ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the convergence of visual practices involved in the taking, sharing and posting of images on social media platforms such as Instagram, as well as in the production of travel documentaries for the cinema screen. The central question pursued here is whether these convergences are harmful or empowering for the representation of the female traveller. Since many recent media and social-psychological studies have shown that young women in particular are affected by social media–related “selfie harm”, this chapter aims to look at the media convergences from this special point of view. By comparing the set of visual practices and the image aesthetics of both selfie postings on Instagram and within personalised travel documentaries, the chapter asks whether the female travellers in such media-convergent formats suffer from selfie harm, or if the travel writing genre allows a more empowering representation of the female body.
