Being
a stickler for keeping things in order, my laptop is filled with many folders,
which help my documents to be handy all the time. That is why I relate myself a
lot to Monica Geller Bing of Friends who is obsessed with keeping
everything in an organized way! I have one such folder in my laptop named Wordoful which is a collection of
documents containing the evolution of certain English words, with their
historical provenance. The combination of history and English is something
which I always find interesting, therefore I often browse through those
documents. Of all, the story behind the word ‘narcissism’ astounds me every
time I read it. Narcissus, a haughty handsome hunter as per the Greek
Mythology, fell in love with his own reflection as a result of the imprecation
by Nemesis, the Goddess of revenge. Today, we refer to those people as
Narcissists, who are obsessed with their appearance. Back then, little did Narcissus know that in
21st century, he was going to have millions of successors!
Today,
‘Selfies’ have become the euphemism for ‘Narcissism’, or should I say
tautological to Narcissism? Whenever I log into my Facebook account, I see a
plethora of selfies, with catchy captions written next to them. If the selfie
is with a pout, then it is considered ‘cuter’. I don’t understand how a pout
can be prettier than a natural smile or a candid laugh. Today, almost in every
part of the world people have gone frenzy over selfies; the rich and the
bourgeoisie alike. I first got acquainted with the word selfie after seeing a photo of Ellen DeGeneres with the actors at Oscars 2014. That selfie went viral on
social media and soon the trend of selfies spread like a wild fire. Obviously,
the ‘selfie air’ could not miss India. In our country, where so many things are
trending, selfie also became the new trend, especially among the youth. I would cut some slack for selfies though,
considering it as a breakthrough innovation in cameras. Other positive thing at
the most I can say about selfies is that you save the trouble for someone to
click your pictures. Rather than expressing dismay to that person who may, as
humans are prone to errors, click a bad picture of yours, you take matters of
your ‘image’ in your own hands. People go on clicking their images until they
find the perfect picture, most often to set as WhatsApp or Facebook profile
pictures. ‘Likes’ from the people is all that matters, isn’t it?
I
am not being satirical about selfies; in fact I like to be a part of selfies
with my beloved people. Surely, selfies like any other photos help us in
cherishing our moments of laughter and happiness, but humans tend to go
overboard to achieve semblance among their social circles. How lethal can it
get when selfies become an addiction, a mental disorder? I read an article once
which said that a British teenager attempted suicide when he could not get a
perfect selfie despite taking up 200 selfies! The recent case of Bandstand in
Mumbai, wherein three college girls fell into the sea while clicking selfies or
a 16 year old boy from Chennai who was run over by train while trying to click
a picture of himself beside it, only shows that the tech-savvy youth of today
has become so reckless that they are willing to risk their precious lives. When
such ‘lunatics’ as I call them, resort to such brainless adventures, I commiserate
more with the people around them. Take the example of the braveheart, Ramesh Walunj
who lost his life while saving the lives of the three drowned girls at
Bandstand, leaving his family bereaved. The only lesson I learn when I read
such cases is that, technology plays the extreme roles of comforting as well as
destroying human lives.
A
year back when I wanted to purchase a new mobile phone, I went through umpteen
product specifications of different brands. When I finalized a phone that
would match my nature of usage, someone pointed out that there was no front
camera in the phone that I had chosen. I shrugged it off by saying nonchalantly,
“Who cares anyway?” Yes, I really do not find my cell phone to be devoid of
something called as ‘front camera’. My fascination for camera is till now
restricted to clicking pictures on my 10 megapixel digital camera. I feel proud
of my choice every time I see a bunch of college girls in my train compartment
clicking selfies, either seated or standing at the door of the compartment. But
then I explain myself that in today’s era packaging is more important than the
product. No matter what evil lies in the heart, outward appearance should be
warm and welcoming, like masquerades. Appreciation for facial looks therefore
matters to gain popularity among people. Sometimes, I wonder if camera rolls
had been still extant, the craze for selfies would not have arisen,
considering a number of penny pinching people. Who knows, the youth of today
would have been more disciplined, or at least there would not have been any
‘breakthroughs’ in psychological disorders. The regulatory authorities should
intervene in the selfie mishaps and strictly prohibit selfies at places where there
are possible threats. Imposing a heavy fine would be especially helpful against
the college goers, who may cringe to shell out their pocket monies on heavy
fines.
When
I open my folder of pictures, either on my computer or an old album of
childhood, I am reminded of the ‘selfie’less and probably more selfless world.
Unless and until people have an epiphany to limit their fixation on any new
innovation in technology, the danger of any kind of catastrophe hovers over us.
The path towards safety can even begin by clicking selfies only in safe places,
where there is no threat to any life. Wouldn’t that be the most beautiful
selfie ever taken? So, chal beta selfie
le le re, par bina kisi ki jaan le le re!
