Are People Becoming More Narcissistic?

Are People Becoming More Narcissistic?

Photography trends may not be the best way to answer a question like this, but there are just a few things that have struck me, and they are all to do with selfies.

I can't say too much since I've taken a few myself, but the trend I've noticed is worse than just taking a few: many people are completely obsessed with taking selfies nowadays.

Yesterday I heard a story on the radio about a celebrity who gave fans that were waiting for him a choice: they could get a hug from him, or they could take a selfie with him. One or the other, not both. He was clearly treating it as an experiment in what they felt was important. After much deliberation - and they were clearly torn between the two choices - they all chose the selfie. So instead of having the personal experience, they wanted the proof, and they wanted themselves in the picture with the celebrity. Makes you think.

And there's this. Have you ever seen this?




I'd never seen them, until my holiday last October. And then, suddenly, they were everywhere. Especially when there was a busload of Japanese tourists. Every other tourist seemed to have one. And not only that, but they were using them for every single picture they took. I noticed that for people with this stick, every single picture they took had to include themselves - every photo, and I mean literally every shot I saw them take, was a selfie.

What's that for? Why do you have to include yourself in every picture of every sight you see? What makes your face as important as the wonderful historic buildings and scenic landscapes you photograph? I mean, if you justed wanted a record of you being there, surely one or two selfies per destination would suffice, right? But making every single pic a selfie, that's just ... well, narcissistic, I think.

What do you think?

Tags: Holiday Stick Tourists Narcissism Selfie