The word selfie has become even more popular (if that’s possible) after it was officially entered into the Oxford Dictionary in 2014. Selfies are huge these days. The concept of self obsession is in every human being, but very few people show it. Whether we agree or not, pictures are terribly important to everyone. We often define ourselves via the appraisals and opinions of others. Selfies are nothing but self love and there is nothing wrong in loving yourself.
To some people selfies have become almost as critical as oxygen. But without the social context that our self image is embedded in, we would have lived in a vacuum. Even technology has given in to the selfie craze – with mobile phone companies providing better resolution in their front cameras (or what is now popularly known as the selfie camera) , and the creation of the selfie stick which attaches to your phone. It basically starts with a certain angle: your smart phone tilted at 45 degrees just above your eyeline is generally deemed the most forgiving. Be it a birthday party, anniversary or any other occasion, clicking selfies has become almost mandatory. A bathroom mirror selfie, the green room selfie, a selfie on the road, trial room selfies and selfies in shopping malls are examples of some of the most clicked selfies these days.
Social networking sites and clicking selfies go hand in hand. Social networking sites are overflowing with selfies. However, it seems that people aren’t clicking selfies for themselves – it’s more for how many “likes” they get on Facebook and how many more followers they generate on Instagram and Twitter.
So how do you click the perfect selfie? The pose is always very important, even more important than the background. The slight raise of an eyebrow, the sideways smile that says you are not taking it too seriously, a doe-eyed stare, messed up hair, sucked-in cheeks, pouty lips and sticking your tongue out are just some of the most popular selfie poses. Technology also plays a big role when it comes to the perfect selfie, since it gives us complete control over manipulating how we come across. Many psychologists are now beginning to consider the whole craze as a form of mental disorder since slowly your perception of yourself changes with regard to how others see you, plus self-esteem hinges on how many “likes” or “followers” you have.
The craze of clicking is increasing day by day. Bollywood stars too have gotten in on the action. Be it a movie promotion, endorsement, a page 3 party or any other event – celebrities these days are seen clicking selfies either with their co-stars, directors, fans or the crowd as a whole. One of the major reasons why the selfie is so popular is become it provides one with bragging rights of “I was there” or “See who I’m with”.
Clicking selfies is not a bad thing when done within limits; but when it gets out of hand, well that’s a different story.
