledge with the latest in neuroscience, genetics and behavioral research allows PatternPoints to help you identify the intrinsic tendencies and patterns that give you a boost in the right direction or pull you back like never before. Selfies took the world by storm 20 years ago and are still going strong. The word “selfie” was introduced to us when it arrived the scene twenty years ago as a shortened description for a self portrait on an Australian online forum. Two short years later, “#selfie” appeared for the first time on Flickr. In 2011, Picaboo (now SnapChat) released the first augmented reality facial filter functionality for use on a social platform. For the first time users could adjust the self in their selfie. By 2013 “selfie” was so widely used it was named Word Of The Year. Today there are an estimated 92,000,000 selfies snapped & published across the globe each & every day. Augmented reality facial filters are not only commonplace among them, they are reflected in the majority of them. Facial filters today run the gamut. Platforms serve up a multitude of facial filter choices on a silver platter to their users. Even #NoFilter is a filter, today. All we have to do is click a button and we look “better”. We are “better”. Right? From the natural or slight adjustments such as skin smoothing to the extreme which can result in total adjustment of an individuals facial features and/or physical form. After all, everyone wants to be the best version of themselves, right? A little snatch here, a little snatch there and Viola! While these filters can be a fantastic tool for creative individual expression, an interesting trend is on an uptick. According to a recent finding by the Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), average requests for surgical procedures are up 47% in the last 12 months alone with more than 55% of cosmetic procedure/surgery patients simply stating they desire to look better in their selfie. Not their reflection. Their selfie.

We all have inherent tendencies, strengths and weaknesses that are unique to us an individuals. Understanding the relation between our subconscious and conscious self, is crucial in obtaining & maintaining unbiased self awareness. Whether you are completely aware or completely oblivious, your face holds the key to unlocking your subconscious & allowing entrance to the conscious. When we stop focusing on comparative perceptions and start focusing on deeply understanding where these perceptions come from we are able to celebrate our own unique self and adjust if and where needed. Combining nature and nurture observations allows us to see the forest through the trees, bringing with it revelations into our intrinsic processes. Once we grasp these concepts and acknowledge the roots we can face our ourselves on another level. Subconscious processes such as learning styles & multiple intelligences, emotional focus, intrinsic capacities for sustaining stress, trauma & reaction, along with our elemental motivation, drive & stamina are among the items combined with our personal histories to create the human that we are. Identifying these allow us to break through the chains that bind. Locating patterns engrained in us since birth not only allow us to build a solid foundation for self development, it expands our relationships with others and ultimately the world around us. Communication is vital for individual human development. In society, communication skills are integral for survival. Without it, society cannot grow. Effectively communicating broadens our potentials. Communicating effectively includes the ability to listen, understand and respond to what we hear as well as to convey our own messages & ideas in a clear, concise manner. Whether is it with our family, spouses, children, friends, associates, teachers, colleagues, superiors or peers, a nonpartisan recognition of self is also a cornerstone in achieving effective communication. Passions begin to show up as well as the energy & confidence to follow them.

Let us help you identify your pattern points and fall in love with the self in your selfie like never before.