Someone please explain the selfie to me.  I understand that sometimes you need a picture of yourself in a pinch. But really? Some people post a new picture of themselves every day.  This is often referred to as selieitis or they are termed selfieholics. Someday, you will regret taking crazy pictures of yourself every day and sharing them with everyone you know.

Growing up with all this social media makes me really worry about our young people. The selfie in particular scares me sometimes. Young people have such low self-esteem these days and this seems to be an outlet for them to gain popularity and approval from others. It is really not healthy if your self esteem is based on who said you were pretty on Instagram. I am not saying there is a link, but I think more and more young people have shown symptoms of Histronic disorder. I have seen some young people do really inappropriate things online (older people as well I guess). Maybe we did those things too at that age, but it was certainly not shared with everyone we have ever met on social media. It’s not just a digital footprint, it’s a digital tattoo. What are your thoughts?

Here are the only times a selfie is acceptable.

1. When you need a fun picture for a social network profile.
2. You and a companion are doing something fun that you would like a picture of and no one else is around to take it for you.
3. You are trying on an outfit and you take a picture to ask an opinion on making a purchase. However, it is still not acceptable to post these pictures to a social network unless you are using the Seesaw app for your phone. I suggest texting them to qualified opinion-givers as an alternative.

Please follow the official selfie-taking guidelines carefully.

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a selfie standing in front of a mirror with your shirt off trying to look sexy.
2. Do not take a selfie and post to a social network solely to get compliments from all your friends on how attractive you are.
3. If a selfie is deemed necessary, one a month maximum. No exceptions.
4. Wear acceptable clothing. Don’t look like you are trying to get paid. (You know what I’m talking about)
5. Never post your selfie to the reddit Am I Ugly group. You are not ugly. You don’t need strangers to tell you that.

Now this is hilarious:

Either way, the selfie is here to stay.  So lets embrace it.

 

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