Selfie obsession can be dangerous

We must pause and think about the abundance of smartphone-propelled photography in our lives — over the human (at times, even humane) factor

You are young. You have recently been to a musical programme that you were planning to be a part of since long. However now that you have attended the event you do not remember even a single moment of it, because you were too occupied with clicking pictures, making videos and posting them on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram? I am pretty sure you that you have, and you just have your obsession with technology to blame for it.

Selfies have become extremely popular in the new web culture across the world and people are going to extreme lengths to take pictures of themselves. And on several occasions, these extreme lengths are turning out to be fatal. These days technology has engulfed us completely, cramming most part of our lives, we absolutely cannot imagine living our lives without it. However, it has become scary to see  people getting killed because of depending on or using it excessively. A few months back a man and his two daughters were crushed to death under a train while taking a selfie on the rail tracks near the Puranpara railway bridge in Sadar Upazila in Narsingdi. Some have died by falling off boats and into rivers; some have died in the sea while taking swimming selfies; some have fallen from train rooftops; a helicopter crashed while taking a selfie. There have been several such instances of selfie deaths in this country, proving that this selfie obsession has taken quite a toll on human lives hereThis is not the first time such tragedy has occurred and it is unlikely that it would be the the last. As a matter of fact selfie deaths happen all around the world.

Selfies may be new but the desire to control our images and communicate with our community is perhaps part of many people’s very DNA. Human beings  evolved as hypersocial creatures uniquely concerned about how others perceive us. People have always wanted to document their feats in living color. Even before front-facing cameras people found other ways to grab the attention that comes with a selfie. Aristocrats commissioned portraits of themselves. Explorers carried cameos of loved ones. Pioneers hung sketches and silhouettes of themselves on cabin walls. Beginning in 1925, people began queuing up to mug for photo-booth cameras. Two decades later there was the invention of Polaroid camera, making instant image gratification that much easier. In the 1950s, the advent of the home slide projector meant an entire generation could hold friends, neighbors, and extended families hostage while they clicked through image after image of vacations and graduations. That impulse to fashion image publicly has only increased in the digital age.

 In November last year a person on Facebook shared some photographs and asked why most people are willing to put their lives on the line just to take 'selfies'. At least five photographs in the post showed different people at the Dhaka Zoo standing less than a few inches away from cages of tigers, monkeys and other animals. In some of the photographs, it was clear that in order to take these snaps, these visitors had jumped over the concrete fences that surround some of the cages of very dangerous animals. Striking a pose looking ever so intently at the camera while standing close to a cage increases the risk of being mauled or getting bitten by animals behind the rusty bars.

So what prompts some people to go to these extreme lengths? Recently two psychologists have published a study they say establishes the obsession with taking selfies as a real mental “illness.” here are three levels of the disorder:

Borderline selfitis : taking photos of one’s self at least three times a day but not posting them on social media

Acute selfitis: taking photos of one’s self at least three times a day and posting each of the photos on social media

Chronic selfitis: Uncontrollable urge to take photos of one’s self  round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day

So if you take six or more selfies per day, you’ve got it bad, they say. I personally know a good number of people who take and post a dozen every day. Be it a birthday or a funeral there are many people who are busy with takeng selfies, Many may leave their wallet at home but not their mobile and selfie stick.

While deaths are extreme examples and obviously the worst outcome from the selfie culture, there are other negative aspects to it. Psychologists have found that selfie culture imbues in children the thought process that they should concentrate on themselves and ignore the needs of others. Social media has given children, teenagers and even full grown adults with a free platform where they can post their selfies and instantly gain positive feedback. This narcissitic attitude almost invariably always leads to extreme self-centredness. So there are reasons to fear that future generations would have more egoists among them. On the other hand negative feedback on selfies can lower the persons' self-esteem and may result in depression. Selfies also makes it easy for cyber bullies children and wome. The exposed background in selfies can make it more convenient for any predatory criminal to determine the location of the person at a certain time.

A UK study revealed that those who frequently post photographs on social media risk damaging real-life relationships. This is because people, other than very close friends and relatives, don’t seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves.

We must pause and think about the abundance of smartphone-propelled photography in our lives — over the human (at times, even humane) factor. What starts with an apparent innocent ‘selfie’ habit could be an indication that a person requires attention of others to fill-in an emotional vacuum carved out by too much time spent on social media. People trying to capture selfies to impress others is a dangerous trend especially when it involves risk to human life. Selfie obsession is a cause of concern; People need to be educated not to risk their life for this useless obsession and to show respect and help people in a calamity instead of capturing selfies. Smartphone photography has enabled us all to turn into observers and preservers of selves and our social milieu. And because it’s almost as simple as breathing, we often do not hear the gasps for help.

Ever since the first ever #selfie post on Instagram in 2011 it has gone on to become the most frequently used hashtag on the platform. In 2012 Time magazine declared “selfie” one of the top 10 buzzwords of the year and in 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary gave it the honour of Word of the Year. A 2013 survey of 3,000 individuals aged 18-24 found that every third picture taken is a selfie.

Selfies show others how great our lives are (or appear to be) and they can be a valuable source of income for social media influencers but research links their use to narcissism and low self-esteem. Millennials are building their social networks and even careers around the selfie, but are the costs acceptable? Selfies of course are not all bad and deadly. It depends on how you use it. If you’re using it as a tool to document feeling good about yourself and you’re just taking mementos of living a great life, that’s fine.

The writer is Senior Assistant Editor of The Independent.

