The Modern Narcissists

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 21^st 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!