Yesterday, I wrote about the practice of participation trophies. Today, I want to write about another societal trend that I find a bit bothersome. That is the current trend of ‘selfies’ and having to document everything with photographs on social media.
Nothing shouts “Look at me! Look at me!” like selfies (for those not on social media, “selfies” are photos taken by oneself of one’s self or group of friends usually with a cell phone). Now, perhaps it is just me or a generational thing, as “selfies” are much more a thing of the digital generation—after all, when I was a teen there was no social media, and, if you wanted to take a picture it involved film and a trip to Fotomat (unless you had a Polaroid—instant gratification!).
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think there is value in social media and sharing our lives (with restraint) with our friends and family. Indeed, it is nice to be able to share photos with friends and family that previously might only be seen in photo albums and vacation slide shows. My concern is over the over-documentation of our lives—our desire to share ever moment of our lives as though everyone should think it as important as we do.
There should be a balance between sharing and being narcissistic. I do enjoy seeing photos of friends and their families on Facebook. After all, most of my family and friends live far away and I rarely get to see them. (I hate that I have not seen some of my nieces’, nephews’, and cousins’ children.) So, my point is not to discourage sharing photographs. Please, do. My point is to emphasize the need to focus on the people who are present. What I see, and what sparked this bit of tirade, is the practice of taking photos and immediately posting to social media. I was at a basketball game for my eight-year-old daughter and noticed the number of people with phones in hand throughout the game. One’s presence is certainly diminished as soon as they pull out their dang phone. Nothing (in my humble opinion) says “I want to be somewhere else other than here” more than a cell phone in hand.
Enjoy the moment. Carpe momento! Enjoy the people who are present and share the photos later. And, maybe, take fewer photos of yourself and the group you are with and enjoy the company of your friends. Photos are nice, but they aren’t necessarily memories. Memories are made through the interaction with others—not through an app on a smart phone.
And if I can make just one selfish personal plea: Keep the duck lips to a minimum (wink). You ladies have such pretty smiles. Don’t ruin them with whatever duck lips are supposed to represent.
Keep sharing the photos of your kids, but take them more judiciously. Don’t raise your kids to be the center of attention, but also make them the center of your attention. In other words, put the phone away, and just spend time with them. Make memories that can only be share through personal interaction.
“The ‘Selfie Stick’ has to top the list for what best defines narcissism in society today.”–Alex Morritt, Impromptu Scribe