Taking selfies has become a common practice today. People use the cameras on their phones to document things in their lives, whether big or small. As a result, researchers have developed an interest in finding the effects of taking selfies.
People who don’t intend to share their selfies have more fun
For example, one study found that taking pictures to share on social media reduces your enjoyment. The reason is that people whose main intent is to share the picture of an event are more concerned with its presentation, thus making the activity less fun. However, people who take these pictures to keep them for themselves as memories have a better experience.
Other studies have shown that people who take selfies are more likely to have narcissistic tendencies.
Marshall Shepherd also looked into selfies. During his study, he found the term cellphilm, a word that other scientists had made. The word refers to the act of filming using a cell phone. Shepherd did a literary review where he found that people intent on sharing selfies usually face worries when taking pictures.
These people had to worry about lighting, framing, and how they looked. For this reason, they were less likely to enjoy the experience they were documenting. This situation is made worse by social media as more people now share photos.
In the past, the pressure to share a photo was lessened as people would generally avoid sending bad polaroids; thus, they didn’t have to deal with the reactions of people on the receiving end.
People who share selfies are obsessed with receiving likes
One study found that people who shared their pictures online were concerned with the number of likes. If they get less than other people, it could damage their self-esteem. This phenomenon was more common among adolescent girls.
Another study found that people weren’t concerned about the number of reactions their selfies received. Instead, they were more concerned about who had left a good comment. The people most affected were those with self-esteem issues and those who monitored themselves too much.
Shepherd believes it takes a combination of these factors and narcism for people to act the way they do online. He also acknowledges that social media has strengthened the quest for civil rights as people use their platforms to voice their opinions.
