The debut of Instagram propelled the selfie culture into the darkest age of profile picture taking our generation has seen to date.
Let’s be realistic. The most common selfies are the ones where the people look extra cute, partially because it’s a quick way to get positive comments about their appearance.
It’s easy. Flip the view on your phone and hold it at a high angle, making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined. Position your thumb over the button, turn to your best side and click.
Is this a rise in narcissism, or a cry for validation in the eyes of our peers? Or is it a platform for promoting positive self-image and self-worth?
There are simply not enough reasons to convince me an Instagram account full of pictures of oneself making the same three expressions serves any useful purpose.
Don’t get me wrong. Seeking personal validation is totally normal and oftentimes condemned to a negative connotation. It’s normal to want people to notice your new haircut, your sexy Halloween costume, or you slurping your favorite Swig drink.
But with social networks, where it’s easy to get quick hits of approval almost constantly, the selfie thing can spiral out of control. It may even start to feel like an addiction.
Girls in particular are socialized toward seeing themselves as lovable and worthwhile only if others value them. Addiction to attention is a very real attribute in young women of this century — a problem I only see growing over the next few decades.
There’s a danger that people’s self-esteem may start to be tied to the comments and likes they get when they post a selfie; the comments and likes aren’t based on who people are — they’re based on what people look like.
Overall, opinions vary on whether selfie culture is lame or legit, which means it’s up to us to shape the future of the habit. We need to ask ourselves: Are my selfies for fun, or am I only doing it for the comments? That could mean cutting selfies out entirely or just scaling back and making them more fun.
Bottom line? Everything we share on social media reveals something about us, and we are in control. So maybe you like to travel, read, dance or create crazy 3-D nail art. Post that! Take it from me. It’s so much more interesting.
