Are you selfie obsessed? The trend of selfies is growing and taking over social media sites. A selfie is a picture someone takes of themselves and posts on a social media site. Many companies are even coming out with new gadgets to help people capture the perfect selfie. There is a new electronic called a gopro which is a mini camera and video camera all in one.

They also make a waterproof case for it, which is great for adventurous selfie takers who want to take a picture of themselves while surfing or swimming. There is also a “selfie stick” which is a long stick that you hold on one end and attach your camera onto the other end. The “selfie stick” helps people capture the full background and beautiful scenery in their selfies that normal cameras would not be able to capture.
On the other hand, there has been a lot of controversy over the selfie trend. Some people think the selfie overload is foolish. They find that these excessive selfies simply show how someone can be so full of himself or herself. Some people think that selfies portray others as very conceited and stuck up.

In some cases people are gossiped about because of the numerous selfies they post of themselves on social media sites. The biggest selfie site to date is Instagram. Many people immediately judge someone by just looking at how many pictures he or she posts of themselves.

However, just because someone enjoys taking pictures of themselves does not mean they are narcissistic. Some people believe that taking selfies is empowering and uplifting. Why should someone be gossiped about just because he or she is confident in his or her appearance and enjoys posting pictures of themselves? There could be an upside to taking selfies. Since there are people who go on vacations alone, in order for them to capture a photo with them and the beautiful scenery they utilize the selfie trend.

Furthermore, there may be something influencing us to join this selfie trend. Our favorite celebrities, who engage in this selfie trend as well, might be influencing us. Kim Kardashian West is a famous celebrity with a strong selfie game on her Instagram.

She even made a selfie book for her husband filled with dozens of pictures of herself. For her selfie book, she bought a selfie stick to take along with her on her vacation to capture the gorgeous views and scenery in her selfies.

Seeing your favorite celebrities join the selfie trend might even influence and inspire others to be brave, and find that inner confidence in themselves to post a selfie of their own. However, when a celebrity posts excessive selfies it can also create this image in a person’s mind that this is what they are supposed to look like.
“It creates competition towards other girls and makes them have low self-esteem and confidence,” Skyline student, Jamie Kullman, said.

Young girls might think they need to wear a lot of makeup and look a certain way after spending so much time looking at these celebrity’s selfies.

Selfies can sometimes also be misleading when people apply filters and Photoshop to their photos. Some people love the idea of selfies because they can put out these photos of how they want the world to view them.

“Selfies is just a variation of this idea of this is how I want to be seen,” Photography Professor, Arthur Takayama, said.

There was even an ABC show called, “Selfies” that was about a girl who was fascinated with the fact that you could become famous through social media sites, like Instagram, where she posted all her selfies. The show was later cancelled.
There is also a trend on Instagram where you can hash tag “Selfie Sunday” and post a proud selfie.

“In my opinion, you want to be seen, you want to be heard and it is a form of expression,” Communications Professor, Danielle Powell said.

Hash tagging encourages people from all around the world to post their selfies and join the trend.

Although there could be a downside to this selfie trend, there have been a couple incidents where taking a selfie has put people in a dangerous situation. People go to great lengths to capture that perfect selfie, which can put them in very risky situations.

One example is “tiger selfies.” According to BBC News, the state of New York banned “tiger selfies,” because many people were taking photos with tigers and posting the pictures on the social media dating site, Tinder.

Some men did this to portray themselves as brave and/or courageous to the potential partners they met on the dating site.

There has also been an ongoing issue with people where taking selfies was the cause of their death. According to Mirror Online, a teen died as she was taking a selfie on a railway bridge, which led to her death. The trend of selfies is growing rapidly around the world and continuing to dominate social media sites.

“With a regular camera, unless you have a tripod or a timer you can only take the picture of the other person, with a selfie you can be in it,” Skyline’s Sociology Professor, Michael H. Moynihan, said.