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Book notes: The Society of the Selfie: Social Media and the Crisis of Illiberal Democracy by Jeremiah Morelock and Felipe Ziotti Narita

We live in a society of ‘global neoliberal information capitalism’ in ‘an era of widespread crisis’ exacerbated by the pandemic (p. 2). The main reason for this negative trend is that ‘neoliberal capitalism has brought itself to a point of global crisis because of the social contradictions it embodies’ (p. 2). Returning to the ‘old normal’ is returning to this type of society of ‘desperation and uncertainty’ (p. 2). It is in this frame of mind that Jeremiah Morelock and Felipe Ziotti Narita formulate their argument about the relationship between social media and the crisis of liberal democracy. They call the ‘global neoliberalism information capitalism’ society – ‘the society of the selfie’ (p. 3). At the heart of this society is the process of individuation, linked to ‘the pervasive need for online impression management and individual self-investment reinforced by neoliberal logics’ (p. 3). Rather than being a force for good, technology aids a culture of ‘exhibition of achievements, failures, engagement, anxieties and private issues’ or living life under constant scrutiny and the threat of discrediting (p. 3). The selfie itself is an embodiment of the ills of contemporary society, the authors argue. The book is built on the work of social theorists such as Guy Debord, Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, Erich Fromm, and Erving Goffman. It is split into Introduction, five substantial chapters and Conclusion. Chapter 2, ‘Communication Technologies and the History of the Spectacle’, investigates ‘the place of communication technologies in the global economic and cultural changes from the Industrial Revolution to the present’ (p. 11). Chapter 3, ‘Neoliberal Impression Management’, discusses people’s participation in a process of impression management on social media ‘in order to gain desired recognition from others, and in many cases to network and showcase a “professional” identity’ (p. 11). Chapter 4, ‘Invisible Audience and Echo Chamber Effects’, builds on George Herbert Mead’s concept of the ‘generalized other’ as significant in the formation of personal identity, namely ‘personal identity is formed through the reactions of others’ (p. 12). Chapter 5, ‘Dialectics of Alienation and Abnormality’, focuses on alienation, abnormality, anxiety and authenticity. Chapter 6, ‘Authoritarianism and Resistance’, then discusses the political implications of all trends covered in the previous chapters. All in all, this is an interesting and thought-provoking book well worth a read.