The word selfie in itself is enough to send some people into arms about how terrible our generation is at being modest, and how the need to share every moment of our lives on social media is too tempting to resist. So as we go along with our day, we check our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram newsfeeds in an effort to a) prevent ourselves from “literally dying of boredom” while we stand in line at Starbucks or to b) just fulfill the desire to know about everyone else’s business.
Almost everyone under the age of 40 (is that even considered old anymore? Let’s just go with it) has an attachment to their cell phones that I honestly can’t think of anything else to compare to because it’s just so strong. But instead of having you read a rant about how addicted our generation is to our cell phones (myself included), let’s talk about the good that’s come out of this “age of social media.”
First things first, Instagram is great – I love it, you love it, it’s awesome, and really fun – and it’s so great because it almost makes you feel as though you can share the way you view the world with your followers. But amidst the sea of the pictures of interesting buildings, places, and cups of coffee, we’ll find the occasional selfie. What’s cool about this is that, as a follower of a friend or celebrity/blogger’s account, we’re able to see how the person chooses to capture himself or herself when the camera is flipped. Sure some people seemingly do this with the anticipation of the flood of compliments that follow posting this self-controlled picture of themselves, but it can be also be seen as some sort of new media/digital age proclamation of self.
That being said, someone’s selfie can either make you resent them more for being so into themselves or respect them for sharing a different side of themselves. Also how else would we be able to look at Harry Styles up close and personal? Am I right? Okay taking that as a cue to stop talking.
One last thing, here’s a fun article from the ladies at The Man Repeller about the topic!