8.5 C
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

The #AfterSex Selfie: New Instagram Trend Goes Viral As Couples Post Self Snaps After Sex (PHOTOS)

Must read

You’ve survived the envy-inducing holiday snaps, updates about your friend’s breakfast and the drunken self-portraits which provide a blurry record of a good night out.

However, none of these methods of documenting the minutiae of modern life can prepare you for the latest trend – the #aftersex selfie.

A number of couples have been sharing their post-coital bliss on Instragram – and yes, they’re as jaw-droppingly awful as you might imagine.

A little too much information? A couple and their cat post a picture to Instagram with the hashtag #aftersex

A little too much information? A couple and their cat post a picture to Instagram with the hashtag #aftersex

Most of the pictures feature couples curled together and smiling for the camera. In one image, the pair enjoy a cigarette while another features a horrified-looking cat.

Unsurprisingly, #aftersex selfie has attracted a fair amount of ridicule with pictures of hands and fingers as well as cartoons dominating the hashtag’s stream.

Dr Chris Chesher, lecturer in digital cultures at the University of Sydney, said the phenomenon of oversharing is a new one which is expanding as more people attempt to use new and unfamiliar platforms of social media.

The selfie trend has exploded in recent years, with celebrities leading the way by posting constant photos of themselves

 

The selfie trend has exploded in recent years, with celebrities leading the way by posting constant photos of themselves

‘What happens when new cultural platforms come along, is the norms with how they should be used don’t exist until people start using them,’ Dr Chesher said.

‘Platforms like Facebook have been around for several years, so expectations on how it should be used have been gradually established.

Experts say Instagram users are still experimenting with the platform and there are not yet established 'rules' like on Facebook

 

Experts say Instagram users are still experimenting with the platform and there are not yet established ‘rules’ like on Facebook

‘We’re coming into new faze when early adopters are more sensitive to the norm conditions of new platforms, but the problem with a widening base of users is that people coming to platforms now aren’t aware of the risks of oversharing.’

Other popular hashtags which have been the subject of public scrutiny include the self explanatory ‘Selfies with Homeless People’, and #funeral, in which posters take selfies of their faces and outfits, often with sad or somewhat confused facial expressions while tacking the hashtag on the end.

While the after-sex photos are pushing the boundaries, the selfie has gone mainstream, with even charities jumping in on the act

While the after-sex photos are pushing the boundaries, the selfie has gone mainstream, with even charities jumping in on the act

Dr Chesher said he suspects that these controversial trends are a deliberate breach of taboos.

‘I guess what happens is that when we have a kind of breach of conventions on what is a private topic or image, that becomes perceived as abuse of medium and it achieves what perpetrators set out to do, which is to cause a moral panic or reaction against it,’ Dr Chesher said.

Some are seeing the post-coital selfies as an abuse of social media, but younger users have a message for them: Get a sense of humour

Some are seeing the post-coital selfies as an abuse of social media, but younger users have a message for them: Get a sense of humour

The selfie trend is certainly not going away any time soon, as even charities align their awareness campaigns with selfie taking.

The no make-up selfie in particular, has become so popular that it’s raised over £8 million for a cancer charity in the UK.

Selfies are about empowerment, explains Dr Chris Chesher from the University of Sydney. 'It's about having complete control over the production of your own image,' he says.

 

Selfies are about empowerment, explains Dr Chris Chesher from the University of Sydney. ‘It’s about having complete control over the production of your own image,’ he says.

Dr Chesher says the trend’s popularity is a practical response to wanting to control your own image.

‘It’s about having complete control over the production of your own image, as opposed to someone taking photo of you and having control over it, or asking someone to take a photo and then asking them to delete it,’ Dr Cheser said.

With celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rhianna posting selfies on a daily basis, it wasn't going to take long for the rest of society to follow, says Dr Chesher

 

With celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Rhianna posting selfies on a daily basis, it wasn’t going to take long for the rest of society to follow, says Dr Chesher

More articles

- Advertisement -The Fast Track to Earning Income as a Publisher
- Advertisement -The Fast Track to Earning Income as a Publisher
- Advertisement -Top 20 Blogs Lifestyle

Latest article