With the holiday season in full swing, sitting around and observing all that life has to offer is one of my favourite things to do. Yes, it does provide a lot of food for thought and yes, as someone who writes a weekly column, inspiration is what I constantly look for. Our new indoor hideout on a hot summer’s day is are shiny new mall in Porvorim. It is an afternoon there, and the question… ‘What am I gonna write about this week?’ that lead to this… All who have been there know that the parking area is not really the prettiest or best smelling place, considering that there is still work going on. My current jaw dropping moments were borne out of a breath-held sprint to the elevators where my path was blocked by a seemingly oblivious, young, well dressed, hip hep and happening girl, doing what the world is obsessed with… yes, you got it… she was clicking not one, not two, but multiple selfies.
The almighty selfie has literally turned into a health hazard and very weird death trap. It’s astounding how the number of bizarre deaths that are caused by this craze have increased in the recent past. What is the reason for the boom in the selfies culture, and I think it’s safe to now call it that. Clicking a ‘selfie’ has gone beyond the frame of normal and is now loosely hanging on the hinges of an all-out obsessive plague. Its victims being, logical thought and courtesy and of course social contact. Everything about this phenomenon screams dysfunction. There was a time not so long ago when love was being sung about and written about. Today, here we are singing about this behaviour that basically encompasses people staring into a tiny screen, cramming with all their might to make the frame and making fish faces to a lens that is most often than not, missed. Yes, I have done it myself, but those who have till date escaped the curiosity of the pleasures of selfie clicking will nod along vigorously at the number of times they were stared at with disbelief every time they revealed their sin of never having clicked a selfie.
A walk on the beach a few days ago also helped me encounter a very blissful tourist capturing her holiday with the help of her faithful selfie stick. As she tuned and twisted, smiled and fake laughed, pouted and winked at her camera, she missed one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. But I guess you don’t really miss what you don’t know exists. As we go through our days from behind a contraption, we miss out on something really important “ LIFE - but as I pointed out earlier, what is really scary, is what lengths individuals are going through to get that perfect selfie. Risking your life for the perfect shot and letting life slip you by for that perfect shot are the two consequences of this new phenomenon. There have been reports of drownings and people falling to their deaths, all because they were attempting to take that much sought after selfie.
What is the reason a person would go through such lengths for a picture? That is an analysis I’m sure there are many around the world who are attempting to ascertain. Here, I would like to share only my views which are by no means clinically proven, tried or tested (disclaimers are extremely important tools to prevent miscommunication).
Social media has got people from all over the world in direct contact with each other. It is human tendency to put their best foot forward. These sites have turned into personal diaries gone public. Individuals tend to share and post almost on auto-pilot. Chronicling our days and especially the moments of ‘fun’ has reached its all-time height in importance. A trip outside the house, has turned into an opportunity to post. This new behaviour is best described as an obsession. An obsession to be responded to and noticed. On social media, everyone’s lives seem so full and rich. So much so that a mere browse through a home page ignites certain recesses of the brain to also crave that excitement. When we use social media, what we do not pay attention to, is the fact that only the eventful and happy are posted. Which is great! However, now, we find ourselves in a vicious circle of seeking attention as opposed to living life. Putting up smoke screens as a performance, first done consciously but slowly turning into a habit. Today, social gatherings have also become a lonely affair. The once innocent device that kept us connected through calls and messages have turned into an overworked sidekick that has taken over our lives. Selfies are here to stay, but the shot you get through a lens will never match up to the real thing. Take notice before you take the next selfie.
