Selfie (noun) : A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.
Vain (adjective) : Having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities or worth.
There’s no doubt, the world is definitely far different today than it was ten years ago. Social media and technology have worked together to forever change the way we communicate, both with those we know and those in an online community. We’re all so connected these days that every detail is broadcasted to our followers. What did we have for lunch? What are we doing this Friday night? How annoying is the lady in line at Starbucks? Etc. Etc. Etc. And with the immersion of Instagram, we’ll all turning the cameras of our iPhones onto ourselves for what is known as: the selfie.
I remember the first camera-phone I had. It was a black Samsung flip phone and I thought it was the sleekest and coolest thing ever. Until the next phone, and the next phone came out. I don’t remember ever taken a selfie though until more recent history. And yes, I do blame Instagram 😉
But are they really bad? Do they make us self-absorbed a-holes?
I honestly don’t think so. Perhaps that’s my vanity talking but, I think mine and most everyone else’s selfies are just digital versions of saying hello. ‘Good morning! I’m off to “enter place”.’ “Ugh, stuck in traffic!” Etc. It’s like checking in with your followers. Be it your friends, your family, your fans, whatever…it’s somehow a way of acknowledging them throughout your day.
But, is there a line between vanity and a personalized greeting of sorts? Yes. What’s the deal breaker?
See: Kim Kardashian’s Instagram. It’s loaded of selfies, self-shots of her body and paparazzi photos of herself. Her entire account is designed around promoting and celebrating Kim. There. I think that’s the line. Sure, if you’re proud of the way you look it’s okay to have a vain moment and post a selfie. If you’re bored and just saying hi, I think it’s fine. When your entire social media presence becomes about you and your body, I think it’s safe to say we have crossed over from friendly territory into vanity.
But, what do you think? Is there a line? Are selfies a form of being friendly or are we just full of ourselves?
