- Where do you notice Jenna Wortham (author of “My Selfie, Myself”) using narrative in the first page of her article? Â Where else in the article does she use it?
- What are some of the reasons you think Wortham chose to use narration in her article? Â To what effect? What is she trying to show?
- On the second and third pages of her article, Wortham discusses several different purposes of selfies (i.e., why people post them). Â Use your own words to describe a couple of them.
- Begin writing about a narrative from your own life that connects to prompt 3, above.
HW for Wed // WRITING: Find some public place where it’s comfortable to sit and people watch.  Sit for 20 minutes and describe in detail what you see and hear: the setting, the people (how they look and act), any significant objects (smartphones, dogs, baby carriages, etc.).  Be sure to record anything weird you notice as well as everything you notice people doing with their phones. READING: In the Articles packet, read Sherry Turkle’s “The Empathy Gap” (pp. 8–13) and Mike Bunn’s “How to Read Like a Writer” (pp. 14–17).
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English 1101 Fall 2018 Section 354
The Split Self: Personal Identity On- and Off-line
Her narrative is constant throughout her writing and at the end she flushes out her ideas. She explains why it is so important to her and why she wants to have a discussion about it. She describing social media culture as way to document our daily life. A journal of our past, present and future. People have looked at their own photos to reminisce in that moment. Last minutes of my school prom, three girls asked me to take their photo because they want to remember their experiences together. Banter was exchanged and they left having those 4 photos I took. It is a fun memory to look back on.
1. Jenna Worthom jumps right into narration in the first 3 paragraphs, explaining her own personal anecdote about a selfie and her connection to a man who calls himself the “leader of the selfie movement.” After the third paragraph, instead of narrating more she talks about how big selfies are these days and why people are so intent on posting them. She also starts to narrate her own personal experiences with selfies on page 2, paragraphs 17-18 stating that before the selfie movement she preferred posting pictures of sunsets, dance parties and cats on her Instagram, but after seeing more of her peers’ selfies on her feed, she chooses to take and upload her own selfies. She even goes on to notice that selfies can actually bring friends together and encourage peers to get in touch with each other.
2. I believe Wortham chose to use narration in this article because she wanted to grasp the reader’s attention and make a bigger connection with them, by sharing her own personal experiences and thoughts. She wanted to let the readers in on what she experienced before and after selfies blew up on the internet and share insight on how it’s made her feel about the selfie movement today.
3. Wortham believes people enjoy posting selfies because they enjoy having their family and friends see that they are having a good day and use their selfies as a line of communication, similar to texts. It’s people’s own way of sharing an experience and it makes social media more interesting when people choose to put themselves out on it. People also enjoy posting selfies because it can encourage peers to get in touch with each other to catch up after seeing a selfie.
4. One day I was scrolling through my Instagram. After what felt like 30 minutes of looking at beautiful women, power couples, make up, memes and selfies, I put my phone down. I would often question myself after viewing the Instagram explorer page and even compare myself to those I saw behind my phone screen. I believed Instagram wasn’t really about spreading positivity and happiness, but instead to show off the greater things people had in their lives, and sometimes it bothered me. However that same day I was at work and this lovely couple walked in and asked if I could take their picture. I happily complied. As I was focusing the camera on this cute couple with big smiles, both holding up their adorable baby girl, I thought to myself; Wow this is such a nice picture they could enjoy looking back on. I took about 5 pictures and even their baby girl liked them. I cant explain it but seeing the joy on their faces after seeing the pictures I took made me feel happier for them and myself.
1. Jenna Wortham begins her narration right away by talking about a person she has been seeing lately on her instagram page, Benny Winfield Jr. She states that she started to notice him when she saw that he would post “dozens” of photographs on his instagram page. She also makes a connection on how he calls himself the “Leader of the selfie movement” & how all of his pictures are typically the same. She also uses narration on page 2 paragraph 19 when she states, “i’ve noticed that the occasional selfie appears to nudge some friends who i haven’t seen in a while to get in touch via e-mail or text to suggest that we meet for a drink to catch up, as if seeing my face on a screen reminds them it’s been awhile since they’ve see it in real life”. This is an example of her narration because she is talking about how some of the selfies she has posted have brought her back together with some old friends of her.
