Just scanning my news feed today when I had to smile at reading that The Smithsonian just banned selfie sticks in their museum.
What are your thoughts on selfie sticks?
I used to think they were funny – the crutch of people who had no one else to take their picture for them, or, who were too anti-social to even consider asking a kind stranger to help take a picture of them.
But I changed my mind when my friend whipped up a selfie stick during a trip abroad. At first, I was aghast. I thought of this friend as a “cultured” friend who liked art and going to museums. But after a few shots, I begun to see the usefulness of the thing. It really came in handy a few times. I’m not a convert yet, but, yes, I agree that it has its uses, and it really does make life easier in certain situations.
I am still a bit critical of why people insist on being included in the picture (unless it’s a group photo, family portrait and such), and various people have told me it was so that there was “proof” that they were actually there – clear documentation of what they were up to at that point in their lives. I personally think having the person in the picture just detracts from it – like they were photobombing the actual scene / view / panorama – like when you see a picture of this magnificent place, and the person (usually tourist) is just there, off to the side, marring the view. But it has become such an expected part of picture taking that people will often comment “bakit wala ka sa picture?” (why are you not in the picture?). Sometimes I give up and just go with it.
But times, they are a changing. Taking a selfie is just easier than asking someone else to take the picture of you. You also have more control over the composition of the picture, and you are not dependent on the photography skills of a stranger, or lack thereof. Selfie sticks help you take pictures with the phone camera farther away from you so you can get more of the background and a lesser close-up of your face. (There’s a commentary on the self-absorbed direction our civilization is heading in there, but I’m too tired to expound on it.)
I haven’t bought myself a selfie stick yet, mostly because I’m not really into taking pictures of myself, but I don’t think badly of those who have because I totally understand the reasons for getting one of those selfie sticks.
How about you? What do you think of selfie sticks?
