Selfie – A Friend or Foe

By nature, the human being is amused with pictorial memories. The transformation from Petroglyph (carving stones) to digitized images reflect the deep desire. People preserve their memories in images to cherish by themselves. And, later by their successors.

Digital Revolution

Digital cameras and smartphones have raised the expectations to a new level. Almost everyone has an interest in self-projection through a social media platform. So, about 1.8 Billion people upload images to such platforms every day. Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, and Snapchat.

The word Selfie

In 1839, Robert Cornelius introduced his self-portrait. In the ’90s, the character Mr. Bean (TV Show) used a Polaroid camera to take his picture. That came under the category of a selfie.  

After a couple of years, in 2002, Australia claimed the invention of the modern-day selfie.

Oxford English Dictionary chose the word " Selfie" as "Word of the Year" in 2013 which means:

"A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."

Popularity

          Selfie got much recognition when formally a ‘day’ was dedicated to it for the celebration. In 2014, BBC officially declared a Selfie Day. The whole world celebrates “21^St June” as a selfie Day. 

The Psychology Behind

Dr. Mark Griffiths in his blog “The Psychology of the Selfie” enlightened the motives behind a selfie. His research highlighted six motivational factors:

ü   Self-Confidence

ü   Environmental Enhancement

ü   Social Competition

ü   Attention

ü   Mood Modification

ü   Subjective Conformity

The above factors, not only helped in filling up personality devoid. But also reduced the social distancing in a society. But the fact remains, selfies do lead humanity to narcissism.

Security Hazards

ü   Every online posted selfie(s) carries recognizable information of surroundings, locations, and geotag. Such data is enough for a malicious or criminal act.

ü   Selfie(s) leads to social engineering attacks. Cybercriminals steal identity and commit crimes by impersonation. 

Selfies’ savagery

Apart from the propitious aspects, selfies are far more harmful than nosegays. So far, 78 countries suffered from the cruelty of selfies. Wikipedia shared a  list of selfie-related injuries and deaths covering the period 2011-2020. The statistics show worldwide occurrences: -

Figure – I – Fatality Rate

Such a death rate compelled the governments to declare certain areas as “No Selfie Zone”.

Futuristic Approach

Selfies, in a constructive mode, are very useful in different fields of life. A signature smile or facial expression will replace the hassle of user IDs and passwords. The selfie will solve the purpose of identification.

Selfie will be a great help in daily life. It can support in medical diagnosis, secure authorization, and a payment tool as well.

The beneficiary’s sectors would be:

Healthcare: Patients can send their high definition (HD) selfies to the concerned specialists. The doctors can diagnose, prescribe treatment, and render medical advice.

Banking: Selfies will help as a biometric identifier. Another security layer adds to authentication as the selfie carries a tag. That entails the detail of the owner’s registered cell phone.

Daily Workout: Periodic selfies show weight loss or gain while paying a regular visit to the gym.

Social Identifier: Visitors could enter into shopping malls, national parks, or entertainment arenas. Selfies will act as a social identifier.

Clothing & Measurements: Customers get measurements of their clothes through smartphone apps. Selfies allow users to check different clothes with a virtual try.

Conclusion

People, at an initial stage, categorized selfies as self-praising or self-projection. But, now, it becomes part of daily life. People of all ages upload millions of pictures, especially selfies. That indicates people’s interest and their choice.

Pros over-ride the cons.  Selfies are no longer just a picture. Futurologists predict the utility far beyond its present role.

Aging, dieting, and false positives or negatives are the hurdles. But periodic updating of selfies resolves it otherwise.

Selfies are more of a FRIEND than FOE.