2. In my opinion, i feel like she chose to use narration in her article because i feel like she wanted to express her feelings towards this selfie movement, in which she believes that it isn’t something new to her and has been around since photography was invented. I also feel like she wanted to share her experience with selfies and/or maybe instagram as well.
3. On page 2, she gives a brief explanation opinion by Frederic della Faille, he basically says that a selfie is more to show or tell a story just by the picture. In my opinion, i completely agree because the whole point of a selfie or picture is most of the time to show a special event that happened or that is going on in your life. I also agree with the fact that not every picture has to be “beautiful”, because in some cases some people just like to share some funny moments in their life.
4. Last week I was out with my friends at up & down, which is a nightclub in the city, while we were at our table i noticed a group of girls across from us and what really caught my attention was that while everybody in the club had their phones out, there was one girl that didn’t touch her phone all night and that caught my attention, because people nowadays are more worried about taking a snap(a picture on snapchat), or posting it on their instagram story. This caught my attention so much that i went up to her and i told her “I’ve noticed that you haven’t touched your phone to even take a video of yourself like your other friends are doing, why is that?”, so then she responded, “I don’t need my phone to show the world I’m having fun, I wanna live in the moment because our time on earth isn’t guaranteed”, when she told me that i stayed in shock for a few seconds because i didn’t expect to get an answer like that from a girl thats in her early 20’s. After that night it really left me wondering if maybe we should all start to put our phones down while were having fun and maybe just live in the moment.
1. Jenna Wortham beings her narration by when she starts talking about the ‘leader of the selfie’ movement because she started to compare photos that she seen, (like the black and white one) to Benny Winfield Jr. because of what he considers himself, although most of his photos look alike.
2. I feel like she used this in her article to express herself, and how she feels about the selfie movement. I also feel like she wanted to get all the readers attention by writing an article on something people do on a regular basis.
3. She believes that posting selfies on social media, is showing her friends and family pictures without actually having to show them… So when people decide to post photos all over their social media pages it shows that their are trying to communicate with everyone without having to communicate face to face.
4. One day, I was out with my friends, going out to eat and I seen this couple taking a selfie, but they were disappointed because they could not get the angle they wanted taking it themselves. So, I offered my help, and they gladly took it. I took 3 photos, 2 with flash, and 1 without. All three came out beautifully, and when they seen the pictures, they were overjoyed with smiles, and so many thank yous. That made me feel like, pictures really do mean more then some people think. I was really glad, that I got the opportunity to create that memory for them, and I am sure they posted on their social media… if they have one.
Shes uses narrative through out the beginning of the sentence and the first 3 paragraphs. She used narrative method to show how she interacted through her moments in antiques store. She believes that, posting selfies or videos on social media are like showing your life and the experience you going through on your pictures and videos. And posting selfies on media could be showing how to interact with everyone you know like your family or friends. So it makes it easier to interact with large amount of people through selfies like, you having conversation with them through the selfie.
One day I was hanging out with my friends and enjoying our self listening to music and drinking. So I was snapping on snap chat like usual through out the night. And the night pass and I was scrolling down all the snaps my friends took but one of my friend didn’t record anything. So I texted him about last night “did you have fun last night” and he was like “yea i had great time”. Then, I asked “why didn’t you post anything then” and he was “cuz i wanted to live in the moment and enjoy right there and then”. And that had me wondering I should try that and see how it feels and I did. It was awesome. So everyone should try it and see living in the moment is not that bad rather then recording and see the moment through the phone later. Just live in the moment enjoy.
1. I notice that Jenna Wortham uses narrative right in the beginning of the article. I noticed it when she started talking about the selfie she found in a Vermont antique store. I also see that she used it when she was talking about Benny Winfield Jr. She goes on to say that she has been watching him evolve online. I also saw it when she started talking about her own experiences with selfies, and how she’s noticed that in a way selfies have nudged some friends to get in touch.
