We invite you to read a new Special Section on "Selfies" that published May 15 at http://ijoc.org. “What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating a Global Phenomenon” “Selfies” are ubiquitous. Yet the term—and more so the practice(s)—remain ambiguous, fraught, and caught in a stubborn and morally-loaded hype cycle. This Special Section on What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating a Global Phenomenon (guest-edited by Theresa M. Senft and Nancy K. Baym) considers the selfie as the reigning litmus test of (accurate, authentic, legitimate, appropriate) digital self-representation. Drawing on work from diverse methods and perspectives and a global range of research sites, together, these articles consider what the selfie says about our theoretical conceptions of photography, assemblage, affect and autobiography; how the selfie reflects political narratives about the state, the electorate, the subaltern, the activist, and the martyr; and how it frames ongoing conversations about gender, race, ethnicity, age and sexuality. Contributors: • Kath Albury, University of New South Wales, Australia • Michael Arnold, University of Melbourne, Australia • Anirban K. Baishya, University of Southern California, USA • Nancy K. Baym, Microsoft Research, USA • Matthew Bellinger, University of Washington, USA • Sonja Boon, Memorial University, Canada • Jenna Brager, Rutgers University, USA • Cornelia Brantner, University of Vienna, Austria • Anne Burns, Loughborough University, UK • Marcus Carter, University of Melbourne, Australia • Elizabeth Thomas Crocker, Boston University, USA • Ruth A. Deller, Sheffield Hallam University, UK • Guo Freeman, Indiana University, USA • Paul Frosh, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel • Martin Gibbs, University of Melbourne, Australia • Aaron Hess, Arizona State University • James E. Katz, Boston University, USA • Tamara Kohn, University of Melbourne, Australia • Michael Koliska, University of Maryland, USA • Katharina Lobinger, University of Bremen, Germany • Elizabeth Losh, University of California San Diego, USA • Beatriz Aldana Marquez, Texas A&M University, USA • James Meese, University of Melbourne, Australia • Kate M. Miltner, University of Southern California, USA • Bjorn Nansen, University of Melbourne, Australia • David Nemer, Indiana University, USA • Beth Pentney, Nipissing University & Acadia University, Canada • Jessica Roberts, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China • Theresa M. Senft, New York University, USA • Katrin Tildenberg, Tallin University, Estonia • Shane A. Tilton, Ohio Northern University, USA • Apryl A. Williams, Texas A&M University, USA Larry Gross Editor Arlene Luck Managing Editor ___________________________________________________ International Journal of Communication (IJoC) USC Annenberg Press University of Southern California http://ijoc.org/