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The article analyzes the selfie as a social phenomenon. It considers theories in the field of social science that deal with this issue; reviews existing scientific approaches to the selfie and suggests critisism. Using the iconographic method (E. Panofsky) and visual discourse-analysis, we study visual content of a 200-picture random sample aiming to reveal the hidden rules of selfie's reproduction. As a result insights into the essence of selfie-taking as a social practice are offered, possible explanations of 2012-2016 selfie-boom are put forward. It is suggested that the selfie be viewed as a social practice that maintains an individual's social identity. The authors assume that the selfie popularity is caused by the convenient visual format of such communicative messages. Firstly, the visual format of the selfie explicates the main trend in the Western values (living a full life, experience strong emotions). Secondly, it allows for the active circulation of selfies on the internet: the visual pattern of photographed self-portraits facilitates reading and spreading those messages on the web. 2. Literature review In our discourse about the phenomenon of selfies we invoke classical works on the nature of internet communication that raise the issue of the significance of virtual reality as a collective space shaping its participants, and introduce the concept of 'virtual personality'. With the internet turning to Web 3.0 version that implies mobility and high activity of users in content production and management, academic discourse is facing the questions about the character of the new forms of social existence and group identity, new ways of communication that appear as a result of this transition. Works by J. Walther provide insight into the issues of 'digital body' and 'digital face' as he wrote about potentially greater control of representation in computer-mediated communication in comparison to the face-to-face communication [2]. Control effect emerges owing to the asynchronous character of communication, which enables collocutors to have some time for

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