Selfies+and+Social+Networks

Image Attribution: Jimmie Pencil and Paper

Tod ay we are going to focus on social media and how our uses of it can at times be positive and at times be negative.

**Teachers:** please put your students in pairs and give each pair one copy of the response sheet. __ Do not show the image below until they have completed the first question and discussed it. __

__**Question:**__ How long have people been taking selfies? (Tick one)

year || for the last 5 years || for the last decade || for the last century || for more than a century ||
 * for the last

Share your answers and then read the introduction below.



Would you be surprised to learn that one of the first ever, photographic selfie was taken in 1839? Here it is above. The photographer was Robert Cornelius, who lived from 1809-1893.

The photograph now resides in the Library of Congress. Click here to go to their site and learn more.


 * Often when asked people give different reasons for taking selfies. **

__** Turn to your partner and share as many reasons as you can. **__ What happens to all these selfies? Where do the end up? Who has access to them?

In your pairs, record these answers on the sheet you have been given.

Narcissus
Watch the following video: media type="youtube" key="o9okcHqdQdA" width="560" height="315"

__**Pair and Share:**__ Based on what you have seen and listened to in this video, work out a definition for the word Narcissism.

Can this term be applied to selfies in some cases? Are there examples of work with selfies for which it doesn't apply?

**Watch this TED Talk on Selfies**
media type="youtube" key="kftHuGyHRYg" width="560" height="315"
 * (We will stop at 3:46)**

**__Look back to the questions you answered earlier in the lesson__**. -Did the video confirm any of your answers? -Did you have some answers the video didn't touch on? Share these with the class.

__** Answer these questions on the sheet you are working on. **__

What do you think about selfies? Do you take them, if so how often? Why do you take them? Where do they end up? Where else might they end up?

__** What are the pros and cons related to selfies? **__ Fill in the table on the sheet.
 * == Pros == || == Cons == ||

Now watch this Next Video on Selfies: Pay special attention to what is happening and be ready to explain it. media type="youtube" key="rwDbOmPQNx0" width="560" height="315"


 * Discuss the following questions with your partner and be ready to share with the class: **

What are your impressions of what happened here?

What social interactions took place?

How does our need to document our lives with selfies affect others around us?

What effects do they have on society?

Write a mini reflection of about one paragraph giving your opinion on this topic.