The obsession called selfies
CHANDIGARH: From sticks to cliffs and moving trains to standstill monuments, the youth has conquered it all to click that ultimate photograph which we know by the name of 'selfie'.
Going by the dictionary, a 'selfie' is any photograph taken by the person of himself/herself, especially for sharing on social networking sites. Not even in his wildest dreams would have Robert Cornelius, the man to be credited for the first ever 'selfie' to be taken in the history of photographs, thought about the celebrity status that the word will get after almost 176 years of his death.
It was in November 2013, that the word was crowned with the "word of the year" title by the Oxford English dictionary.
It is not just the common man but our celebs also are also in the race when it comes to taking selfies. This new concept has also entered political circles with Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding the baton of getting clicked numerous times for selfies totally in sharp contrast to our former prime minister.
The selfie fever have proven quite fatal for technologically handicapped, risk-it-all, low on logics youth who have paid heavy price even sometimes with their life to satisfy the longing for the perfect selfie.
Fatal addiction?
'A new selfie every hour'
A 24 year old final-year student in Panjab University's Dr HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences says, "I still can't forget the time when I had bought my new mobile phone. The selfie fever gripped me so bad that not even a single hour passed by when I didn't click a selfie no matter where I was or what I was doing. It had become an addiction till I was scolded by friends and decided to put a brake on it."
'Friends avoided me'
Another 24-year-old student from school of communication studies at PU says, "I used to get pictures clicked every other day, because I didn't have a good camera so I used to pester my friends to give me their cellphones or get clicked in selfie style. Very soon, because of my habit my friends started ignoring me and I felt really bad as well as helpless about it as I honestly find nothing bad about selfies."
'Saved by a hair's breadth'
A 25-year old IT professional, a resident of Sector 34, agrees that seflies could be potential fatal. "I got saved by a hair's breadth when I tried to take a selfie on the Kalka road. The weather was lovely and I was on a long drive. I didn't think I needed to pull over. I almost hit a pole but got hold of myself in time. Never again," he adds.
Narcissism or low self esteem?
Experts have linked the addiction to selfies with the youth's obsession with looks. Besides, people taking selfies while driving can lead to accidents and serious injuries. Teens report that seeing their own selfies increases self-esteem, while the obsession could be a possible disorder and one might need to consult an expert.
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