Selfie Nation

INFORMAL

“a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media“.

The Selfie…  Full disclosure, I love the occasional selfie so let’s get that out of the way. I am somewhere memorable with loved ones, in the moment, caught up in the euphoria of the source of said magical-ness of the moment and snap, it’s done. Moment captured, sentiments expressed (on social media, of course), and off it goes. In all honesty, that’s where it ends for me. Then come the loves, likes, wows (if said moment warrants it), and the comments.

At this point, the selfie has taken a life of its own and I realize it’s time to take responsibility for the impulsive moment. I dutifully like each comment and express gratitude to the dear friends and families I subjected the selfie to. The end.

For most of our youth, the selfie effect doesn’t quite end there but we will get into that shortly.

I recently hosted a community event titled “Raising Global Citizens” where we led a discussion on diversity, mindfulness, and technology. It became apparent fairly quickly that parents are yearning for more information on social media and technology in general. Almost the entire evening was centered upon this subject and with good reason.

Just 3 weeks later, I was invited to speak with undergraduate students at a local university and participated in their “Reconsidering The Selfie” seminar. I was now looking at social media concerns directly through the lens of our youth; it was eye-opening and these young agents of change were candid, inspirational, and determined to do things differently.

The quest for a “perfect shot” involves hours of editing and often includes daring stunts in some cases. There is no shortage of filters and body editing apps that promise to transform us and no stunt is too dangerous as long as it delivers a gazillion of likes and comments. So much so that the Selfie is now considered a dangerous act in some countries.

According to a study by The National Center for Biotechnology Information, selfie deaths have become an emerging problem. “From October 2011 to November 2017, there have been 259 deaths while clicking selfies in 137 incidents. The mean age was 22.94 years. About 72.5% of the total deaths occurred in males and 27.5% in females. The highest number of incidents and selfie-deaths has been reported in India followed by Russia, United States, and Pakistan”.

Three years ago, Russia launched a “Safe Selfie” campaign, which featured the slogan, “Even a million ‘likes’ on social media are not worth your life and well-being,” according to the BBC.

A quick google search for “selfie deaths” confirms the physical dangers, but the psychological and emotional impact of social media on our youth is not as palpable. That is, until we sit down with our youth and open the dialogue. As countries put measures in place to help combat “selfie deaths”, what are we as a nation doing to heal the mental/psychological and emotional effects of social media that our youth is grappling with? How can we raise a generation that is self-loving and self-full? Gone are the days beauty standards were dictated by the image on the cover of a magazine. Kids today are literally carrying a computer in their pockets in the form of a phone and have access to social media; these “perfect images/beauty standards” are being delivered directly into the palms of their hands along with every app that reminds them of how imperfect they are. Want a Kendall (or is it Kylie) Jenner look? Wait, there is a filter for that!

I decided to venture into the body manipulation app world and what I found was mind blowing, to say the least. The most popular apps include PhotoWonder Pro Beauty Photo Editor (which has more than 100 million users), Plastic Surgery Simulator (also called Face & Body Photo editor in some stores, which has been downloaded more than 10 million times), and Spring, with more than 4 million users. Add FACETUNE , MAKE ME THIN, BODY PLASTIC SURGERY, SKINNY CAMERA, RETOUCH ME, etc. I had to stop somewhere.

Spring claims it can “alter your body proportionately”, while PhotoWonder says it can make you “instantly look like a goddess”, and Plastic Surgery Simulator advertises an ability to “improve your appearance on social networks”. Others claimed to reduce height, width, acne, blemishes, whiten teeth, smooth skin etc.

This is an actual review on one of the apps:

“I was expecting that this could be able to edit body shapes as well becuz I appear kinda curvy on in all my travel photos!!! Too bad its only for face so I didn’t get what i needed. But good thing is I discovered a new app to edit my face….”

Well, just who in the world did she expect to look like? She appeared “kinda curvy” because (wait for it…) she most likely IS curvy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! In short, these apps will make you look like someone you are not because you know, being you sucks?

Comparing oneself to the deceivingly perfect online images stirs a string of emotions within oneself that leads to intense self-analysis and lack. This leads to the adoption of image-altering filters that for a moment, allow one feel like they match up to the beauty standards projected. The result of image manipulation is instantly satisfying but the satisfaction is short-lived, in my opinion.  What happens when the tsunami of “likes” or as teens and tweens comment “slay”, “queen” “ilysm” and “hot” subsides? These kids still have to look in the mirror and present themselves to the world in their authentic physical self.

There is no harm in having a little fun with technology but there are real repercussions for our youth when it’s taken too far and there is no shortage of apps promising to make them look “perfect”. Social media impacts body image and eating disorders continue to be among the most deadly of psychiatric illnesses across the globe. I am hoping countries will regulate apps,  advertising, and marketing messages in an effort to help our youth. In the meantime, we must recognize that technology is not the enemy, it is how we use it that can turn it into a tool or a weapon.

The students I met at the local university had concerns about the effects of social media. After a meaningful discussion, the best wisdom I could impart to them was to do their best to be their authentic self and to use technology for good. I implored them to start their own movement and take charge by defining their own standard of beauty and not be ruled by technology.