selfie tells a thousand words

A smartphone tilted at 45 degrees above your eyeline is the most forgiving angle, against the flattering beam of a backlit window or a supernova of flash reflected in a bathroom mirror, as you prepare for a night out.

Sexiness is sucked-in cheeks, pouting lips, a nonchalant cock of the head and a hint of bare flesh below the clavicle. Snap! Afterwards, a flattering filter is applied. Outlines are blurred, colours are softened, a sepia tint implies a simpler era of vinyl records and VW camper vans.

This is the work of an instant. Tap and you are ready to upload: to Twitter, to Facebook, to Instagram, each portrait accompanied by a self-referential hashtag. Your image is retweeted and tagged and shared. This is the selfie: the self-portrait of the digital age. We are all at it. Just type ‘selfie’ into the Twitter search bar. Or look at Instagram, where 90m photos are posted with the hashtag #me.