Now that you know my thesis mission, let's take a look at the objective...visually with my first design that's a bit dark.

DESIGN #1

CONCEPT #1

Since the articles in my literature review deals with Instagram and statistics, I know that an info-graphic would outline the statistics and I know that an Instagram business account has an insight page that has charts and data about the account's posts and its audience.

In relation to this, I decided to create an amination of an Instagram user going on Instagram, looking at the selfie posts, going onto their account page, clicking their account insights and present the selfie culture statistics in the form of the insight page. At the end of the animation, the user goes back to their feed and see a post that has a call to action to think about whether they should/shouldn't take a selfie after reading the data.

Click to watch the selfie insights animation

Instagram insights inspo

REFLECTION

Since I want to post the animation on Instagram to reach my target audience, I realized that the iPhone size of the animation would not fit to Instagram's size format. Scaling it to a square size would be too small to view the statistics. Also, posting an Instagram animation on Instagram was not making any sense, so I decided to scrap this prototype and come up with a new one.

CONCEPT #2

The second prototype that I want to create are two video essays, each on Selfie-Deaths and Selfie Narcissism. I want to use a real-life story in a video form to further contextualize the statistics and ask the viewer a rhetoric question about both issues.

Click to read the selfie death story

Click to watch the selfie narcissism story

REFLECTION

After I tried exporting the videos to create the video essays, there was a copyright issue that prevented me to repost them. Since the videos are very serious, I feel like millennials won't pay attention to the videos, so I decided to scrap the video essay and instead communicate the selfie culture issues in their language that can speak to them.

CONCEPT #3

For my third prototype, I decided that I want to create satiric selfie fact cards, basically a satiric illustration that depicts a problem in selfie culture, with a statistic about that specific issue at the bottom of the card. Since my previous outcomes were very serious, I want instead communicate these issues in a humorous way because these selfie issues are so ridiculous that they need to be ridiculed.

Humor, especially memes, are a big trend on social media that targets millennials – they love creating, searching, reading, and sharing them – humor is also remembered. Because selfie culture is also a huge trend on social media, by making the comic satiric, it can be triggering, which can influence millenials to critically think and debate about these issues.

Mom brings daughter to doctor. The doctor says,'She took so many selfies of herself making that duck face, her face froze like that. Luckily, it's not permanent

Selfie meme inspo 1

Woman takes a selfie in a hospital bed. The meme reads, 'But first, let me take a selfie'

Selfie meme inspo 2

Selfie Satiric Fact Cards Process: Selfie scenarios in different illustration styles.

Greyscale illustration style. Card 1: Millenial says, 'This cliff is a perfect place to take an edgy selfie.' Card 2: Doctor says, 'So you want me to widden your eyes to look like your SnapChat filter?' Card 3: Millenial says, 'Let's take a selfie together? Lion says, Am I a joke to you?'

Exaggerated, coloured illustration style

Click the arrows to read the fact cards

REFLECTION

The satiric humor with the “Sad, but True Selfie Fact” works well to understand the context of each of the issues in a language that speaks to millennials. However, making it into a comic strip to show how it leads to the problem leads me to take these satiric cards and create a narrative comic strip.

FINAL DESIGN

Satiric selfie comic strips are basically a satiric narrative that depicts and leads to a problem in selfie culture, with a statistic about that specific issue at the end of the narrative. The user would swipe through the frames side by side in one post on Instagram. Also, I created the logo for my Selfie Awareness brand.

Girl takes a picture of the water conserve and says, 'This reserve is so beautiful!'

Girl climbs the fence ignoring the Do Not Cross sign and says,'I want a killer selfie!'

Girl stands at the edge of the cliff taking a selfie and says'These shots are so edgy!'

Sad, but true selfie fact: From 2011 to 2017, 48 out of 259 reported selfie deaths have died due to falling off great heights. These deaths are typically caused due to people disobeying safety signage or unaware of their surroundings.

Click the arrows to read the comic strip

Boy says to girl, 'You're a great girl, but I'm disappointed that you don't look like your selfie.

Girl goes on phone and sees a cosmetic surgery Instagram ad that says,'Get Your Dream Face by Doctor Dream Face'

Girl books an appointment with the cosmetic surgeon.

Doctor says, 'So you want me to widden your eyes to look like your SnapChat filter?' Girl responds, 'Please doctor!'

Sad, but true selfie fact: From 2017, 230,000 cosmetic surgeries performed on teens 13-19, mostly due to SnapChat Dysmorphia. SnapChat Dysmorphia is a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), where a person is constantly worrying about their appearance.

Click the arrows to read the comic strip

Boy takes a picture of the lion and says,'The lion is so stunning!'

Boy climbs fence and says,'I want a close-up!'

Boy takes a picture of the lion and the lion says, 'WTF!?'

Boy stands besides the lion and says, 'Let's take a selfie together!

The lion screams, 'AM I A JOKE TO YOU?!'

Sad, but true selfie fact: From 2011 to 2017, 8 out of the 259 reported selfie deaths have died due to extreme animal selfies. Social media platforms are saturated with wild animal selfies, all of which are potentially dangerous to both humans and animals.

Click the arrows to read the comic strip