October 12, 2015
How Selfies Determine The Way We See The World
Selfies have taken over. In the last few years, we have seen people of all ages and all walks of life decide to document each and every moment of their lives -- no matter how mundane.
The way our culture expresses itself, is the way it comes to be defined.
Selfies create a need for constant external validation. By sharing every experience, from the mundane to the incredible, we begin to live life in the public sphere. We create a need to be watched.
The number of "likes" we receive has come to define our sense of worth. On a personal level, this removes us from our actual experiences. It leads us to be concerned with how we will be viewed by others and not with what is happening right in front of us.
Furthermore, this selfie phenomenon leads us to communicate in a purely visual way. Media critic Neil Postman, believes that societies that are dominated by visual mediums tend to lack the critical thinking and analytical abilities of print based cultures. Unlike text, pictures encourage quick and fleeting judgments instead of thought, reflection and analysis.
We're not trying to say that pictures cannot inspire ideas, they most certainly do, but think about it, when was the last time you found yourself engaged in a deep and meaningful reflection on a selfie or some other Instagram post?
The selfie has replaced literacy and language in social media. We communicate with each other through images instead of words. The loss of critical thinking and reasoning is evident when you look at the fact that selfies require absolutely zero context and weave a series of events that mean nothing when placed side by side. There is no cohesion or coherence.
Wouldn't it be sad if this lack of depth spilled over into the way we experience the world? Like it or not, it appears to be happening. Of course we cannot just have a 'do over' and go back to a pre-selfie world, but we can make sure it doesn't interfere with our other modes of communication. We can make sure it doesn't interfere with our language.
Once in a while, we can put the phone down. We can stop seeking validation from the online world. We can experience life as it is happening. We can live in the now, in the real world. Cyber space can wait. Do yourself a favour and talk to the people who physically interact with you day to day.
Do you have a selfie addiction? Do you think it is possibly standing in the way of you actually enjoying your life?
Source: Elite Daily
The number of "likes" we receive has come to define our sense of worth. On a personal level, this removes us from our actual experiences. It leads us to be concerned with how we will be viewed by others and not with what is happening right in front of us.
Furthermore, this selfie phenomenon leads us to communicate in a purely visual way. Media critic Neil Postman, believes that societies that are dominated by visual mediums tend to lack the critical thinking and analytical abilities of print based cultures. Unlike text, pictures encourage quick and fleeting judgments instead of thought, reflection and analysis.
We're not trying to say that pictures cannot inspire ideas, they most certainly do, but think about it, when was the last time you found yourself engaged in a deep and meaningful reflection on a selfie or some other Instagram post?
The selfie has replaced literacy and language in social media. We communicate with each other through images instead of words. The loss of critical thinking and reasoning is evident when you look at the fact that selfies require absolutely zero context and weave a series of events that mean nothing when placed side by side. There is no cohesion or coherence.
Wouldn't it be sad if this lack of depth spilled over into the way we experience the world? Like it or not, it appears to be happening. Of course we cannot just have a 'do over' and go back to a pre-selfie world, but we can make sure it doesn't interfere with our other modes of communication. We can make sure it doesn't interfere with our language.
Once in a while, we can put the phone down. We can stop seeking validation from the online world. We can experience life as it is happening. We can live in the now, in the real world. Cyber space can wait. Do yourself a favour and talk to the people who physically interact with you day to day.
Do you have a selfie addiction? Do you think it is possibly standing in the way of you actually enjoying your life?
Source: Elite Daily