Over the past couple of years, the selfie has dominated almost every aspect of our culture and society. You cannot go anywhere or perform any task without someone taking a selfie. Seriously, even in the most melancholy of places there is always someone with an iPhone and a stick capturing the moment. I mean, in 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary not only accepted selfie as a word, it was awarded the prestigious ‘word of the year’ title. The rise of the selfie is astronomical, but do we know why we take selfies?
Promote your Brand
The answer is yes we do, but we might pass it off as something else first. Let’s face it; does anyone like to admit that they are showing off by taking a selfie? Not really because it doesn’t paint you in a good light, but that is the reality of most selfies. With the rise of social media as well, a selfie is the perfect way to show your followers what you are doing at any given moment and rub it in their faces! We all like to show off from time to time, and the selfie captures that point perfectly.
Show your Friends
To be fair, the people who are on your radar are your friends, or they should be, so a selfie does have a bit of innocence. There is nothing wrong with showing your friends what you are doing at any given point if that occasion is significant and substantial. In theory, they should enjoy what your selfie represents and be happy that you are happy. Whether that’s the reality is another argument!
Capture the Moment
Technically, a selfie is just another form of taking a picture but you just stand in a different stance. So, why do we think selfies are bad but love posing in the conventional stance? Because a selfie is a photograph, they capture the moment and are a great reminder of the times you once had at a younger age. Our memories are not an exact science, and they do age as we age, which is why a selfie, or any photo, can jog the memory and make us feel good even if it was just a selfie in the bathroom!
Control your Image
You don’t have to be famous to have an image, and you don’t have to be powerful to control that image. Everyone wants to control the way they are viewed, and a selfie is a perfect tool. Obviously, you pick the coolest thing you have done that week and the picture where you look your best. So, everyone who views it will see the picture that you desperately want them to see, which may not necessarily be the truth.
To be noticed
Getting noticed is part of the human psyche. No matter how introverted and reclusive a person might seem, there is always a bit of ego that wants attention. When we take selfies, we get to promote ourselves and hopefully get noticed in the process.
Like any other aspect of the world, selfies reflect the good and the bad of human nature whether you like it or not.
