Have you ever taken a “selfie?” You know, a self-portrait that you've uploaded to a social media website?
Odds are good that you have, in fact, taken a selfie. The term “selfie” is so popular that it was recently deemed the Oxford English Dictionary 2013 “word of the year.”
Yes, I have taken a selfie before, I'll admit it. I have three selfies on my Instagram account, for example. My selfies, however, were part of an innocent attempt to poke fun at one of my good friends who uploads selfies almost constantly.
I maintain the fact that I have never taken a selfie for the sake of taking a selfie.
My personal history aside, the concept of the selfie has begun to change this generation. On the surface, such a harmless Internet post seems trivial. I mean, what could be so wrong with a simple self-portrait?
It has become, for many people, a means of self-glorification and a new avenue for them to self-promote their own physicality.
I cannot even count the amount of times I have seen a selfie tagged with “#selfiesunday,” “#nomakeup” or “#dolledup.”
People — mostly girls, in my experience — will upload selfies seemingly for the purpose of just uploading selfies. But they do have a purpose for posting them: We have a purpose in all that we do, whether we know it or not.
Those who post selfies have a simple purpose: They want the likes. They want the attention. They want to broadcast to their followers, or friends, or whatever people on whatever social networking platform that they use, that they look “good” at that moment.
It's a form of projecting physicality and an indirect acknowledgement of self-indulgence in an attempt to attract attention.
You can quote the above sentence as my definition of the selfie, but wherever I go, the selfie seems to follow me.
In my experience, it is now a rarity to find a woman without a selfie on her social media site. When you do find her, dear God, do not let her go. The discovery that a woman does not feel the need to daily project her beauty to her entire friend list should not be taken for granted.
The growing popularity of the smartphone application Snapchat has somewhat alleviated this, by allowing selfies to take on a more “private” persona. With Snapchat, the pictures are shared not with an entire friend list but with specific individuals.
I suppose this is better. I suppose the desire for attention does not necessarily apply here, at least in full force. However, the emergence of the selfie has illustrated our culture's constant desire for attention, and the lengths in which they'll go to get it.
Ultimately, the selfie is a reflection of what our culture is continuously glorifying: attention. Just think of Kim Kardashian and what she represents: a fascination with easy money and one's physical beauty over other considerations.
Whenever I see a selfie, I cringe because I know what it may represent and I am very saddened by the emergence of degrading Internet trends.
Consider this my plea to you: Ask yourself why you are taking and posting your selfies before you post them and make sure you have an adequate reason.
Reach this columnist at spmccaul@asu.edu or follow him on twitter at @sean_mccauley.
