Selfiecity followed three main steps to turn Instagram selfies into cultural insights:
- Data collection: Researchers gathered selfies from five cities: Bangkok, Berlin, Moscow, New York, and São Paulo. They did this by using the Instagram API.
- Data analysis: Images were analyzed using computer vision to measure smiles, head tilt, and gaze, combined with using mechanical turks for age and gender. This helped ensure accuracy and cultural nuance that the computer alone couldn’t capture.
- Data visualization: Results were presented through interactive charts and photo grids which lets anyone explore trends across cities and demographics.
Digital humanities connection: This mix of collection, computational analysis, and visualization shows how digital humanities combines technology with cultural interpretation while keeping methods transparent and ethical.
