Step 3: Interpretation

In the interpretation stage, you will determine the larger meanings of the patterns you have analyzed. The most difficult stage in criticism, interpretation demands an answer to the questions “So what?” and “What does all this mean?”

For example, is there social pressure to present ourselves in the best way possible in social media photos, videos, and texts, thus creating an inaccurate public presentation of our lives? (Or think about it this way: Are we presenting ourselves in the same way that a business might present itself on social media? Should we treat our own lives like a business communication?)

Do we overshare in social media, revealing too much of ourselves to people who really aren’t close friends, in the traditional sense? Are we being pathetic in constantly seeking approval by collecting “Likes” for our pictures and posts? Is social media use leaving us feeling more alienated, alone, and depressed?

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SELFIE CULTURE got a national showcase at the 2014 Academy Awards ceremony, where host Ellen DeGeneres quickly convinced a gaggle of huge stars, including Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, and Bradley Cooper, to pose for a selfie to be posted on her Twitter account. It quickly became one of the most retweeted images in the history of Twitter. Ellen DeGeneres/Twitter via Getty Images