The Selfie Generation: How Our Self Images Are Changing Our Notions of Privacy, Property, Sex, Consent, and Culture

A conversation between author Alicia Eler, who is also the visual art critic/ arts reporter at the Star Tribune, and Mia’s Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, Nicole Soukup.

What exactly is a selfie, and why are they everywhere? Whether you happen upon them on Instagram and Snapchat, or literally run into people selfie-ing on the street, the selfie is an elusive yet consistent aspect of how people visually communicate today.

Millennial Alicia Eler’s The Selfie Generation is the first book to delve fully into the selfie, this ubiquitous and much-maligned part of social media, including why people take them in the first place and the ways they can change how we see ourselves. Eler argues that selfies are just one facet of how we can use digital media to create a personal brand in the modern age. More than just a picture, they are an important part of how we live today. Part-memoir and written from a queer perspective, ultimately Eler’s book seeks to redefine how our culture looks at millennials.