It’s happened again.
Another person has been injured while shooting a selfie. No pun intended. This person was attempting to shoot a selfie of himself while holding a gun – and he accidentally pulled the gun’s trigger instead of pressing the camera phone button.
It is the latest in a string of selfie mishaps which would be laughable if they weren’t so tragic.
Imagine, wanting to take a photo of oneself so badly, and going to such great lengths, and putting onself in such great harm’s way, that one is injured or even killed in the process! What?!
Is it proof that selfishness kills?
There are documented stories of people who have been swept away to their deaths by giant waves while trying to take a photo of themselves atop a seaside rock; been hit by a car or bus and killed while attempting the perfect selfie.
In fact, in some countries, it is now against the law to take a selfie in certain locations that are known to be dangerous!
And selfies have taken another deadly turn.
Dolphins, seals, turtles and even a shark have died as people haul them onto land to take a selfie.
Where will it end?
What happened to asking another person to take a photo for you? Are people that afraid someone will run off with their camera or phone? Are we becoming too damn independent?
I am guilty of the occasional selfie. Because there is no one else around to take a photo.
I have even purchased a selfie stick – but I haven’t yet figured out how to use it.
But the ultimate selfie sin (although it is a good idea) is an app that will shed light on the selfie subject’s face – illuminating it and making the person look great!
And there are even selfie photo-shop apps that can make your selfie photo look even greater! Even out the skin tone, change the eye colour, plump the lips.
So while selfies can be fun, I hope they are not the downfall of our civilization as we know it, as we unwittingly commit selfi-cide, or bring harm to other creatures just to get that perfect selfie shot.