By Alicia Eler
The Selfie Generation:
How Our Self-Images Are Changing Our Notions of Privacy, Sex, Consent, and Culture
Whether it’s Kim Kardashian uploading picture after picture to Instagram or your roommate posting a mid-vacation shot to Facebook, selfies receive mixed reactions. But are selfies more than, as many critics lament, a symptom of a self-absorbed generation?
Praise for The Selfie Generation
Praise for The Selfie Generation Named “the selfie expert” by New York Magazine and the Washington Post
“Eler’s book alights on the source of the selfie’s power . . . Perhaps our much-fussed-over narcissism is not a flaw but a survival tactic.” —New York Times
“Through a mix of reportage and personal reflection, Eler gives a snapshot of the snapshot, situating the selfie in a variety of cultural milieux: intimacy and relationships, journalism and activism, memes and savvy advertising.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“In opposition to the assumption that selfies are objectifying or narcissistic, selfies have been key for empowering marginalised groups like women, people of colour (POC), the LGBTQ community, migrants and refugees. Mass media at our fingertips created access to all kinds of characters, a new generation of individuals who aren’t as afraid to be different or unique, ultimately creating a mirror, says Eler.” —BBC
“Eler a selfie semiotician. Her book is in defense of millennials and all those who dare to take a selfie.” —Wired Magazine
“Fascinating, provocative, entertaining and enlightening, and likely to be the foundation of all future books on this subject.” —Chicago Tribune
“I am taking a picture of myself as I write this blurb about Alicia’s neat new book addressing the joys and hazards of phone-operated self-reflection. And in taking this selfie, I find my selfie.” —Maria Bamford, comedian
“In this kaleidoscopic exploration of the selfie, Alicia Eler challenges the popular view of the selfie as a narcissistic act. Part Millennial apologist, part cultural sage, Eler transforms this work of personal memoir into a meditation on the deep need of human beings for social connection. The Selfie Generation exposes the level of privacy we’re willing to sacrifice in order not only to meet our basic need of food and shelter, but one another.” —Elaine Romero, playwright, assistant professor, School of Theatre Film and Television, University of Arizona
THE SELFIE GENERATION is now available in bookstores, at Barnes & Noble, and on Amazon!
What exactly is a selfie, and why are they everywhere? Whether you happen upon them online or literally run into people taking selfies on the street, the selfie is an elusive yet consistent aspect of how people visually communicate today. In her book The Selfie Generation (Skyhorse Publishing), millennial Alicia Eler argues that selfies are more than just an image—they are a mirror into how we live today. Part memoir and written from a queer perspective, Eler’s book ultimately seeks to redefine how our culture looks at millennials.