Last weekend, my friends and I all hung out for a movie and some drinks. The night was going along quite nicely until one of my friends whipped out their iPhone and said “OMG let’s take a selfie for Instagram”. For the next five minutes I had to endure multiple shots from various angles until finally we had one that was “Instagram worthy”. But the story doesn’t end there. Our selfie was then cropped, brightened, contrasted and filtered until we were more desirable then our normal selves, and for what purpose? To capture a memory of which we couldn’t even see anything in the background?
“We live in the age of the selfie” writes Jerry Saltz in his article “Art at Arm’s Length: A History of the Selfie”. “A fast self-portrait, made with a smartphone’s camera and immediately distributed and inscribed into a network, is an instant visual communication of where we are, what we’re doing, who we think we are, and who we think is watching”
From my own personal experience I believe this to be extremely true, it’s the age of the selfie and everyone constantly lets us know where they are, who they are with and what they are doing. If you don’t believe me, then here’s a little experiment for you. Spend five minutes scrolling through your Facebook or Instagram feeds. Count how many photos you see of seemingly self-obsessed individuals showing what they are wearing today, showing they are traveling through Europe or a picture of themselves with some dumb inspirational quote over the top (be honest, we both know they don’t live by that motto). Post your answers in a response bellow, I’m genuinely curious.
But selfies are not always happy; feel good pictures letting our friends and the world know what we are up too, or on the flip side; photos with the sole purpose of making others jealous. Just a look online reveals the darker and more scandalous side of selfie central (Instagram). It was only yesterday I read an article where Pixie Jacenko (daughter of PR Queen Roxy Jacenko) has her own account and is making $200 per photo that she posts. The fact that we have two year olds taking photos of themselves online for money is genuinely concerning for me. Putting aside the whole “children need to be protected online” argument, the fact that parents are basically commercialising their children is disgusting. The selfie instils an unrealistic perception of self-worth and self-importance, it becomes more about trying to out-do your friends rather than enjoying the moment in real time. If this is the message we are sending the children of today, then I am saddened by our society.
We may live in the age of the selfie, but personally I hope it is short lived.
Till next week,
Bryce
McDoughnuts 