All about me

I would like to speak something about myself today. A lot is often written on this platform about global trends, politics, economy and stuff. Why not use the platform to talk about me? My routine, my thinking, my viewpoints and opinions, my ambitions, my future plans and yes, some ‘me’ moments. Are you interested? Oh, most of you must be thinking I must not be having an Instagram account or a high quality mobile phone camera with a selfie application, so I need to ‘talk’ about it. I have neither of them. And there is no denying the fact that a selfie can speak thousand words than this long description.

Selfies uploaded on several social networking sites keep our circle perfectly posted on what we are up to.  Selfie syndrome has taken the world by storm and at the same time, it’s also perceived as a dangerous trend, according to psychologists and socialists. To me, what looks dangerous isn’t a natural selfie but a deliberate attempt to display ‘all is well’.

I would be lying to say I won’t ever post a selfie of a picture perfect moment. But I would refrain from doing so if I have to strive to bring about that moment. Recent newspaper reports reveal some interesting statistics like a rise in cosmetic surgeries to look better on Instagram or several governments across the world considering selfie as a potential threat to public safety. That is not all. A couple’s smiling ‘divorce selfie’ has also gone viral on the digital world. We know the stories of people to whom selfies have cost them their lives. Here was a man who tried to click on the edge of a hilltop. A snake-lover tried to click himself with a poisonous snake. What happened to the photographers of these selfies is as good as anybody’s guess. 

Selfies tend to attract a type of person already more likely to push the boundaries of normal behaviour, says Jesse Fox, an assistant professor of communications at Ohio State University. Her research says people exhibiting the so-called Dark Triad of personality traits - narcissism, machiavellianism and psychopathy - are likely to pursue selfie glory regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

Selfies have one more dimension beyond narcissism, it’s trying to escape from yourself and reality. To me, running away from yourself looks more precarious than putting yourself first. Those who tend to have a disturbed mindset, family or relationships tend to post the most beautiful photos. Maybe just to show all is well, period!

What do stunning pictures of Indrani Mukerjea, prime accused in the sensational murder case of her daughter imply? Most of them were clicked after the alleged murder. Her daughter Sheena’s gorgeous pictures, too, barely talk about her perturbed childhood and ‘bleak future’, about which her decade-old diary speaks more effectively. 

Of course, let’s maintain that nothing wrong in sharing real happy good moments and looks. There is no need to be cynical about selfies, because it is a wonderful application. Capturing the moments into a frame is normal, putting it on social networking site is a personal choice. Laughing for the sake of a picture when your heart is crying out is purely plastic.

Maybe that’s why I chose to talk about myself in so many words than taking a selfie!!!