2. I think she chose to use narration in her article to connect how selfies aren’t new. She mentioned that Mr. Winfield calls himself the “leader of the selfie movement” and then she goes on to say that self portraits are world and decades apart. In a way she doesn’t agree that Mr. Winfield calls himself that because selfies aren’t new and they have already been around.  she’s trying to show that they aren’t new and in a way how she connects to them.
3. I agree with her that selfies can consist of sunsets, parties and peoples faces. I also feel like the purpose of selfies are to capture moments that you never want to forget, or even to capture funny and silly moments.
4. Where ever I go I see people on their phones taking selfies, including me. One day I was hanging out with some friends and we were having such a great time that we wanted to take selfies to always remember the moment. For us taking selfies is a process. Everyone has a good side that they like taking pictures on and almost everyone has a signature pose. It took me and my friends about 30 minutes just to get one good picture that we could all agree that looks good. At the end of the day we got a few selfies to capture an amazing day.
1. Jenne Wortham uses her personal encounter to narrate the word Selfie in the article. She then again does the same thing on paragraph 14
2. She was trying to show that she understands the article and has connection or personal experience to it, also letting her readers know Selfie isn’t a new term for taking pictures but was invented a long time ago.
3. People take selfies and post them on social medias to express their daily emotions, some people smile, frown, act funny and sometimes their selfies tells how their day is going.
4. When ever i take pictures or selfies i smile to portray my mood through the expression on my face which tells I’m having a good day. I don’t bother to take selfies when I’m on a daily busy schedule.
1)Jenna Wortham starts  her narration by telling how she came across with her experience of a “selfie” of a black and white photo she found in an antiques store. She then connects to Benny Winfield Jr., who is self proclaimed as the “leader of of the selfie movement”. In page 2 , she shares the experience she had with her friends with the use of selfies. She explains taking a selfie makes your friends interested in catching up with you.
2)Wortham uses narration to catch the reader’s attention and connect with the reader by sharing her personal experience by taking a selfie. She is trying to show the aspects of a selfie and how it blew up globally.
3)Jenna explains the purposes of selfies mostly in page 2, She states, “ it is about showing you friends and family your elation when you’re having a good day or opening dialogue or line communication using an image the same way you might simply text “hi” or “what’s up?”. In other words, selfies are meant to stay in contact with your friends and families and it’s another way to express your emotions and thoughts throw images.
4)Before the start of my freshmen year of high school, I just graduated middle school and I was given the option to pick between 2 phones. During this time, I was given to pick between iPhone and Samsung. I picked the Iphone because it was simple to use. Prior to getting my first phone, I never understood how people would pay all of their attention to their phones. Over time, my friends convinced me to get into social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Till this day I understand why people go on them all the time. It gives them a way to check up on their old friends and families. Images shows emotions and thoughts better than through texting or messaging each other.
1)I noticed that Jenna Wortham using narrative when she says the word selfie, she talks about the selfie.
2)I believe she chose to use narration in her article because I feel like she wanted to express her feelings towards this selfie movement, it also looked like she wanted to get people’s attention. I also feel like she wanted to share her personal experience with selfies.
3)in page 2 she says “ it is about showing your friends and family your elation when you’re having a good day or opening dialogue or line communication using an image the same way you might simply text “hi” or “what’s up?” I believe that she is trying to stay the pictures are also another way to communicate and express your feelings on how you feel about things or how you feel about yourself.
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1.Jenna Wortham starts off her article by using narrative and telling a story about he she visited an antique store in Vermont and discovered a “selfie” from many decades ago. She also uses narrative on the second page when she talks about her experience as an early Instagram user and when the selfie movement was gaining traction.
2. Wortham’s reasoning for using narration is for making connections with the reader and assist her in getting her point across. Through narration we get to understand her experiences and by understanding her we’re able to understand the ideas she’s presenting to us.
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3.In her article Wortham says that one reason people take and post selfies is to capture a moment. The photos they take tell a story about a certain time in someones life and by posting it to social media they can share this story with their friends and family. According to Wortham, another purpose for the selfie is to connect people. When selfies are posted online for others to see it leads to them wanting to see you in the real world because they’re reminded of you.
