WHY DO YOU TAKE SELFIES?

Days earlier…

“Tina, why are you wearing such a long face?”  I asked my friend who suddenly went cold upon reading a chat from her phone. “I thought we were supposed to be having fun.”

“Josh does not trust me.”, she said.” Can you believe he thinks I am with Felix right now? I really wish I did not tell him about Felix at all.” She shrugged

“I guess that is the product of good communication!”

“Is that why your face is as long as river Nile?” I replied.

I was not expecting a reply of course. None came.

“Okay. Let us take selfies and send him one. All you need do Tina, is alleviate his fears and stop getting pissed over an assumption.”

“Can I have my friend back now?” I said with a big smile on my face.

We both made funny faces and clicked.

Back to the present…

The number of selfies posted on Instagram till date is about 35 million. Did somebody just say, “What is a selfie?” A time machine must be nearby somewhere.

A selfie is a self-portrait photograph taken with a camera held in the hand or with the aid of a selfie stick. You must have taken at least fifty selfies in your lifetime, right. Well it depends on how old you are and other factors. The first selfie ever taken was by a chemist and metallurgist, Robert Cornelius in 1839 and, a 13-year-old Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna took the first teenage selfie in 1914. She sent her selfie with a letter accompanying it. I am not sure anyone told her but this girl started a tradition, which has become a trend over a century after her. I mean, she is the real MVP( Just kidding). Kim Kardashian or Kylie Jenner might just be from her lineage. (Just saying)

May I ask you, why did you take your last set of selfies?

There are so many reasons why people take selfies. Reasons vary from showing off your new hairstyle, to showing off yourself in interesting places. Usually, the show-off platform is on social media (Facebook, Instagram, etc). On the other hand, some people just want to have a record of all the combinations of clothes they have ever worn on their phones. The concept of this phenomenon is relative.

I decided to ask some people in the southwestern region of Nigeria and here are some of the reasons they take selfies:

•  I don’t do it often but, it’s usually a spontaneous action when I do.
•  I take selfies because it is cool to take selfies
• My phone serves as my mirror so I check myself out by taking selfies and also for self certification.
• My phone has a 8MP front camera. I just enjoy using it.
• I get to take a picture of me by myself.
• I capture moments well with selfies.
• Selfies spell out that which is missed by the mirror. Basically, I take selfies to check my makeup.
• I take selfies when I feel really good.
• I take selfies to show the world the interesting things happening in my life.
• It’s a spur of the moment thing for me. I love it!

These selected reasons are among others. I also asked if anyone took selfies or posted selfies on social media when sad, the answer was no. But I’ve seen a friend’s display picture on BBM, she was crying in the selfie . I guess selfie works with anyone anywhere and at anytime. Do you know that people take selfies during funerals?  Well,  for all I know you might be one of them. I’m almost sure prisoners would take selfies if they had access to camera phones. It’s just a thought.

Indeed, the “selfie innovation” has made our phones our buddies in that, your phone can tell you about yourself via your selfies. So you see, selfie is the in-thing these days and the world will not be the same without it. Let’s not even imagine a world without selfie.

According to psychologists, people take selfies because it displays them at their very best and they find a sense of fulfillment in it. In addition, it can be a powerful statement and inspire people on to great things in their lives, as people always want to stand out among others. Selfie has definitely come to stay and it is a wonderful innovation in our world although it has its own downsides

Still on downsides, there are dangers attached to posing for a selfie. You should consider how much personal information you share and whom you are sharing it with before posting one on social media. These are the things you do unknowingly when you share selfies on social media;

• You reveal your location.
• You show what you, your friends and family members look like.
• You send a message that you are not home.
• You give out personal information.
• You show your actions and activities.
• You reveal the identity of your loved ones.
• Taking a selfie can become addictive especially, for people who suffer from body image disorders.

In addition, hazards come with taking selfies. Some people have lost their lives while taking selfies hence you should be very careful while taking selfies.

Hazards involving selfies include;

A man from Houston died after trying to take a selfie for his Instagram feed while holding a loaded gun to his head. He mistakenly fired himself in the throat

Five people were gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park in the US while trying to take pictures of themselves with animals.

An Austrian tourist was rescued from a well, after she fell into it while taking a selfie.

It is therefore expedient that before you pose for a click, check your environment and when you are about to post on social media, consider the personal information you are about letting out.

In conclusion, whatever your reasons are for taking selfies, enjoy it and stay safe!