Why I am fascinated by selfies
It is official, I am a selfie addict.
My addiction is not driven from a need to take personal selfies, but from an admiration for others who do. Okay, so that came off a little creepy. I would like to make it clear that I am not a selfie stalker. Rather, I am a loyal selfie liker.
It’s two different things, people.
Selfies are an extraordinary modern-day fad – one that is not going anywhere, anytime soon. A selfie is a photo taken of oneself by oneself and is commonly posted on social media sites like Facebook, Vine and Instagram. It is a millennial trend that produces instant self-portraits, usually by smartphones or tablets.
The selfie phenomenon is a surprising effect of social media and the digital age. Selfies began appearing on social media networks by 2004. It began to go viral a few years later when smartphones were equipped with front-facing, higher quality cameras. Instead of making appointments with professional photographers and spending big money on film and prints, people now have an opportunity to produce instantaneous photos – all with a click of a button.
Selfies dramatically alter how we gather information about ourselves, our friends and even strangers. Instead of traditional written autobiographies, selfies can provide much of the same information through a photo. It can record your travels, how you do your makeup, what your outfit of the day looks like, what foods you’re eating, what exercise you’re trying, and who you’re hanging out with. It’s a new form of constantly reinventing yourself. Selfies are records of growth and self-expression.
So why must we publish our sacred diary of growth and self-expression all over the Internet? Is our generation powered by narcissism and “likes”?
More than ever, we care more about how we appear. The instant nature of selfies encourage a superficial ideology and has become the ultimate symbol of a narcissistic society. As human beings, we are social creatures and constantly look for approval and adoration from others. The approval, or should I say “like” from our peers, satisfy that urge for social acceptance. Narcissism usually runs with a negative reputation, but in retrospect, it is not necessarily a bad thing.
We are taught to love and respect ourselves, to treat others as you want to be treated, to value our self-worth, and to be fearless. You have the ability to frame, crop and filter what you want to show publicly. The ball is in your court.
Selfies are more than just self-expression and flattery, it’s also a way to connect with people. Celebrities like Taylor Swift use Instagram as a platform to directly communicate with their followers. Taylor secretly stalked her fans’ profiles in order to get ideas to buy personalized gifts.
The world is filled with different characteristics and beauty. I enjoy selfies of other people because everyone is unique in their own way. Not everyone on social media is a bikini model or a body builder, but everyday normal people like you and I. The true beauty of the selfie comes from the confident person behind it.
Don’t take selfies too seriously, let the phenomenal trend take its course. In the meantime, let’s update that profile picture of yours. You’ve got my double-tap, you gorgeous thing you.
