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Article published In:
Internet Pragmatics
Vol. 2:2 (2019) ► pp.173–205

Self-denigration and the mixed messages of ‘ugly’ selfies in Instagram

| University of Birmingham

This paper sets out a new, multimodal account (both visual and verbal analysis) of how self-denigration is conveyed through ‘ugly selfies’ as posted to the photo-sharing site Instagram. Drawing on 226 Instagram posts categorised by the poster themselves with the hashtag #uglyselfie, the visual analysis compared the persons and setting in the selfie, the person’s facial expression (eye brow position, mouth expression), eye gaze and camera angle. The verbal analysis included the self-denigration found in the image caption and the rapport enhancing or threatening responses found in the comments to the image posted by others. Ugly selfies are found to convey various types of self-denigration, including self-deprecation and self-mockery. The difference between self-deprecation and self-mockery are explained by the types of ‘mixed messages’ generated by the images. In self-deprecation, the mixed messages arise from a contrast between the visual image and the verbal caption. In self-mockery, the mixed messages arise from contrasts within the image itself, where visual exaggeration and incongruity lead to a jocular interpretation of the ugly selfie. Although the focus in this paper is on self-denigration and selfie-taking, the analysis of mixed messages can be used to analyse many different forms of politeness strategies and many kinds of images shared with increasing frequency and importance on social media sites.

Keywords: self-denigration, self-deprecation, self-mockery, selfies, humour, Instagram, ugly selfies
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Selfie-taking as a new context for self-denigration
    • 1.2The subtypes of self-denigration: Self-deprecation and self-mockery
      • 1.2.1Prototypical self-deprecation
      • 1.2.2Self-deprecation as ‘trouble talk’
      • 1.2.3Self-mockery
    • 1.3Ugly selfies
  • 2.Analysing Instagram ‘post events’
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Data collection
    • 3.2Data analysis: Coding scheme and protocols
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Persons and content
    • 4.2Camera angle and filters
    • 4.3Facial expression
      • 4.3.1Eye gaze
      • 4.3.2Eye brow position
      • 4.3.3Mouth expression
    • 4.4Verbal analysis of the caption
    • 4.5Responses to the ‘ugly selfie’: Comments
  • 5.The subtypes of self-denigration found in the Instagram post events
    • 5.1Prototypical self-deprecation
    • 5.2Self-deprecation as ‘Trouble talk’
    • 5.3Self-deprecation reframed as self-praise
    • 5.4Self-mockery
  • 6.Conclusion and directions for further research
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 20 September 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00035.pag
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