The media has all sorts of effect on an individual, which often leads to either following what they showcase to be trending or the ‘’in’’ thing to do. With recent surfing of the web, I noticed the bombardment of “selfies” to be found on almost every social firm, the frequently used; Facebook Instagram and others. The word “selfie” was elected “Word of the Year 2013” by the Oxford English Dictionary. It is defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a Smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website”.
Petya Eckler, of the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow, told the BBC.
“The attention to physical attributes may be even more dangerous on social media than on traditional media because participants in social media are people we know. These comparisons are much more relevant and hit closer to home. Yet they may be just as unrealistic as the images we see on traditional media.”
“The fascination with celebrities, their bodies, clothes and appearance has all increased the pressure that people typically feel at a time when they seek to establish their own identities and when their bodies are growing and changing,” she added.
“Selfie” is a word that has only found itself more deeply embedded in our pop culture lingo in 2014. Certainly electronic dance music duo the Chainsmokers have played a role in this with their hit song simply titled “Selfie.” Ellen DeGeneres’s Oscar selfie, which has been re-tweeted more than 3 million times, was just astonishing to read serving its purpose of course.
Scientists say selfies are greatly linked to narcissism, addiction and mental illness. An example of this is a 19-year-old Danny Bowman’s selfie addiction spiraled out of control, who spend as much as ten hours a day taking up to 200 pictures of himself on his iPhone. Though he mentioned its not really an illness, it was his way to get himself noticed amongst the girls during his early teen years.
“Selfies frequently trigger perceptions of self-indulgence or attention-seeking social dependence that raises the damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don’t spectre of either narcissism or low self-esteem,” said Pamela Rutledge in Psychology Today.
The term “selfie” was first used in 2005 by Richard Krause in a “how-to” photography guide. “The guesswork that goes into selfies often results in serendipitous photographic surprises,” he notes.
A user of the photo-sharing site Flickr, in the year 2007 created a group called “selfie shots”, defining selfie as: “A photograph of oneself in an arm-extended posture. Not to be confused with a photo of oneself in a mirror or other reflected surface.”
Apple releases the iPhone 4, 2010, featuring a very basic front-facing camera, which was included to enable users to take advantage of video-calling apps such as Apple’s FaceTime and Skype, but also allows users to frame their self-portraits.
Instagram was launched in October 2012, reaching more than 100 million active users by April 2012. The app enables people to share photos from their Smartphones and enhance them with filters. Since its launch more than 23m photos have been uploaded to the app with the “#selfie” hashtag.
Selfie, in December 2012 appears in Time magazine’s top buzzwords of 2012. “Selfies are often snapped at odd angles with Smartphones and include part of the photographer’s arm,” it was observed.
Jumping down to the year 2014 everyone is a selfie addict its unimaginable.
The very gorgeous Kate Upton hardly invented the “selfie,” trend, no telling who did that. But she’s defined it with her beyond breath-taking sexuality and her amazing sense of humor. No wonder everyone is doing it.
In my opinion one should use technology as; in today’s time with the latest gadgets and inventions we see our lives becoming easier and more convenient keeping everyone connected. We should help ourselves and reach out for all the available knowledge on web, opportunities, excel in life, become entrepreneurs, but first, let me take a selfie!
