Self(ie) Reflections

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The podcast series Self(ie) Reflections serves as an intellectual companion to the research project Digital Expressions of the Self(ie): The Social Life of Selfies in India. Over four episodes, the series deconstructs the selfie as an iterative, performative practice that reshapes the relationship between identity, space, and power.

From the "insta-worthy" cafes of Kolkata to the TikTok hotspots of Delhi's ruins, the podcast highlights how digital performance allows individuals to reclaim physical space and negotiate visibility. It contrasts the hyper-visible "attitude" videos of Delhi’s working-class youth with the curated "performing objects" of Bookstagram and Inktober, where personal identity is expressed through the curation of tea, books, and art rather than the face.

The series also confronts the darker side of digital culture: datafication and surveillance. In the final panel, researchers discuss the "afterlife" of the selfie, noting how AI and algorithmic curation transform personal expressions into data points for institutional harvesting. By examining the labor, ethics, and aesthetics of selfie-making, Spark provides a critical look at how Indians navigate the digital age, arguing that the selfie is a vital tool for self-making that must be balanced against the growing reach of algorithmic governance.
We bring the research to life through the voices of the people who shaped it—from professors and researchers Avishek Ray, Ethiraj Gabriel Dattatreyan, Usha Raman, Martin Web, Neha Gupta, Sai Amulya Komarraju, Anuja Premika, Riad Azam, Farhat Salim, Pranavesh Subramanian and influencers and artists, Kajree Gautam, Mom Mitra and Delwyn Remedios.

It’s time to look closer at the backdrops of our lives. This is Self(ie) Reflections. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform.