نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Objective: The selfie, resulting from the convergence of digital cameras and smartphones, functions beyond a mere image. One of the most significant emerging capacities of the selfie is its application in marketing and advertising. By displaying products in their selfies, users seek a form of personal endorsement from the brand—a phenomenon that is notable from psychological, economic, cultural, and communicative-action perspectives. The aim of the present study is to investigate the scientific and theoretical foundations of selfies in advertising and to elucidate the impact of selfie-based advertising on audience attitudes.
Method: This study employs a meta-synthesis framework to conduct a qualitative review and analysis of theoretical and empirical studies related to selfies, social networks, and advertising. A search for articles was conducted in Google Scholar using the keywords "selfie and advertising," "social networks and advertising," and "emotional contagion," covering the last 15 years. From an initial pool of 157 articles, after four stages of screening, 24 articles were selected for final analysis.
Results: The synthesis of the research indicates that selfies on social networks have transformed into a communicative-advertising and emotional mechanism that influences audience behavior, attitudes, and emotions. The research literature can be classified into three main axes: the role of selfies in advertising, the typology of selfies, and the impact of selfies on emotional contagion. In the first axis, selfies are recognized as a form of "self-made branding" that can lead to user-centered and viral marketing, generating more engagement compared to other content. In the second axis, three types of selfies frequently used in advertising were identified: consumer selfies, product selfies (pack shots), and brand selfies. Results show that consumer selfies generate the highest level of social engagement, while brand selfies more strongly reinforce purchase intention. In the third axis, through emotional mimicry, selfies lead to the rapid transmission of positive or negative emotions.
Conclusion: Selfies have become a phenomenon beyond a mere technological tool, acquiring cultural, economic, and advertising dimensions. Therefore, alongside harnessing their potential in advertising, it is necessary to examine negative aspects—such as the contagion of negative emotions—in order to develop appropriate ethical protocols for brands.
کلیدواژهها English
