I've been hearing about the wonders of the selfie-stick.
It just attaches to your phone, and voila. You've got a boom stand for your smart device. Duck lips from below, above, wherever you like.
The current obsession of our culture to watch each other, even people we don't know, is quite alarming. I like Snapchat, but I know so many people who just post things on there throughout the day, and I wonder--when did we all start thinking, "I need to show everyone who's not here this."
I'm not criticizing. I watch all the Snaps. I check out IG, and FB and TW and LMNOP or whatnot. I love it. I feel like I'm getting to know really awesome people, without ever actually hanging out with them. That's odd. We're morphing into a ravenous culture of shameless voyeurs. We just want to show strangers what we're doing, so that we don't feel weird watching what they're doing. I'm caught up with what's going on in over 1,000 people's lives right now. 1,000! One THOUSAND. That's a lot of people. In college, pre-social media, I think I knew 27 people who weren't related to me.
So is this connection to these people real? Does it count as interpersonal communication? I don't believe it does. It's more Intrapersonal. We are probably doing this for ourselves. We want to be watched and followed and viewed. It plays into our need to be noticed, and our desire to be the center of an event--life is an event, don't you think?
The connection is so instant and yet so generic, at times. We can see our friends, beautiful or not, kind or not. We can watch what they do and be there with them, in visual spirit. How many people take 15 versions of a selfie before sharing it? The angle must be right. The lighting. The smile (or scowl, if necessary). Not generic but still cheeky enough to acknowledge that taking a picture of our own face next to a bowl of salad is slightly disconnected, yet thoroughly connected to all who click the like button.
I just wonder if there's a time in the future when people will be shamed if they're seen taking a picture of themselves in public. Right now, it's no-holds-barred. In fact, sometimes we see people taking one and we think, "That's gonna be a good one." It's an art form. But is the art of communication being lost in the process?
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