"Selfies" - WTF is wrong with people ??

CabbageCat

Emp_Fab said:

There seems to some confusion over my feelings on this...  It's not a case of "I don't like it, I want it to stop, moan moan moan".  It's a case of "I don't understand why this phenomenon has come about - I don't understand why people are so obsessed with their own image".  @Snap has hit a few nails with his post.

I see. You are neutral about something because you don't understand it. I guess I'm just naturally negative since I read your first post and assumed you were criticizing selfies.

I wonder if there are naturally positive people on here who read it and thought, "Here's a guy who doesn't get selfies but is writing a ranty, sweary post in passionate support of them."

lloyd

Snap said:

You see Lloyd, I TALK to my mates, in the flesh, to find out if something is good or not. I'm all for communications tech, but I prefer to speak and see (in the real) my friends. Otherwise, they aren't friends, they are people whose stuff you read online.

(said with my tongue in my cheek btw,;) )

as for Facebook, mate, I tried to delete all manner of crap, but the effing thing persists in pushing crap at me, and it just got on my tits. Besides, people you don't speak to regularly aren't your friends, not by a long shot. I prefer Twitter tbh, thats more my thing, used as a newsfeed really. Equally, I have no interest at all in other people's musings on Twitter. Links to tour lists, reviews, articles though, perfect.

Sometimes I do wonder if I'm just being a miserable git, but I genuinely think that with the rapid and huge explosion in social media, we are all still learning how to integrate it all into our social and cultural fabric. What I do think is happening is a gradual downgrading of people's ability to communicate face to face, and deal with confrontation. Exemplified by emailing in offices. Go speak to someone, save the email for formal communication where it needs to be evidenced or referred to.

I know you said it tongue in cheek but many don't, like its mutually exclusive to speak to people on FB or real life-I live 200 miles from my hometown and further from one brother and many friends across the world, so often it's the only way to keep up with people.

It means for me keeping in touch with cool people I've met in weird and wonderful places that without it, I wouldn't have-not for the lack of trying but it just happens-e ample being a good mate who lives in Texas I met in Thailand-not seen him in a few years but am meeting up this Xmas as he's back home in Birkenhead-that probably doesn't happen without FB.

Its a tool that used properly enhances your life, people knock it, but that's like saying tv is shit but refusing to change channel from X factor to the Wire, it's also shit if all you do is watch it all the time. 

stickyfiddle

I don't mind selfies. I don't like them but I have no problem with other people enjoying an experience in a different way than me, even if I don't understand the appeal myself.

However... I don't like people pushing in front of me watching The Who only to turn their back to the band and take a shitty fucking selfie (true story). But that's because it's rude to me and to the band, not inherently because of the selfie-ness of the act.

TTony

octatonic said:

TTony said:

octatonic said:
Christ you are a miserable sod 

Doesn't make his point wrong though.

Each generation has its own norms.

But he's Emp, not norm.

He's not norm in way possible.

holnrew

Snap said:

Sometimes I do wonder if I'm just being a miserable git, but I genuinely think that with the rapid and huge explosion in social media, we are all still learning how to integrate it all into our social and cultural fabric. What I do think is happening is a gradual downgrading of people's ability to communicate face to face, and deal with confrontation. Exemplified by emailing in offices. Go speak to someone, save the email for formal communication where it needs to be evidenced or referred to.

I don't think you give people enough credit. It's augmenting how we communicate rather than replacing.Digital communication is much faster. I'm sure people used to say the same thing about the phone. Hell you have people like Phil here who refuses to use a mobile phone, you're being like him, only with a newer medium.

frank1985

most people just want validation for their appearance. a positive comment or a 'like' is like temporary relief from feeling as though they've fallen off the ugly tree. 

ThePrettyDamned

There are a few people I know who are serial selfie posters and they all do it for attention - to the point where if a particular person doesn't "like" it or whatever, they'll complain (I've been asked to like a pic!). Weird. 

It's no different to status updates that read, "God, some people, at least I know who my REAL friends are".  Yeah? Why the fuck are you posting bollocks like that then? 

There is an awful lot to make people lose self confidence these days. It's worse when all your friends seem to have better lives - but it's important to remember that social media only gets the best stuff. No one will share that they are a combination of bored and disappointed in their own lack of achievement. Way better to post a bunch of selfies of one good moment. 

ThePrettyDamned

Just to add, not mad against it - but my Facebook friends are mostly unfollowed because my feed was so full of self involved shit. I still like the people. Sort of. 

Snap

holnrew said:

Snap said:

Sometimes I do wonder if I'm just being a miserable git, but I genuinely think that with the rapid and huge explosion in social media, we are all still learning how to integrate it all into our social and cultural fabric. What I do think is happening is a gradual downgrading of people's ability to communicate face to face, and deal with confrontation. Exemplified by emailing in offices. Go speak to someone, save the email for formal communication where it needs to be evidenced or referred to.

I don't think you give people enough credit. It's augmenting how we communicate rather than replacing.Digital communication is much faster. I'm sure people used to say the same thing about the phone. Hell you have people like Phil here who refuses to use a mobile phone, you're being like him, only with a newer medium.

