> HOLY SELFIE STATS

Researchers at the University of Toronto and the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City analyzed 100 publicly-available holy selfies taken at hajj or umrah between November 2014 and May 2015. They discovered:

34 featured the Kaaba in Mecca, but 18 were hotel photos or snaps at unidentifiable spots. They say the 18 might have been shot by photographers not willing to take selfies at holy sites, but still wanting to document their journey with an element of anonymity.

75 had English captions, possibly indicating posters think they will reach a wider audience with English text

50 used the #Mekkah hashtag. The photos’ captions “tended to be more personal and explanatory,” but the generic nature of #Mekkah fits the trend of hashtags being “used as a categorizing device and broadcasting mechanism.”

At least 55 per cent had modifications ranging from subtle light changes to a total manipulation of the image. Researchers said the modifications indicate the level of attention some pay to the esthetics of what they post and the effort they put into ensuring that posts are visually appealing to their audience.

53 were of or referring to the umrah. Umrah photos might dominate holy selfies because the umrah can be completed at any time of year and “may be perceived by pilgrims as more akin to tourism” than a pilgrimage like the hajj.

47 depicted lone males. Previous studies revealed that women were more likely to be selfie takers, but this research indicates that “men may have fewer qualms about taking pictures at the holy sites.”

91 teens and young adults (age 15 to mid-20s) were depicted, suggesting that the holy selfie phenomena might be appealing most to millennials who grew up with smartphones at their fingertips, unlike their parents. Source: Holy Selfies: Pilgrimage in the Age of Social Media