4.A few days before the end of summer vacation my friends and I went on a trip to Bear Mountain and made it our goal to climb our way to the top. Climbing a mountain was a first for all of us and as we trekked upwards I was thinking that I may have been biting off more than I could chew. One of the thoughts that kept me going was the thought of what the view would be like once we reached the top. Thinking about this helped me reach the top and when I did I took a picture of myself with the view and posted it on Snapchat. The next time I checked phone I got a few messages from some friends I talked to in high school and hadn’t talked to for a while. They used the photo as a conversation opener and through the photo I got to communicate with some of them again.
Jenna Wortham uses narrative to introduce “selfies” as not a product of the current generation but as something we’ve been doing since the invention of cameras. She also uses the same narrative to transition to talking about the inherent nature of selfies.
The narration adds a personal anecdote in which we can envision and relate to. By using narration, Wortham allows the everyday reader to relate to her point of view better than if she were to say that “selfies are really old”. Thus giving us a better understanding of her claims.
Selfies show emotions better than words can, are a more personal way to show an experience, and we are programmed to respond to faces faster and better than to words.
My father is one of the most pig-headed men on this planet. He despises “smart-technology” and every aspect of it. For his 30th birthday, we’ve got him a caliper ruler; so he can measure the gears of the machines he repairs at work and in his hobbies. But he would rather eyeball it and risk injury than using a “smart tool”.
However, I was shocked to see learn that he was and still is an amateur photographer. After going through some messages, I’ve found out that he has been sending selfies to my mom with cute video messages asking her about her day. After confronting him about this sharp contradiction from what I’ve known about him, he told me that its easier for him since he’s illiterate. Â
1. I notice that Jenna Wortham uses narrative everywhere in the article, especially that is told ion the first person. Jenna continuously uses words such as “I, it, I’ve, my” implying her opinion trying to make the reader tomorrow.
2.As parchally stated in answer 1 I feel like Jenna choose narration to connect with the reader as if there is there is a conversation going on, whereas she tells the story, readers listen then respond by questioning situations that were mentioned. She’s trying to show us different types of perspectives of how selfies became an “impact” on our social life online
3.On page 2 paragraph 1, Frederic Della Faille states that a image has more to it than just being ”selfie”, more as a memorable moment, a story that can be told through that image. Which is very agreeable b/c I take a lot of pictures for the memory just b/c I forget a lot of things. On the other hand whereas from the article Mr.Hofmann feels a image is worthless, He doesn’t see any value in it. But I disagree, a image creates a time, moment, and a date that you cant photographically keep in you brain. More as shares an experience with a background story.
4.I can connect with my sister when it comes to “selfies” b/c all we really care about is that we have a photo no matter how crazy we look, its about that moment that you cant back just b/c a photo last much longer. For instance my grandma is in her 70s and doesn’t know how to use a phone very well, so she would ask me to take a picture, even with the bad quality she has, just to look at the moment later on and just smile about it.
1) Jenna Wortham uses narrative in her first page of her article when she tells us about her story of her going into a Vermont antique store and finding a picture of a woman taking a selfie. Then she connects it with how Benny Winfield Jr. is the “leader of the selfie movement”. She uses narrative in the rest of her article to insist how people being accustomed to or even prefer online conversations and interactions better.
2)Wortham used narration in her article in order to show different scenarios where social media has affected things in places in many ways. She is trying to show how the media has a big effect on us and for example the picture of the person taking a selfie in the antique store. The selfie wasn’t created till a while a go when people started to take photos using the front camera.
3)Some purposes that Wortham mentions in her article include why we take selfies. People take selfies in order to record and post our lives on social media so others can see us. In social media there is a lot of obsession with beauty and body image. People on social media care a lot about their image to other people. People also take selfies as a personal way to share an experience.
4) During a trip to Maine we went to a lighthouse where you were able to walk all the way to the top. It was a long way up but once you got up there was a balcony with a view of the clear blue skies. My family came together and took a selfie of us and the view was in the background. My parents then save the photo and send it to their friends of our trip to Maine as a way to share an experience.