Sept. 29, 2014
Audrey Jensen
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Social media has turned into a self-obsessed and self-promoted exploitation of technology. In today’s world, a person’s need for self-worth on a social media website equals their worth in reality.
According to Prowl Magazine, “self-taken digital portraits are typically posted on social media, ostensibly with the intent of getting people to respond to them – that’s what social media is. In that respect, selfies aren’t expressions of pride, but rather calls for affirmation.”
I have observed several people I am friends with on Facebook who seem to have it all. 500 friends, with at least 50 likes on every picture they share with their followers.
Their public information tells of all the success in their life: where they attended school, what they’re studying at college, if they’re married and where they work.
While all of this information is allegedly true, each person on Facebook is provided with the opportunity to share as much as possible about themselves.
If you want to know more about a person you just met, anyone is fully capable of searching them on Facebook or Twitter. Based on what is online you might gain a perspective of this person you would not have otherwise.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to posting about yourself?
People want their friends, family, acquaintances and followers to know what’s happening in their lives, whether it is a positive or negative update.
There are more important pictures and memories to capture than the numerous self-centered photos you post with the hope of impressing people in your media circles. Yes, there are times I will take pictures just for the sake of something to post on Instagram and not for the sake of having the picture for memories.
But we’ve gone too far.
The more we post selfies and document our daily whereabouts or activities, the more it’s turned into a trend among technology users. As long as well-known public figures such as Kim Kardashian or Beyoncé are posting selfies, it remains normal for our culture to do the same.
I don’t think it’s worth it. I recently decided to take a no-selfie vow due to the narcissistic connotation that is tagged to a selftaken picture.
I will not allow myself to post any photo I took of myself on any media. If I do post a photo of myself it has to be a photo someone else took of me.
There are important events and issues that deserve to be shared on Facebook. Selfies are not one of them.
We already know what you look like. If you’re going to promote anything, try to share with others what’s important to you on a local, national or global scale. Ask yourself, why is what you post online important?
Katherine Erlikh wrote in her blog, “All the guides, all those step-by-step tutorials on how to become a social media maven, they never tell you that one important thing.
More than anything else, social media, blogs, et cetera – all these things need to hold some element of sincerity, especially for a small business, blogs, artists, writers, or other assorted creative beings.”
Let’s take the self out of selfie and replace it with meaning. Share and relish the memories, not just the photo.