Stranger in Me

The stranger in me is a concept that involves the metaphorical mask that people hide behind in most uncomfortable situations. The stranger in me is not so much a stranger, but a friend of mine. The mask that people use to cover their true self can mold onto their face and they ultimately become what they would use to cover themselves with. People can use the mask to hide their true self because they fear that they will not be accepted or they do not want people to know who they really are. Normally, one does not understand why they act different around their friends or with strangers, but they are complete opposites. A person does not deal with situations the same when they are around their friends or around people they are not used to being with. For example, when accompanied with friends somebody might see a water spill as an act of entertainment and burst out laughing continuing the joke with each other. On the other hand if you dropped water on somebody at a party where you know absolutely nobody, then you will turn red and be embarrassed for your clumsiness. There are many masks that are used to conceal your true identity, one being a photograph. On social media a person will post what makes them seem perfect requiring time to be spent on editing a photograph whether it be changing the lighting or adding a rainbow in the background. Images seen on social media portray the moments captured filled with the excitement and joy of life that are altered in some way whether it be a fake smile or changed aspect of the photograph. A picture will never represent the entire story because there will always be something left out. A selfie is for social media that shows a person looking the best they will ever look in their life. A self-portrait is a picture of someone that has a greater meaning and sentimental connection to them.

In the selfie, there is a presence of happiness, good vibes, and people I enjoy being around perfect for social media. It shows me having a thrill in the perfect environment. It explains that with the right combination of people any situation you are put in can be entertaining. The selfie has brighter light surrounding the picture giving it more of a positive vibe when compared to the self-portrait which has a darker, gloomy tone to it. The self-portrait issues my truer side of being laid back and clueless. In the self-portrait I am holding my phone. Although I am not always on my phone, I am always involved and learning about technology. I am a certified nerd. I know how to build computers and am always searching for new technology. I feel as though if i am on my phone I will miss important situations that can change me or can tell stories about. It shows a more confused and relaxed state that is not what would be seen on social media, as everything for the wide unknown audience is released with a purpose of seeming near perfect in every aspect of life. I am calm in situations because I believe in that in the end everything will work out and happens for a reason. In any given situation I can see both sides of an argument which can make me indecisive at times because I can reason with either side making it difficult to choose the "correct" side. The photographs are zoomed in which represent that they only show one part of my life. They do not show everything and can't because there is just too much to fit into one single picture. I have never taken a traditional selfie with my arm extended and all. Part of the reason for not haven taken a true selfie is because I also don't have any social media where I have to take pictures and post for a wide known audience. The images do not show much which can relate to the fact that I don't believe anybody truly knows who I am or what I am capable of. I believe I do not truly know everything about myself either. I believe I am always, if not most times, the person I portray myself to be due to the reason that I am always calm and never stressing over anything that I don't have control over. If i am able to control a situation and it produces a result that I don't particularly enjoy I will not dwell on it, just think about what happened, how it can be changed next time, and move on to the next circumstance. I would describe myself as a curious and observant person because I always would like to know what is happening and where everyone is in comparison to me even in high-stress or crazed situations. I don't feel as though the stranger within me is a stranger at all, just a distant friend that I do not know all about but would like to. People are always changing and growing so I am continuously attempting to reach deep inside and find out more about myself that I did not know previously. Lots of images are cropped or adjusted in some form which leave out important details that can change your initial perception of it.

Susan Sontag explains the idea of photographs changing how people perceive the world when stating in the first paragraph of her piece In Plato's Cave, "This very insatiability of the photographing eye changes the terms of the confinement in the cave, our world." (3). She explains how collecting photographs is similar to collecting the world meaning that so much knowledge can be taken from photographs without having to travel, and I couldn't agree more. Sontag describes how some events "are not valid unless they have, affixed to them, a photograph-token," which is true. Some incidents of stories you tell to people may not convince them unless you show them a picture of what happened because until they see it for themselves they don't believe you. She goes on to explain how society is overrun with images, which is the case in New York, specifically Times Square. In Times Square the buildings are covered in billboards and lights of photographs advertising and catching the eye of the passerby. By looking at a picture from across the globe, I have the sense that I know everything about that place without even being there opening my mind to more information. Sontag has the point of view that pictures expand our inventory of knowledge to more than what we can see which alters how we ponder about places and people. By looking at an image of another location, that would otherwise be unknown to you, you undergo countless of experiences that you would not have been involved in if you never saw that image. Susan implies that a photograph can be consumed and you can assume you know everything about what is happening. This idea is true at times but not always because although it may seem that from a picture you can gather a great amount of information you won't have the full story behind it. If you look deeper into the photograph you can find a different meaning. The selfie and self-portrait shown are a fixed reality. I can explain my images but they are, like any other photograph, chosen specifically to show the details that I want to release. Outside of the frame, there can be details that are key to knowing more about the story behind that picture.

Works Cited Page

Sontag, Susan. “In Plato’s Cave.” On Photography, Dell Publishing, 1977, pp. 3-24. Composition Flipped, writing101.net/flip/wp-content/resources/documents/sontag-in-platos-cave.pdf.

Self-Portrait Selfie