For the self by the selfie

The Trend That Is Driving The Entire World Crazy!

#SelfieBasics

All That You Must Know

The loved-as-much-as-hated selfie was in news yet again. This time for permanently shutting down a sunflower farm in Ontario, Canada. The reason for this was the property damage done by ‘selfie’ maniacs (as many as 7000) who visited the farm only to get a perfect shot. Of course, sunflowers in the background, bright sun…everything a selfie needs. Here’s an attempt to decode this (in)famous trend.

Defining thy self(ie)
The term ‘selfie’ originally means a self-portrait photograph which is normally taken with a smartphone. This word was introduced to public after a student of an Australian university posted a picture of himself on social media. While describing the picture he used the shortened version or to be more appropriate, a slang, of the word self-portrait, spelled ‘selfy’. Thus began the trend.
A millennial invention?
Not really! The first selfie dates back to 19th century. In 1839, Robert Cornelius, an American, pioneered in photography. His experimentations with a photographic process called ‘daguerreotypy’ lead to the production of the first self-portrait.Labelling it as ‘the first light picture ever taken’, Cornelius takes away the credit of starting the trend. It seems he had put in a lot of efforts, because the term ‘daguerreotypy’ does not sound that easy.
#Word of the year
In the year 2013, Oxford Dictionary declared the word selfie to be ‘Word of The Year’, given the humungous popularity that the word itself had gained in the millennial era. Although the term selfie appeared in 2004 on the then popular social media site known as Flicker, however, its usage was not as widespread as it became nearly eight years later.

Under fire

 Selfies have often come under the scanner for promoting narcissistic behaviors. Many experts have condemned them for triggering consciousness about body image. The selfie culture has resulted in many people, especially teens, going to great lengths to get that perfect picture. From clicking selfies at hazardous locations to using multiple apps for ‘retouching’, people can be seen going all out to get the perfect picture. Selfies have often come under fire for resulting in mishaps and even deaths due to careless clicking.

Click with caution
Like anything else, selfies too, if taken the extreme way, may have certain negative repercussions. Over indulgence in the trend may result in one becoming overtly conscious of their appearance and looks, and self-shaming becomes common. But if done in moderation, selfies sure are fun, harmless, and of course a great way to capture memories.

#SelfieBanned

Can I Take A Selfie? No!

We all love taking selfies at any and every place, but sometimes the adventurer in us makes us want to take our #selfiegame to the next level, doesn’t it? But what if this one selfie becomes your last? This is why some places have banned them.

Mumbai Oceanfront, India: Including the Marine Drive and Girgaum Chowpatty, taking selfies have been banned at six locations in Mumbai. These coastal zones are devoid of any railings for support and do not have any lifeguards. As if we care about any of those things!

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has forbidden people from taking selfies or any other form of photography. The curators feel that people taking selfies were in constant conflict with those who just wanted to appreciate the art. As if anything was more important than aesthetic photos!

Mecca, Saudi Arabia: Being a pilgrimage to devout believers, a lot of the young pilgrims documented their pilgrimage online. In 2014, a fatwa was issued against those who were found recording their visit. As if such a strict move in such a strict country came as a surprise to us!

#SelfieFever

Danger! Danger! Danger!

Pamplona, Spain: In an uneventful incident at the annual event ‘Running of the Bulls’, a man was gored to death by a bull whilst trying to take a selfie with the bull chasing him.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Lee Thompson, Founder, The Flash Pack, convinced the Brazilian Tourist Board to let him climb the ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue just to get a selfie clicked.
Orissa, India: A man named Prabhu Bhatara was mauled to death by an injured bear after he tried to take a selfie with the animal in the woods.

Miami, USA: James Crowlett, a thirty four year old life insurance salesman, died after his awful attempt at trying to  take an underwater selfie with a wild shark that was looming right behind him resulted in his death.

#SelfieTips 101

For The Perfect Selfie

 #SelfieFacts

3,000,000 selfies are taken every day

44% selfies are uploaded on Instagram

28% of the selfies are uploaded on Snapchat

78% of selfies are  clicked by girls

22%o f selfies are  clicked by boys

National Selfie Day is officially celebrated on June 21 every year

Gemini 12 Mission The first space selfie was taken in the year 1966 by Buzz Aldrin during the Gemini 12 mission