Are you obsessed with taking selfies?

Diana Kamikazi loves fashion and big natural hair. On Wednesday morning, she had scrambled eggs, two sausages, a glass of fresh juice and a banana for breakfast. By 9am, she was at Union Trade Centre (UTC) where she had her hair braided into large, neat cornrows and at 3pm, she had a late lunch with her three friends from Nairobi at Carwash where they shared a big platter of goat ribs, French fries, and salad, which they washed down with a few soft drinks. The ribs looked delicious. At 7pm, they had plans to go and watch a movie. I have never met Kamikazi but we are virtual friends. How then do I know about what she did since she woke up? Well, Kamikazi tells us, or at least anyone who has access to her social media timeline, almost everything that she is doing, thanks to her love for selfies. Whether she is eating, has gone for a swim, is in church, has been admitted in hospital, is at a funeral or is in her bed, Kamikazi will take a selfie and share it with the world. In 2014, Danny Bowman’s love for selfies was even worse than Kamikazi’s. He was obsessed with taking selfies to a point where he dropped out of school, didn’t leave his house in six months, spent ten hours a day taking up to two hundred snaps of himself on his iPhone and lost twelve kilograms trying to make himself look better for the camera. The British native spent and became aggressive with his parents when they tried to stop him. When it didn’t work for him, he tried to escape his obsession and took an overdose but luckily, he was saved by his mother. According to Oxfordictionaries.com, a selfie is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a Smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. The selfie stick helps users take better selfies at various angles. According to American Psychiatric Association and countless others, if you’ve taken up to three selfies today, consider yourself someone with some sort of mental disorder. But why have people become obsessed with photographing themselves? What your selfie says about you Anthony Kampikaho agrees with the connection between selfie addiction and mental disorders, especially if the addict is a man. He says that with the introduction of the selfie, nothing seems to be out of bounds. “Personally, I think it’s a disorder. It’s something that I find girly. Some women have taken this selfie thing to another level; showing us their makeup, breakfast, work desk, bathrooms and lunch and many more. I find it really disturbing when I see a man taking photos of himself. Why would a grown man spend time taking photos of himself,” he wonders. 1 It’s increasingly becoming clear that one thing many people are looking for via posting their selfies is a boost to their self esteem. Fiona Toliva agrees. She does not necessarily think that selfies are indicative of mental issues but instead, says that most people, especially women, take selfies for self reassurance and to boost their confidence. She blames those attaching mental problems to selfies for what she says is tagging something to everything. “It happened to me, and I have seen it around me and I think sometimes people try so hard to define situations (for lack of a better word) and turn them into ‘conditions’,” she says. She, however, thinks that selfies are nothing but a phase that is often outgrown and compares it to when a girl won’t go past a mirror without checking herself out. The good, the bad and the downright annoying selfies While some people find selfies narcissistic and a waste of time, some see them as a fun way to store memories.Miriam Kanziga says that she and her family tag each other in selfies to keep updated and as their way to keep in touch. “I grew up in Canada. Most of my family and friends are still in there. When I take a selfie, it’s a fun way of keeping them in the loop of what I am doing here because we used to share everything. They do the same too,” she says. Carla Davids is a British citizen touring the whole of East Africa and she uses selfies to mark each spot that she visits. “My first selfie was at Entebbe airport in Uganda, then the Equator, then at the border in Katuna and my first in Rwanda was at the bus park in Nyabugogo. All these selfies have backdrops that will forever remind me of my trip, it’s also a fun way to show off to my friends back home,” she laughs. Some have called it vanity but what else really explains the mental state of people who take selfies in front of burning houses or accident scenes instead of joining the rescue efforts? What do we make of people who take selfies at funerals? Selfies seem to be here to stay throughout the world of social media, especially now that even some of the world’s most popular celebrities and leaders are jumping on the bandwagon. While some people love them, others definitely hate them, although they are still as popular as ever. Whether selfies are just a consequence of the fact that everyone has access to a camera or they are more than that is something that we have to debate more on. editorial@newtimes.co.rw ********************************************** 5 reasons to take more selfies The pejorative term for taking a solo photograph of oneself and posting it on any social media network is usually known as “taking a selfie,” and is subsequently frowned upon by most, however, there are plenty of reasons to take more selfies. Selfies are a popular trend on social media sites. (Net photos) Showcase your good side When you are taking a candid photograph with a group of people, you don’t have control of how it will come out. And a lot of times this is really unfortunate considering you also don’t have control of which people see it. When you take a selfie in your house, you can coordinate the exact lighting, locations, and outfit...and most importantly you can take it from your most flattering angle! This allows for the social media world and subsequently the world itself, to see you at your best. Throw out those insecurities Most of the time, people who aren’t very photogenic are those who are insecure about themselves, or they’re afraid of how the photo will come out and who will see it. Well now that you’re behind the camera taking your own photograph you don’t have to worry about that anymore. And posting up selfies also announces to the world, “here I am, watch out!” and although some may think that means you’re conceited or self-involved, it actually means the opposite. Posting more selfies shows that you are comfortable in your own skin and comfortable with posting pictures with only you in them! You are the photographer Along with the idea that you can catch yourself at your best angle, you also have the power to edit out any blemishes that you don’t want the world to see. If you have Photoshop, this is a dream come true and fairly easy if you are the only subject in your photograph. So not only can you take a great selfie, you can create a great selfie if you’re insecure or unsure about any aspects of the selfies that you don’t want the world to see, making this one more reason why you should take more selfies. Have fun with it One awesome reason to take more selfies is that it’s your very own art project! So even if you don’t see aspects of the photograph that you want to edit, you can rearrange this selfie to be your very own work of art. So feel free to pose in front of a mirror or looking down to create a whole new perspective and angle your Facebook friends will be jealous of! Now that you’re the only subject in the photograph you can take as many as you want for as long as you want, on your own time. They make great default profile pictures Some people on social media like to only post pictures of them and their friends so that they portray to the world that they are popular and desired. However if you are confident enough to post a plethora of selfies, you can market yourself on social media the way it was created to do so. Having a profile picture of a selfie allows your friends to match a name with a specific face, allowing people to remember who you are and see your awesome physical attributes without searching for you in a group of goofy people. Agencies ********************************************** YOUR VOICE: Is it odd for men to take selfies? Frank Rukundo, model Frank Rukundo I think that men are also entitled to enjoy all the tiny bits of technology and trends that are being enjoyed by everyone. I don’t find anything weird about men taking selfies. In fact, I take so many myself. I have become a pro at it that you won’t even tell that it’s a selfie. Frank Rukundo, model Beth Mugabekazi, administrator Beth Mugabekazi Personally, I am not a selfie person. I like the normal camera photos because I find them clearer but I don’t think that there is anything wrong with selfies. I see people say that they find it odd for a man to be a fan of selfies but why not? Isn’t that like saying that a man should not take any photos? James Gwiza, DJ James Gwiza, DJ I don’t think that it’s odd at all. Unless it is done in a wrong place or at the wrong time, I find selfies normal. I take selfies and mostly when a friend or family member asks me to send them a photo. Depending on the location and situation, once in a while, I will take selfies with friends. Doreen Umwali, businesswoman Doreen Umwali Once in a while, its okay, but I think for models only. I’d be worried if my husband took selfies as much as I do. I see selfies as a way of expressing myself and also as a marketing tool. I sell jewellery and fabric so that’s my way of marketing them. I take selfies when my makeup is on point, when my hair looks great or my head wrap is creatively sitting on my head. Now that we have many social media accounts that need to be updated, a selfie comes in handy.

Lifestyle

Are you obsessed with taking selfies?