Are you saying Cheese to Selfie or Narcissism?
The word ‘Selfie’ is the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2013. It was actually a slang used for self-portrait photograph. Such was the popularity of the word that it has been included in the English vocabulary and is now in the dictionary.
Selfies are there everywhere on the social media today. The craze is no longer limited to college going students. Even important dignitaries, actors and academics are addicted to it now. It there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - in fact everywhere. Recently Mars Rover also took a selfie! The selfie is a digital affair and with the digital world showing no signs of disappearing, it looks like the selfie will be around for a long time yet.
People of all ages and all walks of life have been bitten by the selfie bug. It gives them a sense of well being and accomplishment. And posting selfies is an empowering act for another reason: It allows you to control your image online.
But the selfie phenomenon may be a craze in more ways than one. Experts have linked taking selfies with mental illness, claiming that some people who obsessively take pictures of themselves may have a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Those with BDD typically have a preoccupation with one or more perceived flaws in their appearance, and tend to be excessively self-conscious. “Taking selfies is not an addiction – it’s a symptom of Body Dysmorphic Disorder that involves checking one’s appearance,” Dr David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist in cognitive behavior therapy.
Psychologist Jill Weber, Ph.D., says there's a danger that your self-esteem may start to be tied to the comments and likes you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are—they're based on what you look like.
Preoccupation with selfies can be a visible indicator of a young person with a lack of confidence or sense of self that might make him or her a victim of other problems as well.
Well, who could guess that the innocent act of taking self pictures would result in mental sickness? Anything in moderation is good. But too much of self consciousness and wanting people to know that you look good is a worthless obsession. It definitely becomes a vain act. So, take your selfie but do not get addicted so much that you lose your own self image.
Selfies are there everywhere on the social media today. The craze is no longer limited to college going students. Even important dignitaries, actors and academics are addicted to it now. It there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - in fact everywhere. Recently Mars Rover also took a selfie! The selfie is a digital affair and with the digital world showing no signs of disappearing, it looks like the selfie will be around for a long time yet.
People of all ages and all walks of life have been bitten by the selfie bug. It gives them a sense of well being and accomplishment. And posting selfies is an empowering act for another reason: It allows you to control your image online.
But the selfie phenomenon may be a craze in more ways than one. Experts have linked taking selfies with mental illness, claiming that some people who obsessively take pictures of themselves may have a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Those with BDD typically have a preoccupation with one or more perceived flaws in their appearance, and tend to be excessively self-conscious. “Taking selfies is not an addiction – it’s a symptom of Body Dysmorphic Disorder that involves checking one’s appearance,” Dr David Veale, a consultant psychiatrist in cognitive behavior therapy.
Psychologist Jill Weber, Ph.D., says there's a danger that your self-esteem may start to be tied to the comments and likes you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are—they're based on what you look like.
Preoccupation with selfies can be a visible indicator of a young person with a lack of confidence or sense of self that might make him or her a victim of other problems as well.
Well, who could guess that the innocent act of taking self pictures would result in mental sickness? Anything in moderation is good. But too much of self consciousness and wanting people to know that you look good is a worthless obsession. It definitely becomes a vain act. So, take your selfie but do not get addicted so much that you lose your own self image.
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