Selfie (self-portrait photograph)
A selfie, or self-portrait photograph, is an image taken by an individual of themselves, often shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The rise of high-quality front-facing cameras on mobile phones in the late 2000s and early 2010s contributed to the widespread popularity of selfies, particularly among millennials, with a significant percentage reportedly taking thousands throughout their lives. While selfies can be a fun way of self-expression, they also carry risks; in fact, taking selfies has led to more fatalities than shark attacks, with incidents occurring due to dangerous situations like falls or animal attacks. This trend has prompted some regions, such as New York State and parts of Mumbai, to impose restrictions on taking selfies in high-risk areas. Additionally, selfies have raised concerns about privacy, particularly in contexts like voting and museum settings, where they can conflict with regulations intended to protect individual rights and the integrity of artworks. The psychological implications of selfies have sparked debate, with interpretations ranging from narcissism to positive self-exploration, highlighting the complex role selfies play in contemporary culture.
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Selfie (self-portrait photograph)
"Selfies," photographs taken by individuals of themselves, have become a ubiquitous aspect of contemporary social life. Selfies are typically posted online to social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter). The advent of mobile phones in the late 2000s and early 2010s with high-quality reverse camera lenses (which enabled users to photograph themselves with ease) produced an international social obsession with selfies. A 2015 survey by Luster Premium White found that 95 percent of millennials had taken at least one selfie and estimated that the average millennial would take some 25,000 selfies during their lifetime. Into the mid-2020s, over 60 percent of Americans take a self once a week. While seemingly harmless fun, selfies have been associated with various physical and emotional dangers.
Impact
Perhaps the most glaring risk posed by fascination with selfies stems from the physical harm or death that may result from individuals attempting to take the perfect picture. In 2015, more people died as a result of taking selfies than from shark attacks. In one infamous case, a thirty-two-year-old Spaniard was gored to death while taking a selfie during the 2015 running of the bulls in Spain. Other unusual, high-risk situations that have resulted in death or serious injury to selfie-seekers include animal attacks; falls from cliffs, buildings, or bridges; and accidental shooting while posing with a loaded gun. Most selfie-related deaths involve falls, drowning, or train accidents. Of the forty-nine people who died while taking selfies between January 2014 and February 2016, the majority were from India, Russia, and the United States, and more than two-thirds were aged eighteen to twenty-three. By the mid-2020s, one study found more than 250 people had died taking selfies. Countless others have sustained physical injuries from taking selfies in risky, dangerous, or unwise situations. With selfie-related injuries and deaths rising, some local jurisdictions and nations enacted legislation to stem the tide. For example, in 2015, New York State banned the taking of selfies with tigers to ensure the safety of zoo visitors by reducing the likelihood of attacks from tigers should they became provoked or scared by persons posing for selfies. In February 2016, police in Mumbai, India, prohibited the taking of selfies in sixteen sections of the city deemed high risk.
Another dimension of the ongoing controversy regarding selfies involves what else appears in the image. For instance, some US voters have taken selfies inside a polling station with their completed ballot in plain view. Several states, including Pennsylvania, California, and New Hampshire, have passed legislation outlawing such photographs in order to prevent voting fraud. Supporters feel that the bans ensure the confidentiality of one’s vote, which prevents an individual’s political creed or voting actions from serving as a basis for discrimination or harassment in the workplace or educational settings. Opponents, including social media company Snapchat, argue that such bans violate voters’ First Amendment rights. Likewise, the practice of taking selfies with famous works of art has divided museums around the world, with some museums, like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, seeing it as a positive, interactive way to attract visitors, while others, like the Smithsonian and National Gallery in London, fear damage to the artworks and disruption to other patrons.
The perceived psychological and social implications of selfies also range from reflecting narcissism, self-absorption, and impulsivity to promoting creativity, sharing, and self-exploration. Research into this phenomenon continues to emerge.
Bibliography
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Gregoire, Carolyn. "Study Links Selfies to Narcissism and Psychopathy." HuffPost, 12 Jan. 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/selfies-narcissism-psychopathy‗n‗6429358. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.
Kang-Auger, Sarit, et al. "Social Media and Selfie-Related Mortality Amid COVID-19: Interrupted Time Series Analysis." JMIR Formative Research, vol. 7, 2023, p. e42857, doi.org/10.2196/42857. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.
“More than 250 People Worldwide Have Died Taking Selfies, Study Finds.” The Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/10/03/more-than-250-people-worldwide-have-died-taking-selfies-study-finds. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.
Salie, Faith. "Death by Selfie." CBS News, 6 Mar. 2016, www.cbsnews.com/news/death-by-selfie. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.
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"The Tragic Data behind Selfie Fatalities." Priceonomics, priceonomics.com/the-tragic-data-behind-selfie-fatalities. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.
Woolf, Max. “Unveiling the Selfie Culture of America [2025 Study].” PhotoAiD, 17 Jan. 2025, photoaid.com/blog/american-selfie-habits-survey/?srsltid=AfmBOoosxjnf6keEfUyJ4JCpgpnyNm‗Wt3LhH7eN8KcLSo-lFAbsq0bn. Accessed 25 Jan. 2025.