All of my pictures inevitably show that I'm white. Sometimes people can glean from my face or surname that I am of Italian descent, although that's not obvious to everyone.
My appearance from my necklace to my long hair broadcasts that I identify as a woman, which is correct. The outfits I'm wearing aren't especially feminine except in the second photo, but overall I broadcast a decidedly feminine identity.
These selfies don't communicate anything about my sexuality. I do not regard sexuality as an important part of what I need to show people unless I'm seeking a partner. Perhaps if I picked a selfie with my boyfriend, my images would show something about that part of my identity. If I were to share a picture of us kissing, it would show that I'm attracted to men, but it wouldn't show if I'm also attracted to women.
Socio-economic status is difficult to convey through social media, but people can likely tell I come from some middle class background. I'm not wearing anything or doing anything extravagant but nothing suggests poverty either. People don't always express their income through selfies. For instance, a wealthy person like Martin Shkreli often posts selfies of himself in t-shirt and jeans but we all know he's wealthy because he is a famous figure.
Not much about my cultural affinity is shown except for my age, showing that I am young. Details about my race, relative age, social class, religion, or income are not typically put on purposeful display in my selfies, but people would be able to conclude some aspects just by seeing them. For example, the second picture shows me with the "I voted" sticker, unique to US elections, displaying my national residency.
While I am apathetic towards cultural affinity, I enjoy expressing affinity groups in my selfies by showing what my interests are. The first image taken a couple days ago shows my interest in animals. While "liking animals" is not a strict group, the picture expresses that I regard myself as a "pet lover," a type of person. It's my new Facebook profile photo, revealing just how much I wanted it to represent me online for a while.
The second photo identifies me as a USA voter. It is seen that I voted, but it is not seen who I voted for or what ideology I support. The picture communicates that I think voting is important or that I feel good about voting.
The third photo was taken at the National Cannabis Festival in DC last weekend and I show my enthusiasm for cannabis business. I'm wearing a hat from Weedmaps, a website connecting cannabis patients to doctors, dispensaries, and delivery services across the US. What people can't see from the selfie is that I lost the hat halfway through the festival, but I still choose to show it to people because I still enjoy Weedmaps.
Selfies are a way for people to communicate aspects of their identity but that is not the only purpose. Just because I'm compelled to take the selfie doesn't mean I intend to post it to social media or even show anyone. I find myself taking selfies to personally commemorate my life at a specific time. For example, I didn't post the last photo to social media. I just wanted a selfie to look back on for the event I attended.
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