He can be contacted at [email protected]

 

Selfie obsession can be dangerous

We must pause and think about the abundance of smartphone-propelled photography in our lives — over the human (at times, even humane) factor

You are young. You have recently been to a musical programme that you were planning to be a part of since long. However now that you have attended the event you do not remember even a single moment of it, because you were too occupied with clicking pictures, making videos and posting them on Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram? I am pretty sure you that you have, and you just have your obsession with technology to blame for it. Selfies have become extremely popular in the new web culture across the world and people are going to extreme lengths to take pictures of themselves. And on several occasions, these extreme lengths are turning out to be fatal. These days technology has engulfed us completely, cramming most part of our lives, we absolutely cannot imagine living our lives without it. However, it has become scary to see people getting killed because of depending on or using it excessively. A few months back a man and his two daughters were crushed to death under a train while taking a selfie on the rail tracks near the Puranpara railway bridge in Sadar Upazila in Narsingdi. Some have died by falling off boats and into rivers; some have died in the sea while taking swimming selfies; some have fallen from train rooftops; a helicopter crashed while taking a selfie. There have been several such instances of selfie deaths in this country, proving that this selfie obsession has taken quite a toll on human lives hereThis is not the first time such tragedy has occurred and it is unlikely that it would be the the last. As a matter of fact selfie deaths happen all around the world. Selfies may be new but the desire to control our images and communicate with our community is perhaps part of many peoples very DNA. Human beings evolved as hypersocial creatures uniquely concerned about how others perceive us. People have always wanted to document their feats in living color. Even before front-facing cameras people found other ways to grab the attention that comes with a selfie. Aristocrats commissioned portraits of themselves. Explorers carried cameos of loved ones. Pioneers hung sketches and silhouettes of themselves on cabin walls. Beginning in 1925, people began queuing up to mug for photo-booth cameras. Two decades later there was the invention of Polaroid camera, making instant image gratification that much easier. In the 1950s, the advent of the home slide projector meant an entire generation could hold friends, neighbors, and extended families hostage while they clicked through image after image of vacations and graduations. That impulse to fashion image publicly has only increased in the digital age. In November last year a person on Facebook shared some photographs and asked why most people are willing to put their lives on the line just to take selfies. At least five photographs in the post showed different people at the Dhaka Zoo standing less than a few inches away from cages of tigers, monkeys and other animals. In some of the photographs, it was clear that in order to take these snaps, these visitors had jumped over the concrete fences that surround some of the cages of very dangerous animals. Striking a pose looking ever so intently at the camera while standing close to a cage increases the risk of being mauled or getting bitten by animals behind the rusty bars. So what prompts some people to go to these extreme lengths? Recently two psychologists have published a study they say establishes the obsession with taking selfies as a real mental illness. here are three levels of the disorder: Borderline selfitis : taking photos of ones self at least three times a day but not posting them on social media Acute selfitis: taking photos of ones self at least three times a day and posting each of the photos on social media Chronic selfitis: Uncontrollable urge to take photos of ones self round the clock and posting the photos on social media more than six times a day So if you take six or more selfies per day, youve got it bad, they say. I personally know a good number of people who take and post a dozen every day. Be it a birthday or a funeral there are many people who are busy with takeng selfies, Many may leave their wallet at home but not their mobile and selfie stick. While deaths are extreme examples and obviously the worst outcome from the selfie culture, there are other negative aspects to it. Psychologists have found that selfie culture imbues in children the thought process that they should concentrate on themselves and ignore the needs of others. Social media has given children, teenagers and even full grown adults with a free platform where they can post their selfies and instantly gain positive feedback. This narcissitic attitude almost invariably always leads to extreme self-centredness. So there are reasons to fear that future generations would have more egoists among them. On the other hand negative feedback on selfies can lower the persons self-esteem and may result in depression. Selfies also makes it easy for cyber bullies children and wome. The exposed background in selfies can make it more convenient for any predatory criminal to determine the location of the person at a certain time. A UK study revealed that those who frequently post photographs on social media risk damaging real-life relationships. This is because people, other than very close friends and relatives, dont seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves. We must pause and think about the abundance of smartphone-propelled photography in our lives over the human (at times, even humane) factor. What starts with an apparent innocent selfie habit could be an indication that a person requires attention of others to fill-in an emotional vacuum carved out by too much time spent on social media. People trying to capture selfies to impress others is a dangerous trend especially when it involves risk to human life. Selfie obsession is a cause of concern; People need to be educated not to risk their life for this useless obsession and to show respect and help people in a calamity instead of capturing selfies. Smartphone photography has enabled us all to turn into observers and preservers of selves and our social milieu. And because its almost as simple as breathing, we often do not hear the gasps for help. Ever since the first ever #selfie post on Instagram in 2011 it has gone on to become the most frequently used hashtag on the platform. In 2012 Time magazine declared selfie one of the top 10 buzzwords of the year and in 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary gave it the honour of Word of the Year. A 2013 survey of 3,000 individuals aged 18-24 found that every third picture taken is a selfie. Selfies show others how great our lives are (or appear to be) and they can be a valuable source of income for social media influencers but research links their use to narcissism and low self-esteem. Millennials are building their social networks and even careers around the selfie, but are the costs acceptable? Selfies of course are not all bad and deadly. It depends on how you use it. If youre using it as a tool to document feeling good about yourself and youre just taking mementos of living a great life, thats fine. The writer is Senior Assistant Editor of The Independent. He can be contacted at [email protected]