ABSTRACT. This paper analyzes the outcomes of an exploratory review of the current research on social media-based self-expression. The data used for this study were obtained and replicated from previous research conducted by BLS, eMarketer, FinanceBuzz, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mobile Marketing Data Lab, Nielsen, OPPO, Pew Research Center, Statista, and YouGov. I performed analyses and made estimates regarding U.S. adults who have ever taken a selfie (%, by ethnicity), the ways in which U.S. Internet users share selfies (%, by demographic profile), % of generation admitting to sharing selfies, U.S. smartphone users who use selfie-sharing apps (%, by age), and U.S. adults who think it is acceptable to take a selfie in various circumstances (%, by age group). Data collected from 5,200 respondents are tested against the research model by using structural equation modeling.

Keywords: selfies; narcissistic performance; social media; reified persona

How to cite: Sion, Grațiela (2019). “Social Media-based Self-Expression: Narcissistic Performance, Public Adoration, and the Commodification of Reified Persona,” Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice 11(2): 70–75. doi:10.22381/CRLSJ112201910

Received 12 May 2019 • Received in revised form 11 October 2019
Accepted 15 October 2019 • Available online 15 November 2019