Following the alarming rise in the number of fatal selfie instances, selfie-obsessed youngsters tell us why they are so hooked on to the habit, while psychiatrists provide a clinical explanation for this condition termed ‘selfitis’
Following the alarming rise in the number of fatal selfie instances, selfie-obsessed youngsters tell us why they are so hooked on to the habit, while psychiatrists provide a clinical explanation for this condition termed ‘selfitis’
Dying to take a photo is no more a figure of speech. Selfie deaths are growing with an alarming intensity across the country. Just a few weeks after a man died trying to save a girl from drowning while she was click a selfie, the Murud tragedy on Monday that claimed the life of 14 students was also reportedly a selfie-induced mishap. The Mumbai police have earmarked 16 spots in the city as no-selfie zones. The case of the 17-year-old boy run over by a train while standing on the tracks trying to click a selfie few days ago, adds to this list of horrors. While smart phone photo applications such as Instagram and Snapchat are the prime ammo of selfie-obsessed youngsters, upon speaking to a few of them, we found that it is not about that one perfect selfie, but a question of how many great ones you can churn in a day. There’s even a pattern to it for some, like one in every two hours and so on. But what exactly is fuelling this selfie-fever that goes by the medical name 'selfitis'
I, me and my selfie Twenty-three year old graphic designer Priyanka Chanda clicks selfies every two hours and uploads them. “I always carry a selfie stick in my bag. My dressing table and the auto rickshaw are my perfect selfie spots as they have good lighting. I click selfies through the day and when I’m bored I actually dress up, put on make-up before taking a selfie.” It’s a mood-lifter, she adds. “On many occasions when I am sad, if I click a smiling selfie, it betters my mood.” Priyanka has not had any unfortunate selfie mishaps so far. “I have a tattoo on my back and I keep doing stunts to click it from the back.
Once I ended up banging my head on the door. My mother tells me that I’ll end up injuring myself one day, but I’m always careful.” And what does she think of the fatal incidents “I keep hearing of these accidents. I feel clicking selfies is not a bad thing, provided you don’t get too distracted in the process. I have seen girls click pictures while standing on the footboard of a moving train, or while they are on a bike. I never do that,” Priyanka says.
Most of them cannot pinpoint a reason that’s fuelling the habit. “I cannot go on without taking a selfie as I am very active on Instagram. There is no particular reason why I do it, I just enjoy myself. But yes, one should be careful while posing for a risky photo,” says 21-year-old Aishwarya Sahasrabudhe. Naina Bhushan, 18, says that she has outgrown the habit with some effort, though not fully. “I SnapChat a lot and like to click selfies with filters. I click about 10-12 selfies for my WhatsApp display picture. There was a phase where my friends and I would make weird faces but now I feel really awkward to click selfies in public.”
Aishwarya Vasudevan, 22, is also a frequent user of SnapChat through selfies. “I feel I have a good smile and now I have started wearing braces as well. I make sure I don’t put myself in danger while taking a selfie — I mostly do it when I am indoors. And even when I am on a beach and have the urge to click a selfie, I make sure I don’t venture near the water. After all, what matters is my face and not the background,” she says.
The medical explanation Psychiatrist Dr Sharita Shah says, “A lot of psychiatric literature of late like DSMD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) have started talking about obsession over selfie as a disorder. People obsessed with selfies are suffering from deeper psychological issues that get manifested in a selfie. They are so into themselves, that their relationships with their loved ones are also shallow. Probably prior to the onset of selfies, they would have had spent time looking at their own reflections.
The very fact that someone is taking such risks to take a selfie, suggests that there is a problem. The onus is with the loved ones to recognise this as a problem because this individual is not going to realise that. It is of course a way to get attention. If I take picture of myself every two hours, I will constantly think of how to make the picture more interesting.” She goes on to recall a case. “This young girl was having a lot of emotional issues with her family. She started to fare badly in her studies and then she started putting revealing and suggestive pictures of herself. Her family was quite upset, but what one doesn’t realise is that the family needs to spare a lot of time and effort to help in a case like this.”
How authority figures can help The Murud tragedy happened during a college trip, after the accompanying professors had left the spot. Avnita Bir, director and principal, R.N. Poddar School, Santa Cruz, says, “Accidents can happen, but it is important to sensitise teachers and make them feel responsible. We understand that it’s important for students to travel and learn, but field trips need to be organised with a lot of care. We keep parents abreast about their ward’s activities through Google maps and GPS.”
No-selfie zones in the city: The rocks at Bandstand Rocks behind Otters Club on Carter Road Sunset spot at Mahim Fort Sassoon Docks Powai Lake Dam Marine Drive promenade Girgaum Chowpatty beach Sion Fort Worli Fort
