ABSTRACT

Selfies provide proof of an event witnessed through combining a presentation of self along with the event. They also demonstrate interest and support of a movement, but moreover the selfie reaffirms the existence of the protester as they wrestle with their own minimisation in the face of global climate breakdown. The taker of the selfie is reaffirmed through their existence both as an embodied presence before the lens, and as a digital image distributed across social networks. This chapter seeks to explore the role of the selfie in creating new political and social spaces, and in reaffirming the existence of the individual in the Anthropocene. Using content analysis of Twitter from XR actions in 2019, this chapter asks whether such activities are really the death of the public sphere and potentially self-defeating, or whether they are important place-making actions that challenge subjugation.