The Selfie Culture

 

It never ceases to amaze me, whether in the supermarket, sporting events, on the street, during worship or even at funeral services, people seem driven to take pictures of themselves at every given opportunity. 'Selfies', as they are known, permeate the airwaves and digital footprint of media, including television stations, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so many more. It is as though a picture of a sunset alone is never going to be enough, it can only be made better if our faces frame the picture! Oy!

On the one hand, a selfie is a step higher on the palatability scale than a picture of a plate of food yet, on the other hand, most folk do not have the required equipment for a 'good' selfie, a 'selfie-stick', which extends the cell phone farther from those being photographed, thus making the 'un-sticked' selfies almost exclusively close-ups. No one wants to be that close to me, not even my wife and kids. 

Is it subliminal narcissism which drives us to take more selfies? Or do the selfies themselves become the driving force which moves our culture perilously close to being fully narcissistic? It could be that the answer to that question is a line so fine no one can accurately tell the difference, yet the practice continues to proliferate, like aphids on a healthy plant, killing it one bite at a time.

I can understand not wanting to hand your perfectly good cell phone to a stranger to take a picture for you - having suffered with the results of well-intentioned strangers who have taken pictures for us, leading to, 'I really didn't like having my feet photographed anyway' or 'At least not having the top of my head in the picture doesn't focus in on my balding scalp', or the ever favorite, 'I have to admit only showing half of me is a good way to lose weight without all that unnecessary exercise!' Not to mention worry over who might just take your cell phone with financial information, contacts and emails and run off to decipher your codes and trash your accounts. But, really, only selfies?

One other explanation does offer some insight on this for us to consider, that being, as a culture we do not trustingly engage with others as once we did. Whether family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, colleagues or just people we meet on the street, as a culture we are not nearly as likely to engage others in meaningful conversation or one-on-one time as used to be the standard. The old standard was, 'There is safety in numbers', now it is, 'Don't trust anyone but yourself'. Isolation claims the prize as community checks out early at the door. 'No, I can take my own picture for my blog-site, thank you.'

Which leaves us with what? The fragmented dissonance of one, a solely exclusive culture of DIY historiography. Life is what you make it - and if you make it about you, then life is about you. Turn out the lights, when you leave - and make it soon.

Life and culture do not have to be this way, mind you, but we become what we daily practice, at home as it is in public - or the polar opposite of, ". . . on earth as it is in heaven", from the Lord's Prayer. Becoming part of an intentional community takes trust, trust in others, trust in something bigger than ourselves and trust in the better nature of humanity. That is not a lesson we hear much these days from our political or religious leaders, who are more interested in consolidating personal power than nurturing an inclusive community for all. Case and point, a crucial oversight occurred when selfies taken on January 6, 2021 in Washington D.C. at the Capitol were posted to social media, which helped law enforcement to identify those responsible and participating in the violence. Sometimes, the selfie culture does backfire, along with all those who use this practice to intimidate, bully and humiliate others. Karma has a funny way of having the last word regarding such things . . . and the culture learns from it.

Not all selfies are bad, any more than all portrait photographs are good yet, the balance concerns me, as I pray it concerns you. What are we learning from those around us if we seldom engage them on the journey? What are we offering to the world if we never enter into it other than to note our passing in an isolated photo? 

I offer no definitive answers here, but raise the flag of wonder on the journey. Who will notice you were here, fully engaged in this life, if the only one who has your photograph - or is in your photograph - is you? 

It is something to ponder on the journey.