My point is I DON'T think its augmenting for many people, quite the opposite. That's my point, I think we are still finding how these things bed into our culture: at the moment they are going hell for leather for many people, and I do think there will be an anti social media backlash/trend, which will no doubt be daft as well.

I like social media, conceptually, but I don't like how people use it, a lot of the time.

But, over arching all of this, is the maxim: each to their own. Its not for me or anyone else to tell people what to do, unless it intrudes on your own quality of life.

TTony

holnrew said:
 Hell you have people like Phil here

Actually, we don't.

More's the pity.

holnrew

Snap said:

holnrew said:

Snap said:

Sometimes I do wonder if I'm just being a miserable git, but I genuinely think that with the rapid and huge explosion in social media, we are all still learning how to integrate it all into our social and cultural fabric. What I do think is happening is a gradual downgrading of people's ability to communicate face to face, and deal with confrontation. Exemplified by emailing in offices. Go speak to someone, save the email for formal communication where it needs to be evidenced or referred to.

I don't think you give people enough credit. It's augmenting how we communicate rather than replacing.Digital communication is much faster. I'm sure people used to say the same thing about the phone. Hell you have people like Phil here who refuses to use a mobile phone, you're being like him, only with a newer medium.

My point is I DON'T think its augmenting for many people, quite the opposite. That's my point, I think we are still finding how these things bed into our culture: at the moment they are going hell for leather for many people, and I do think there will be an anti social media backlash/trend, which will no doubt be daft as well.

I like social media, conceptually, but I don't like how people use it, a lot of the time.

But, over arching all of this, is the maxim: each to their own. Its not for me or anyone else to tell people what to do, unless it intrudes on your own quality of life.

I can only say that for me it's a wonderful thing. I get have limited social interaction without having to be face to face, something I find very difficult. There are facebook sub-cultures I interact with, and there are other things too that are impossible to do in the real world. I guess I've just found niche to inhabit, and it's not something that generally has an impact on my day to day interactions, because I have none.

hugbot

I like selfies and updates about what my friends are doing because I like my friends and it makes me hapy to see them.

lloyd

The whole selfie culture is something that I'm aware of, but it doesn't affect me online-I think I've got one friend out of 500odd that posts bollocks, but she stays as she's mates with a couple (ex) page 3 girls and they go on holiday about 5 times a year.

holnrew

Today, one of the posts I made on a Facebook page I help manage got over 5000 likes. It makes me feel good knowing that I enriched the lives of that many people by even the tiniest amount. In real life I struggled to tell the girl in tesco I needed to cancel my items on the self service checkout because I didn't realise it was cash only.  But on the other hand I have met people in real life whom I originally met on Facebook, so it also improves that side of things socially for me too.

I don't mean to sound so defensive, just trying to say what a difference facebook makes for my life being socially retarded. 

CabbageCat

Snap said:

I like social media, conceptually, but I don't like how people use it, a lot of the time.

Like every form of communication ever?

octatonic

Snap said:

You see Lloyd, I TALK to my mates, in the flesh, to find out if something is good or not. I'm all for communications tech, but I prefer to speak and see (in the real) my friends. Otherwise, they aren't friends, they are people whose stuff you read online.

I prefer to speak to people online, because going and seeing about half of them invariably involves an 8-24 hour flight.

octatonic

Emp_Fab said:

There seems to some confusion over my feelings on this...  It's not a case of "I don't like it, I want it to stop, moan moan moan".  It's a case of "I don't understand why this phenomenon has come about - I don't understand why people are so obsessed with their own image".  @Snap has hit a few nails with his post.

I think this is actually pretty telling about your view of yourself, Emp.

People care about their image because they are the most important thing in their life and they like doing the things they do and with the invention of the smart phone have an easy way to share this with the world.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating your own existence, the things you do, the people you meet and including yourself in your photos.
That isn't *that weird* and it isn't even that new.

The word 'selfie' is a relatively new term but people have taken pictures of themselves since cameras were invented.
In the past you just had to wait 2 weeks for a picture that you could only show to people that were with you.

What we have now with the smart phone and social media is the ability to immediately record and then broadcast that.

I think it was inevitable.

stickyfiddle

octatonic said:

Snap said:

You see Lloyd, I TALK to my mates, in the flesh, to find out if something is good or not. I'm all for communications tech, but I prefer to speak and see (in the real) my friends. Otherwise, they aren't friends, they are people whose stuff you read online.

I prefer to speak to people online, because going and seeing about half of them invariably involves an 8-24 hour flight.

+1 to this! 

Talking to people online is not the same as talking in person, but it's not always worse, and it's certainly much better than not talking to them at all.

Sporky

I would say that I'm too awesome to need the sort of validation people are claiming is the point of selfies, but (a) you all already know that and (b) [mic drop, exit stage left]

octatonic

Sporky said:

I would say that I'm too awesome to need the sort of validation people are claiming is the point of selfies, but (a) you all already know that and (b) [mic drop, exit stage left]

and you own one of these: