The Selfie Epidemic

By: Sarah Jones

There are right ways to take a selfie and there are completely wrong ways to take a selfie. In today's age everything can be shared and found online. Any time something happens to a person or in a person's surroundings, the first place they share it is on social media platforms. Which isn't a bad thing if it's being used correctly. However, the sad thing is many people don't have the skills to use it in the right way. Being socially aware is as important online as it is in person. Maybe even more important because it's such a big platform that reaches millions of people.

The thing I think most people are confused about is when is the appropriate time to take and post a selfie. Sadly, there have been way too many stories in the news recently of people taking selfies in places they probably shouldn't. First there was the Funeral Selfie where people were taking selfies at loved ones funerals. Now, this isn't the worst one but I still don't see this as the appropriate place to be taking selfies. At least if people are going to take selfies at funerals, don't advertise that it's where that selfie is taking place and please try not to accidentally get the deceased in the background.  The next inappropriately timed selfie are the ones taken at places that have a sad historical significance like Auschwitz in Germany and the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City. There was one instance of a girl who take a selfie in the Auschwitz concentration camp that went viral, and most recently an explosion in New York City caused many to be injured and two missing was another source of places that people thought would be an okay place to take a selfie.

Source via Mashable

Of course, every story has another side and I'm sure many of the people in these examples didn't have a malicious intent when they posted the selfies. They probably just didn't think it through as well as they should have. In situations like those people need to learn to not act so hastily and take a beat to think about the repercussions of posting a questionable selfie. Also something that is important is how we treat the people who post these kinds of selfies. The girl who posted the Auschwitz selfie received death threats, which is unacceptable. I think many people forget that we're all human and sometimes make mistakes. If any of those people can say they've never made a mistake then they can go ahead, but I find that highly unlikely. However, most importantly people need to remember to think of more than just themselves when posting something on a social media platform, especially when posting these kinds of selfies. When posting a selfie at a place that people died, were injured, or tortured they need to remember that the people who went through that have loved ones that may find it disrespectful to see people smiling in front of the tragedy they faced. I think it's absolutely fine to take pictures of the building or fire because it's newsworthy and lets other people know what's going on, just don't stick your face in there with it. Be mindful of other people's stories, respect the situation that happened there and really think it through before you post. Not only will your friends and family see it but coworkers, future employers and a whole lot of other people will too.