The modern selfie trend was triggered by the launch of the iPhone 4, the first iPhone to come out with a front-facing camera in 2010. The selfie trend has since been a modern revolution fueled by the popularity of social media applications such as Instagram and Snapchat.
Whilst some may argue that the selfie culture is detrimental to society by promoting vanity, narcissism and superficial-ness, the concept of a selfie can also be interpreted as a movement of empowerment to the user. A selfie is typically taken at any given time of the day, regardless if there is a special occasion or otherwise. There is no real reason behind a selfie, except for the fact that you think and feel you look good that day. Selfies challenge the notion that you need a justification to be seen. It may cater to vanity but it is also a radical act of self-love. “I look good today. I feel good today. I don’t need validation from anyone else,” is the statement supporting a selfie. This acts as a positive mechanism that raises the self-esteem of society.
However, the selfie culture has been doing more harm than good of late. Selfies have now evolved into an act of documenting and perpetuating an exciting life. The public has now become committed to taking an amazing selfie at without any regard for their safety or anyone else’s.
An example of a horror story is that one incident where a group of tourists killed a baby dolphin by parading and passing it amongst themselves on a beach so each tourist within the group could take photos with it. Even after the baby dolphin dies from being out of water for too long, its corpse was still being passed along as a prop for their social media profiles.
That is just one instance of out many. Other recent cases that have raised the concern of the selfie culture include teens accidentally shooting themselves in the head while posing for a selfie with guns and the destruction of a piece of history because of a selfie attempt. In more recent news, a teenager has decided to file a lawsuit against Snapchat after being involved in a car accident while using the app while driving over 100 miles per hour.
Oh, let’s not forget this video of a Russian man recklessly performing hoverboard tricks on a rooftop!
So yes, selfies are good to inflate your self-esteem and make you feel more confident in your skin. But is a few thousand likes really worth putting your life and those around you at risk?
By Cynthia
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