“More dangerous than sharks”: Cellspace,death,and pathologies of the selfie*

Abstract

Popular discussions about the selfie have often centered on accusations of Narcissism and cultural decay. Alongside this, globally, the selfie has also been associated with accidents, injury, and death. Taking the case of India – the country most closely associated with selfie fatality statistics – this article examines how the equation between selfies and death is the result of the confluence of psychopathological and physio-pathological discourses, and virally circulating news. What medicalized discourse and sensational journalism often miss, is the fact that selfie fatalities are a symptom of technologically augmented spaces. Taking a humanistic approach drawing insights from photography studies, digital media studies, and studies of risk and modernity, the article unpacks how the moral panic around “killer selfies” obfuscates the contradictions of negotiating technological augmentation and spatial risks.

Keywords

augmentation cellspace death mobility photography pathology risk selfies spatial regulation

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