Anyone for a selfie?

Self- portraits are not new. Vincent Van Gogh created more than 30 self- portraits between 1886 and 1889.

The word ‘selfie’ is new. It didn’t exist until 2002. Do selfies now rule the world? There is no escape from them, people  with phones in their hands, raised at a precise angle, to take the ubiquitous selfie.

Any moment in the day can be a selfie moment. Getting on/off trains and boats and planes. Teaching your canine or feline some new tricks. Catching sight of a celeb among the crowd. Mostly though it’s in clothes stores as customers, seemingly forgetting that this is a public space and not their very own boudoir they pout and pose with abandon. They are, It would appear, starring in their own show, oblivious to the public around them. Not only clicking what they wear but also maybe, later on what they ate in their favourite cafe. Next stop is probably Insta or some other social media platform that has an insatiable appetite for selfies of every hue. What is this doing for our youth’s attention span? Are we  turning them into flibbertigibbets?

Chatting with a pal or maybe a bot may precede the moment that is soon to be immortalised. Accidental bumping  and jostling others  on city streets  is common as the subject swaggers and sways as they strive for the best angle and change direction a myriad of times.

Just think what Selfies have done for love. Wow! All that pouting and smacking prep having first carefully glossed and glamorised  those lips.

Where do all the selfies go? Maybe they are glanced at and forwarded to some interested parties after  the moment of creation. Think about how our pals’ eyes generally glaze over when we attempt to have them scroll though the pics of our latest holiday escapade for their benefit. Ennui sets in.

  Or are they saved or archived somewhere to gather digital dust, never to be seen again? Maybe in some archaeological, digital dig, in generations to come they will be uploaded and gazed at in horror by our descendants as they ponder their ancestors and how they  squandered time and energy to indulge their narcissistic tendencies to such an extent and with so much frivolity.

 A generation or so ago a photograph was a precious piece of history or family event, framed and hung in a special place for all to see. Now many photos are nothing more than digital dross, created on a whim and discarded without a second thought.

                                                            Now I feel better.