Warning: Rabbit Hole Ahead
It's not always easy to write down in words what you see in a picture and see and hear on the news, and how that relates, but i'll give it a shot:
She is safely tucked away in her protective sphere, her glass bubble of instant gratification and fastfood fantasies, the connected facebook reality where everything is always fine and dandy. A frail, completely transparent glass divide separates her from the gruesome true reality of the street, the outside world.
Now, this in itself is applicable to our current times, but as far as the french revolts are concerned there is an extra interpretation as well.
A wry smile of the corporate elite in their protective glass cages while looking down upon the have-naughts running havoc outside with nothing but their clothes to protect them from the elements. (Some analysts suggest that the current revolts are possibly a result of purchasing power decrease as a consequence of 20 to 40 years of continued lack of proper inflation correction on wages. The difference is extremely small on a yearly basis, but after 40 years…).
In that sense it doesn't really matter whether she's filming the outside, taking a selfie, or perhaps videoconferencing with friends. It all fits the multilayered and congruently ambiguous narrative. The image has a relation with our times in general and can therefore stand on its own, but it also applies to the events.
Hence, it's both good photojournalism as well as good street.
