Skip to main content

For Self or a Selfie?


The Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2013 was 'selfie’. No points for guessing why.

Carol had a unique hobby. She liked capturing different images of the sky.  While she was on a solo road trip, she decided to click one such photograph.  However this one turned out to be a selfie.  Little did she know that a small adventure awaited her.  As she was clicking her photograph with the sky as the backdrop, two men stopped by on a bike, one jumped into Carol’s car and both of them sped away.  It all happened in a fraction of a second!

Carol used her presence of mind and checked her picture.  She had actually captured the two crooks in her selfie!  Tracking the men wasn’t tough and she got back her car- A classic example of how a selfie can save us!

But all is not lways well with a selfie.  Just like there are two sides of the same coin, a selfie too has a good and bad side attached to it.

Just a few years back before setting out on a trip one would ensure that the camera has been packed.  These days it's the selfie stick that has replaced any accessory.  Gone are those days when we visited countries and places to admire the art and culture.  Today the minute people plan their itinerary, they start dreaming about which angle to click a selfie in front of a particular monument.  Calculating and for seeing the number of likes it can get on Facebook and Instagram follow suit.

Doesn't it occur to us as to why we travel and visit places?  For one's own self or selfie? Or is it a self- lie?

Often we come across people who visit places and simply forget to live the moment.  The main focus is whether their Prada jacket or Jimmy Choo shoes is being highlighted.  The angle in which the duck pout is being captured also matters.  And if none of it comes out well, they wouldn't even mind missing the train to the next city. All in the name of clicking the millionth selfie.  Not to forget the gym going macho who doesn’t start his workout without uploading a selfie.


Many may claim that it has a positive impact by giving a boost to one’s self-esteem.  While this maybe partly true, a major reason would be to get assurance from others.  Often people have trouble accepting the fact that they are photogenic.  Such people resort to clicking a picture themselves and posting it on social media.


If this is the case then a few likes and comments will be enough to make the world a better place to live in.  These likes will be enough to resolve arguments and wars.  On the contrary these pictures generate more negative thoughts in the minds of the viewers. 

A day should be declared as the No- Facebook or No- Instagram day where people are made to refrain from posting selfies and instead indulge in self- less activities like volunteering in old age homes or orphanages.  It will be amazing to see the self-esteem quotient of the same people shooting up to an appalling level. The satisfaction they may derive will be unmatched.


Yours Truly's various attempts at posing

The question is in today's world where the major chunk of our time goes in skimming through Facebook, scrolling through Instagram pics and replying to group messages on Whatsapp, do we have time to dedicate ourselves to things that make real sense?.  It is a thought to stop and ponder about.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trichy Police - “Redefining Peace”

ATTENTION! According to the statistics for 2007, released by the National Criminal Records Bureau, Tamil Nadu had a total cognizable crime rate of 261.7 per one lakh population, while that of Chennai was 256.9.  The crime rate, defined as the number of crime trends as it balances incidence with growth in population. Chennai’s crime rate ensures that the metro is ranked a creditable 24 th among 35 major cities in the country while Coimbatore stands at the 22nd position and Madurai at the 30 th .  However the situation in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru can send a chill of apprehension down anyone’s spine.  Delhi has earned the skeptical distinction of being the most unsafe metro in the country, topping the list of the number of crimes. According to latest government statistics, Delhi accounted for 13.2 per cent of a total of 3,43,749 crimes reported in 35 mega cities across the country in 2009 followed by Bengaluru (9.4 %) and Mumbai (9.1%). Now picturise the following ...
3 comments
Read more

When the clock struck 3.12 a.m.

Transition is an inevitable element in any being and a person with a contradicting personality probably experiences it not at every junction but probably at every two steps on the road travelled. But can a twist in a personality within a time span of 22 hours be explained? Transitions perhaps need not be absorbed with fear or disgust. But when transformation is the outcome – loneliness, confusion, in capabilities set to sink in. “Nothing to ponder about “might be the most convenient way to overcome it. But after a déjà vu once, twice, thrice a feeling of emptiness, depression, sometimes even a solution to overcome fear become the outcome. At times giving away to let emotions trickle down those cheeks might not comfort for more than 5 moments. Such is the strength of transition when the needle simply doesn’t point to that dot; a very Big dot at that.
2 comments
Read more

A FOODIE HERE, A FOODIE THERE

A foodie is someone who goes beyond just putting food into his or her mouth.  Foodies don’t judge people based on their eating habits, simply because they are too concerned about their own food to even care.  Technically speaking a foodie is someone who breathes, relishes, feels, celebrates and then eats food.   That’s the difference between a foodie and someone who just likes to eat.  The same difference between someone who owns a DSLR  and someone who actually has a sense of photography.                                                 As for me, when I see food, I go eeeeeeee! So the next time you think you’ve spotted a foodie and sincerely wondering which category he or she may fall in, this checklist might help. ·            Menu cards are souvenirs for them. ·    ...
Post a Comment
Read more