Opponents and Proponents of Selfies - Assignment Example

? Selfies Selfies Introduction Selfies are self taken pictures in which a person stretches one of their hands with their mobile phone or digital camera and take a self portrait. These images are usually shared through the social media. Selfies are common among the teenagers and young adults. However, some older people are trying to use selfies in the quest of associating themselves with the young generation. Selfies are though to have more benefits than disadvantages and have attracted the attention of the older generation which has been trying to use selfies to associate with the youth. Selfies are self taken photographs and with the right photo angle and posture, selfies may result in eye catching portraits, images and photos (Kraus, 2005). Selfies were not known before 2005. As camera mobile phones started to be popular, self portraits started to be appreciated. People started taking their own photos in different places and time. When social media came into being, people felt that it would be a good idea to share their selfies with their friends and family. Argument Block One Some people in the society feel that selfies are not good while others believe that they are good for the young adults and teenagers. Critics of selfies claim that the young especially those who have not gotten to adulthood may not know the limits of taking selfies. True to that, some adolescents may go to the extent of taking inappropriate selfies for example naked images. Though they are self taken and probably in secret, they would not have a good image if they are shared through the social media. Proponents of selfies disregard this claim stating that the self taken portraits are for self expression. As such, they should not matter how they are taken as long as they are expressing an issue or concern (Day, 2013). A teenager may take a selfie of some part of the body like to hear the comments of their friends for example. Teenagers that are vulnerable to relatively inappropriate selfies are those that are weight gain sensitive yet their friends are spread across the country or the globe. They would want to request their friends to comment yet they want instantaneous answers or responses after they are informed they look in a certain way, for instance being told they look fat. Some people can go to the extent of taking a selfie of their entire body to get the right response from their friends. People taking such selfies should use friend specific message media that is specific to their friends. Selfies of such nature should only be sent after requesting their friends accordingly and they approve the suggestion. Argument Block Two Other critics claim that selfies may have negative effects on especially young adolescents and teenagers. Material of all nature is shared through the social media and those who do not have certain knowledge may be curious. As such, they may try experimenting and trying out some things on their own. They are usually afraid to ask their parents. Inappropriate selfies may in fact change the behavior and perception of adolescents towards certain things. Even so, those in support of selfies claim that the content is somehow regulated. Most social media websites cannot be used by those less than thirteen years. By the time someone is thirteen years, they know a lot about their bodies. In that case, they would not be adversely affected in case they come across inappropriate images. At the same time, the chances of inappropriate images being posted over the social media is relatively low. In addition, social media sites do not encourage posting of inappropriate selfies. People who are likely to post inappropriate images and content are socialites. It would be extremely hard for adolescents and teenagers having socialites as their friend through social media. However, it cannot be ignored that some teenagers know such celebrities and may search for them on the internet and come across inappropriate content. Argument Block Three Critics argue that selfies are not good and may have a negative impact on the society. Some people may concentrate on taking selfies so much and always keep thinking what other people think about them spending so much time on this may cut productivity in either school or at work. Proponents postulate that these are just normal shortcomings. After all, everything has its own benefits and shortcomings. The proponents of selfies and psychologists alike, feel that they are good for especially teenagers and adolescents. Selfies play an important role in boosting their confidence and self esteem. They are confident and in control of the situation while taking the self portraits (Gayomali, 2013). In addition, selfies can be used to take special moments. Some people may get caught unawares by an exciting issue and they would want to document that special moment. They will go ahead and take the portrait and indicate the mood and share with their friends (Sifferlin, 2013). At the same time, young adults and teenagers can use selfies to experiment different outfit, makeup and style on their own. They put on the outfit, take a selfie and analyze whether it looks good on them or not. They can keep doing that till they get the right outfit and make-up. In the process, they can also share the selfie with their friends for comments on the same. That would make it possible to have a great outfit and style before leaving the house (BBC, 2013). The use of selfies has gotten the attention of the older generation. They have come to appreciate that they mean a lot in some cases for example experiencing special moments when all alone. Selfies are becoming relatively for the older generation as a result. Politicians are using selfies to get in touch with the young nowadays. Take for example Kelvin Rudd, the previous Prime Minister of Australia. He tried using selfies in a quest to get the elusive youth vote (Curran, 2013). This would only show that selfies are not that bad and are being accepted by the society. Conclusion Selfies have not been know for a long time but they have sparked a debate. Opponents and proponents of selfies have varying view points on it. It seems the benefits of taking self portraits are more than the shortcomings. No wonder it has gotten the attention of the older generation and politicians. References BBC. (2013). Self-portraits and social media: The rise of the 'selfie'. BBC News Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22511650 Curran, E. (2013). Australia Leader Tries 'Selfie' Snapshots to Connect with Youth Vote. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323608504579024591097805768 Day, E. (2013). How selfies became a global phenomenon. The Gurdian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/14/how-selfies-became-a-global-phenomenon Gayomali, G. (2013). Why we take Selfies. The Week. Retrieved from http://theweek.com/article/index/248418/why-we-take-selfies Kraus, J. (2005). Photo Idea Index. Baltimore: How books. Sifferlin, A. (2013). Why Selfies Matter. Time Health & Family. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/06/why-selfies-matter/ Read More