Photography tips; To Selfie Or Not To Selfie?

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

To Selfie Or Not To Selfie

(By: Noli Cerrillo)

Did You Know? That:

1) “Duckface” are linked to Neuroticism and emotional instability?

2) The More The Selfies The More People Will Find You Unattractive?

3)  Criminals Can Get More Information From Your Selfies?

4)  Selfie Can Be Dangerous and Deadly?

What is Selfie?

It is not a modern creation that began with the invention of social media or smartphones, or the largely known selfies of Kim Kardashian in the ‘00s.

The desire to take self depiction has been part of the human dexterity for a really long time, If you read history books not that much difference between selfies and self portraits. Like Rembrandt.

In fact, the picture considered by many to be the first photographic portrait ever taken as a “selfie”, was taken in 1839 by an amateur chemist and photography enthusiast from Philadelphia named Robert Cornelius.

Is It Good? Is It Bad?




What Harm Can A Simple Selfie Do Anyway?




WHY DO WE DO IT?

As psychologist Jesse Fox explains,

“People who score higher on self-objectification post more selfies, which leads to more feedback from friends online, which encourages them to post even more photos of themselves.”

One of the reasons we love selfies is because they serve as a creative outlet. With smartphones and social media sites at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to express ourselves to a wide audience. Keith Campbell, Professor of Psychology at the University of Georgia suggest.

Boost Your Ego With Selfie

Many researchers believe that selfie grant the people to present themselves in a way that was never seen before. They can take selfies at distinct places in different outfits with different hairstyles and by making various poses this helps them to know how they look good and eventually improve their self-esteem and self-confidence. People who are least revealing and having shy nature can spread their wings through the selfies.

It give them a desire to be more sociable with others and can boost morale and self esteem.

What No One Tells You

Although not all people battle with low self-esteem, it should be an indication that what we see on social media are not the real things that give life definition. What people post is actually a fantasy. Sure, we see the rich and famous post pictures that can make anyone just a little envious, but comparing ourselves to others will not bring completion and satisfaction to us at the end of the day.

There is nothing wrong with a little confidence and posting a few pictures, by all means go ahead! But in accepted manner, be careful of the sense and logic behind the picture.

But When Not To Selfie?

A Selfie Can Give A Hint To Criminals

Every time you post a selfie on the Internet, you are not only giving out personal information, you are also letting others know what your friends and family members look like. While this is usually cool, it can give convenience to identity thieves. Selfies reveal a lot about a person’s physical appearance and other personal definition such as clothing and style preferences.
All of this information can be useful to an identity thief who is about to victimize you.


You Are Letting Burglar Know “You Are Not Home”

More frequently than not, selfies are clicked in post-worthy places away from home. When this is apparently the scenario, it becomes easy target for burglar to forecast the times you are not home. This clue can be used as an inviting time to break into you house.
Social Media has made enthusiasm for many people including burglars! The abundance of information we share saves them from all the troubles. Again, Selfie is fun but be wary of the hint you are giving away.

Selfie Is Addictive

Study shown according to mental health practitioners; that selfie can become a compulsion, especially for individual who suffer from body image disorder.

Sometimes people try to tweak their looks by downloading mobile applications for getting the perfect selfie result. This sort of obsession with modifying appearance, alongside unobtainable beauty standards propagated by media and fashion, eventually lead to some young people seeking plastic surgery.

Taking A Selfie Can Turn Deadly


MANILA, Philippines — A 19-year-old mass communication student fell 20 floors to her death after taking selfies on the roofdeck of a condominium building in Ermita, Manila.

The case investigator, Police Officer 3 Al Layugan, said Cristina Marie Pagalilauan of the Adamson University had just finished taking selfies with classmate Jonea Mildred Ani on top of Dahlia Tower, Suntrust Parkview Condominium on Natividad street when she fell.

(Source: Inquirer.Net)

The Duckface

According to Medical Daily:

They found that people who scored higher levels of agreeableness were more likely to emit a positive vibe from their selfies, as well as hold the camera lower. People who were conscientious, meanwhile, were more likely to hide the location of their selfie, hinting that they were concerned about privacy. Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, people who pulled duckfaces were more likely to be associated with neuroticism and emotional instability.

The Millennial generation.

The generation that seems to be flaming the selfie movement.

When we look at our own reflection, we first experience self awareness.

Then we compare ourselves to the model perfect we see on TV and other media avenues. This consequence can turn more people to feel more concerned about their looks.
While taking selfies is usually fun, it can feed a young person’s fixation with their self appearance. Selfies may also point us to divulge more about ourselves that we expected.
Millions of young people around the globe are looking for direction and they are doing so online, The selfie seems to be on a spree on bigger role in how they are dealing with their psychological wants. On the surface, it might seem like this generation is narcissistic and self focused, but a closer look makes it obvious that this is not the case at all.



A selfie is a definition of a person’s character.

It is forcefully holding a period in a person’s life that indicates object to them, but it is also a manner of getting to know oneself.
A selfie is more than just a picture. To a person, it is his mark on the world that often request too much and gives hardly any.
It is the millennial stamp to the world. Proving that they were here and they made a distinction, disregarding of what fashion it

Selfies should be done in temperance.



Good or bad is generally dependent on your intention for posting and clicking.
If you are doing it to try out a new style of beauty regiments or capturing an important moment-any one thing where you have a purpose that is not vaguely “HEY WATCH ME”-then, you are probably fine.
Nonetheless, if you are taking selfies because you want the brief approval of an unknown person clicking a “like” button, or because you feel the urge to post to the world the daily mundane of your every breath....that’s a concern. A point of big question.



(Credits to the owner of the pictures. I do not own copyright to the picture used in this blog- No copyright Infringement Intended)

REFERENCE;
EliteReaders.
The Public Domain Review
Shutterstock blog.
Mashable Asia
Neutral Monalissa duckface
No Bullying .com
Inquirer.Net

An essay on selfies and narcissism

Medical Today