Society’s new obsession: taking photos of themselves. The selfie has become a movement in today’s social media world and modern age technology. From being named the Word of the Year in 2013, and being officially added to the Oxford online dictionaries, the name “selfie” is a very well known term these days and will be for a while. The selfie is our new favorite phenomenon, but how far will we take it?
Self-portraits have been around since about the 19th century. We have just now modernized this new idea of photo taking with the “selfie.” When taking a selfie we know how to angle the camera to make our faces look thinner, and what the best filters are to compliment our look and enhance every little feature until we are satisfied with the outcome. Our new modernized version of picture taking has made a platform for itself. As we continue to get swept away by our demand for documenting everything we see, we continue to invent new creative and innovative ways to enhance our photography pleasure.
One way in which we have upped our “selfie game” is through the use of the new selfie stick. Yes, you saw your friend get one, so you had to get one, too. The inventor behind this photo taking enhancer is a Japanese man who goes by the name of Hiroshi Ueda, and strangely enough, he invented it more than 30 years ago! He originally created it for his own personal use, but soon realized it could be a huge hit for anyone with a camera.
Sadly, it was a flop. The “selfie stick”, known as a “telescopic extender stick” at the time, did not get the favorable attention Ueda desired. Instead, it has joined the spotlight many years later and is now found at almost any tourist site around the world. With the help of Wayne Fromm, a more recent contributor to its new and innovative design, the “selfie stick” is now a worldwide phenomenon that everybody just needs to get his or her hands on.
The “selfie stick” has only contributed to our selfie taking addiction. You find that a visit to the zoo or a famous landmark was not worth it if you didn’t capture the evidence. A trip to the beach or a night out on the town never even happened unless there were selfies involved. With this demand for proof, the selfie stick has only been helpful in capturing those precious little moments of you and a friend, but with a larger background, of course.
If you are looking to get a little more adventurous with your selfie taking skills, buy yourself a selfie stick. They are very reasonable in price and will be the ultimate lifesaver when making a collage of your next adventure!