Podcast Summary: "Digital Expressions of the Self(ie): The Social Life of Selfies in India"

New Books Network | Nordic Asia Podcast | October 6, 2025 Host: Ksenia Zeiler
Guest: Abhishek Rai, Associate Professor at NIT Silchar

Overview

This episode explores the first comprehensive academic study of selfies in India, based on the book "Digital Expressions of the Self(ie): The Social Life of Selfies in India," co-authored by Abhishek Rai. Through detailed case studies, the conversation delves into how selfies are woven into the fabric of Indian society, intersecting with issues of class, gender, caste, digital surveillance, and evolving digital platforms. The discussion highlights both the empowering and coercive facets of selfies in India, drawing on ethnographic research across urban and professional spaces.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Abhishek Rai’s Journey to Studying Digital Culture (02:19–04:27)

• Initially drawn to media courses during the digital boom, Rai became fascinated by the non-trivial role selfies play in Indian society.
  • Quote: “I was fascinated by how something as ordinary as holding up your phone and clicking a picture would carry so much weight.” (03:14, A)
• Selfies range from playful social acts to tools for workplace surveillance and mechanisms of social control.
  • Selfies as “performances, negotiations, and even tools of control.” (04:15, A)

Scope and Structure of the Book (05:29–08:14)

• Multi-sited, multi-authored research covers:
  • Urban Performance: Young men choreographing Instagram reels in public spaces like Connaught Place, Delhi—negotiating gender and public presence.
  • Café Leisure: "Insta-worthy" cafes in Kolkata, where the act of taking selfies is integral to the experience.
  • Workplace Surveillance: Sanitation and domestic workers must upload geotagged selfies as proof of presence and attendance.
  • Mourning and Stardom: Posthumous selfies used for commemorating deceased superstars, blending mourning with fandom.
  • Aspirational/Object Selfies: Photos of books or personal libraries shared to project aspirations and social mobility—“selfies” beyond faces.
• Quote: “We called them 'aspirational selfies'...they don’t feature people but books...linked to questions of class mobility.” (07:47, A)

Platform Choices: Class, Gender, and Technology (09:21–12:02)

• Instagram rules for the young and style-conscious; Facebook remains relevant for older or broader audiences; WhatsApp is an intimate, understudied platform.
  • Quote: “For younger people, for example, Instagram is a big thing…But then [Facebook] still has a very wider reach…” (09:47, A)
• The type of phone, its brand/model, and display on selfies signal further markers of class.
  • Platforms’ “affordances” shape both content and its social meanings.

The Distinctiveness of Indian Selfies (12:48–14:52)

• Selfies are closely tied to social hierarchies in India—class, caste, gender—often bearing meanings invisible elsewhere.
  • In Delhi, working-class youth assert presence in elite spaces via choreographed performances.
  • In Kolkata, middle-class tastes and “global aesthetics” are performed.
  • Coercive aspects: Workplace selfies for attendance among sanitation workers showcase digital surveillance and labor discipline.
• India's high incidence of "selfie deaths" (accidents during extreme selfie moments) points to the cultural and emotional stakes attached.
  • Quote: “In India, they become a way to negotiate belonging, sometimes empowering, sometimes coercive, sometimes surveilling...” (14:20, A)

Why Was This Field So Understudied? (15:20–16:39)

• Two key reasons:
  • Dismissal of selfies as trivial, “not worth academic attention.”
  • The dominant narrative of “digital divide” overshadowing everyday digital practices like selfies.
  • Quote: “Selfies have often been dismissed as silly, narcissistic, too trivial.… Everyday practices like selfies fall through the cracks.” (15:22, A)

Selfies and Recent Public Debates (17:01–19:08)

• Sanitation Worker Surveillance: Required geotagged selfies spark ethical debate—accountability versus dignity and trust.
  • Quote: “On the one hand it is framed as accountability. On the other hand, it raises big questions about dignity, trust and digital surveillance...” (17:34, A)
• Politics: Politicians and citizens use selfies at rallies and with leaders; public spaces like train stations have selfie kiosks with political figures, turning selfies into instruments of affiliation, mobilization, and propaganda.

Key Takeaways and Future Directions (20:07–22:51)

• Selfies in India “democratize self-representation” yet “reproduce inequalities” along lines of caste, class, and gender.
  • Quote: “They are not trivial. They are not banal either… Not everyone has the same freedom to be visible or to be seen in the same way.” (20:18, A)
• Rai's current research investigates “platform affordances” and shifting aesthetic boundaries—e.g., TikTok’s class associations and the rise of “object selfies.”
  • Definition of the selfie is “expanding”—now includes non-traditional forms (e.g., books, faceless/object selfies).
  • Quote: “There’s a definitional expansion…of what we used to understand by selfies.” (22:15, A)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamp Highlights

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |-----------|-------|---------| | 03:14 | “I was fascinated by how something as ordinary as holding up your phone and clicking a picture would carry so much weight.” | A | | 04:15 | “Selfies are performances, negotiations, and even tools of control.” | A | | 07:47 | “We called them 'aspirational selfies'...they don’t feature people but books...linked to questions of class mobility.” | A | | 09:47 | “For younger people, for example, Instagram is a big thing…But then [Facebook] still has a very wider reach…” | A | | 14:20 | “In India, they become a way to negotiate belonging, sometimes empowering, sometimes coercive, sometimes surveilling...” | A | | 15:22 | “Selfies have often been dismissed as silly, narcissistic, too trivial.… Everyday practices like selfies fall through the cracks.” | A | | 17:34 | “On the one hand it is framed as accountability. On the other hand, it raises big questions about dignity, trust and digital surveillance...” | A | | 20:18 | “They are not trivial. They are not banal either… Not everyone has the same freedom to be visible or to be seen in the same way.” | A | | 22:15 | “There’s a definitional expansion…of what we used to understand by selfies.” | A |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Introduction & Rai's Background: 00:14–02:49
• Motivation & Emergence of Research Interest: 02:49–04:27
• Scope of the Book / Indian Cases: 05:29–08:14
• Platform Choices and Affordances: 09:21–12:02
• Cultural Specificities of Indian Selfies: 12:48–14:52
• Field’s Scholarly Status & Challenges: 15:20–16:39
• Selfies and Public Debates/Sanitation Work: 17:01–19:08
• Key Takeaways and Future Research: 20:07–22:51

Conclusion

This episode provides a nuanced exploration of selfies in India, elevating a familiar digital practice into a lens for understanding broader social tensions and aspirations. The discussion emphasizes how everyday digital acts can reinforce or challenge social norms, bringing to light the unique and often overlooked ways in which Indian society negotiates modernity, identity, and power through ubiquitous digital imagery.