THE THINGS WE CAN’T SAY IN SELFIES – NARRATING THE SELF THROUGH GPOY, REACTION-GIF AND ‘CURRENT STATUS’ IMAGES

Abstract

We are surrounded by the ‘powerful and seductive’ (Rose, 2001, p.10) images - art, ads, icons, comics, family albums, memes and selfies. The ease of exchanging pictures in the digitally saturated environment of ubiquitous camera-phones makes the communicative potential of images incredibly high. This paper explores the selection and posting of GPOY (gratuitous picture of yourself), gif (graphics interchange format) and ‘current status’ images [from now on referred to as GPOY] commonly used in social media as acts of meaning making and belonging.