Nonverbal communication in selfies posted on Instagram: Another look at the effect of gender on vertical camera angle

Abstract

Background Selfies are a novel social phenomenon that is gradually beginning to receive attention within the cognitive sciences. Several studies have documented biases that may be related to nonverbal communicative intentions. For instance, in selfies posted on the dating platform Tinder males but not females prefer camera views from below (Sedgewick, Flath & Elias, 2017). We reexamined this study to assess whether this bias is confined to dating selection contexts and to compare variability between individuals and between genders. Methods Three raters evaluated vertical camera position in 2000 selfies-1000 by males and 1000 by females-posted in Instagram. Results We found that the choices of camera angle do seem to vary depending on the context under which the selfies were uploaded. On Tinder, females appear more likely to choose neutral, frontal presentations than they do on Instagram, whereas males on Tinder appear more likely to opt for camera angles from below than on Instagram. Conclusions This result confirms that the composition of selfies is constrained by factors affecting nonverbal communicative intentions.

Face masks modulate non-verbal communication in selfies, but do not affect beauty ratings

“…Previous studies have reported that choices of camera angle are related to the sex of the taker, with males preferring angles from below and female preferring angles from above or at eye-level (Sedgewick, Flath & Elias, 2017, Bruno, Uccelli, Pisu et al, 2020. In addition, a related study provided some evidence that camera angle is modulated by communicative intention, such that angles from above become less frequent in female sel es posted on Tinder in comparison to Instagram (Soranzo & Bruno, 2020). These effects have been interpreted in relation to the expressiveness of views from below, which may be associated with dominance, in contrast to views from above that may be associated to submission.…”

“…Despite the popularity of the face mask sel e subgenre, however, there has been essentially no research on the impact of masks on sel e taking behaviors. Evidence bearing on this issue is interesting not only on a general level, as an extension of existing data on masks and interpersonal communication in presence, but also as a test of models that seek to understand how non-verbal communication in sel es may be modulated by different communicative intentions and other contextual factors (Bruno, Pisanski, Sorokowska & Sorokowski, 2018;Bruno, Uccelli, Pisu et al, 2020;Soranzo & Bruno, 2020). Speci cally, in the current study we purported to do four things.…”

“…It has been reported that males tend to favor angles from below whereas females prefer angles from above or at eye level (Sedgewick, Flath & Elias, 2017, Bruno, Uccelli, Pisu et al, 2020. Suggesting that this sex-related difference is related to different communicative intentions, it has been documented that choice in camera angle is modulated by the type of social media (the general photo sharing application Instagram vs the dating application Tinder) chosen for posting (Soranzo & Bruno, 2020). Fourth, and nal, we puported to assess the impact of wearing a face mask on the perceived attractiveness of the sel e taker, an issue that has remained controversial as stated above.…”

Utilizing Instagram Data to Identify Usage Patterns Associated With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

“…Further, Yau and Reich (32) argued that social media provides individuals more time to edit and craft their posts to allow for purposeful and even strategic self-presentation and impression management. In images, meaningful self-expression not just arises from the content, but also composition or camera manipulation, including camera tilt and distance to the object (33,34). Images can offer particularly interesting insights in psychiatry.…”

Hey, let's take a selfie: insights of selfie defamiliarisation in the classroom

“…Introduction Social media's rapid proliferation has fashioned the taking and sharing of selfies as ubiquitous (Grindstaff and Torres Valencia, 2021;McLean et al, 2019), where the word "selfie" has become renowned in the digital world (Faimau, 2020) as a novel social phenomenon (Soranzo and Bruno, 2020). Selfies are defined as self-portraits that visually communicate (Hess, 2015) and represent an individual's (Jackson, 2019;Qiu et al, 2015) thoughts, beliefs, and creativity (Karwowski and Brzeski, 2017), and it has arisen as a culture fixated with itself (Hess, 2015).…”