In-Depth: SelfIeS

Staff Writer

Selfies: the harsh truth behind the constant posts

Sometimes students

don’t “But first,

let me take a selfie.”

News feeds everywhere

are clogging up with hun-

dreds of selfies in this latest

photographic trend. What

used to be an occasional

selfie post here and tweet-

ed there has now turned

into an epidemic of selfies

plaguing social media.

“Selfie” is an informal

term that is defined as a

photograph one has taken

of oneself, usually using a

smart phone. Many people

take selfies and either to

send them to friends or post

them on social media. Some

take more than others. But

how many is too many? Some

people take several selfies

throughout the day, posting

these images to social media.

Scientists have noticed

this social epidemic and

are beginning to link the

unhealthy overtaking of

selfies to narcissism, so-

cial media addiction, and

even low self-esteem.

“The selfie culture is about

how we want to be seen and

known to others,” Bonnie

Sarton Mierau, therapist for

Omaha Reactive Attachment

Center, said. “People are driv-

en by this, and they try to get

that by taking a lot of selfies.”

When someone takes

too many selfies, they may

be experiencing an un-

healthy, narcissistic state,

as scientists suggest.

“Everyone has a part

of them that is narcissistic.

However, it becomes un-

healthy when they pay too

much attention to them-

selves,” Dr. Mireau explained.

As psychologists are find-

ing out, taking too many

selfies usually deals with

one’s thought about oneself.

They don’t feel wanted or

needed in their everyday lives.

“People get addicted to

taking selfies because it is

a quick way to feel seen on

social media in their every-

day lives,” Dr. Mireau said.

This process of tak-

ing selfies to be noticed

can easily lead into an

unhealthy addiction.

“The best way to get over

selfie addiction is to have

real relationships with real

humans. By letting people

see who we are on the in-

side, they will meet the

need of feeling wanted and

understood. Connections

heal,” Dr. Mireau said.

On the flip side of the

link between selfies and low

self-esteem, people who take

and post several selfies are

exhibiting narcissism, which

is defined as one who has

excessive interest in oneself.

The constant posting of a

selfie can actually alienate

friends, according to Ju-

lie Spira, a cyber etiquette

expert, said. This alienation

also weakens social support

bonds. Spira also explains

that it is not acceptable to

post more than three selfie

posts a day or people/follow-

ers are going to be irritated.

Selfies have given self-

conscious and unhappy

people a way to feel wanted

and needed on social me-

dia without actually getting

the help they need. Selfies

have also provided a way

for narcissistic people to

be even more narcissistic.

They say a picture speaks

a thousand words. Maybe,

selfies, on the other hand,

speak a thousand of all

the words that need to be

or should be spoken for

those who need help?

If someone takes too many selfies a day, scientists believe that he or she may be either narcis-sistic or have a low-self esteem. Photo from Google Images.

4 | February 25, 2015 The Trojan Times

Ariana Versace-Duran

Want to win a prize?Send a funny/scary/embarrasing selfie to

thesstrojanstimes@gmail.com.The Scribner-Snyder Trojan staff will pick some of the best selfies. Winners will awarded a prize and their selfies will be in the next issue of the Trojan Times!

Entries due

by March

4th. Contest

only for SS

students and

staff.

In-Depth: SelfIeS

Staff Writer

The selfie, how it took the world by storm

The selfie, a craze that boys and girls, teenag-

ers and elders, and teachers and students have now fallen in love with, has now become a global phenomenon. But many wonder: how did it start? What caused it to all begin? Here are the answers.

The selfie has been called the “self portrait of today.” Before cameras were even invented people had to paint a picture of a person, but today people have cell phones and most come with a camera already inside. This makes taking a

selfie extremely easy when using the front-facing camera implanted in most phones.

But how did the selfie come into the world? Was it by accident? It started with digital camera and the timer button or by holding the camera at arm’s length and facing it towards oneself. When the iPhone 4 came along in 2010 with the smart phones first front-facing camera the selfie became EXTREMELY popular. Pic-tures can be traced on Flickr with the #selfie back to 2004.

When the front facing camera was released in 2010 it made selfies extremely easy to take and easy to delete, making it simple to get the

“perfect” picture. With today’s

February 25, 2015 | 5 The Trojan Times

Micah Schut

#5

Pretending-to-be-asleep

We all know you’re not asleep

and taking a picture of your-

self. I see this all the time

and I think it’s the one of the

worst pictures you can take

and post ever.

Top 5 (Worst) selfies of all time (as told through the internet) by Chauncey Homes

#4

The Duck Face

It doesn’t make girls prettier

it makes you look desperate

and when guys do it ….. its

just terribly wrong.

#3

Waking Up Selfie

No one wants to see a selfie

of you with bed hair, eye

boogers, and drool on your

face. We can almost see the

morning breath.

#2

The Pet Selfie

It might be cute, but a selfie

isn’t a selfie if your dog or cat

is in it . . . you don’t have to

show off that your dog can fit

into a purse.

#1.

The Gym Selfie

You’re at the gym to work

out, not there to take sweaty

pictures of yourself especially

when there are people in the

back ground starring at you.

technology the cameras on cell phones have become increasingly efficient in tak-ing clear pictures. After a selfie is taken a filter can be used which would make the picture look like the lighting was absolutely picture-perfect.

What does this mean for the future of pictures though? When people look up famous artists, movie stars, or politicians how will they be remembered? Imagine if you were to look up George Washington on Google Images and found a selfie? This is where the world is going so people might be remembered in the future by the selfies they took.

The selfie began be-cause of the front-facing

camera and people’s desire to see them self. But it has now become an international phenomenon which only shows how the internet continues to connect the world.

But first, let me take a #selfie.Did you know?1 Million + Selfies are taken every day.

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