Call it stupid, call it narcissistic, call it yet another reason why millennials will never amount to anything – but don’t ever deny the power of the selfie.
Go ahead, have a good laugh. Now take a step back and think about all the selfies that have ever been taken on this planet. I’m not just talking about the middle school bathroom pics and the desperate #nomakeup #nofilter pleads for attention. Though these are undoubtedly what come to mind when most people think of the selfie, there is more to it than that. How about the selfies of miraculous weight loss stories, dramatic homecomings and brave cancer patients? Aren’t those just as much of a selfie as any other?
The answer is yes. Just as with any other sensation that enters our pop culture, there are going to be people who overdo it. People who give it a bad name or view it as something it’s not, but that shouldn’t take away from the beauty of it.
You see, to me, a selfie symbolizes a rare moment in time when a person is so happy with where they are, who they’re with or how they feel, that they believe it’s worth capturing. Though the invention of the smartphone and the shameful habit of being glued to our devices at all times is seen as a disgrace by most, being able to capture any moment in time is hard to accept as a bad thing. Sure, it can be distracting and unnecessary at times, but when the time is just right and you don’t want the moment to end, a selfie is just the way to remember it.
Some of you may be wondering how I’ve found such a profound meaning behind such a juvenile invention. Well, to tell you the truth, the importance of the selfie was taught to me by none other than my 84-year-old grandfather.
Just this past week, my grandfather joined my family for Thanksgiving break. He told us all about what he has been up to and was excited to share news of his new iPad purchase. Since he had just gotten used to a cell phone and was now plunging into the real deal, my sisters and I thought we’d give him a little training with our iPhones. We showed him the apps and the layout and how to turn it on and off, but, for some reason, the only thing he was interested in was the camera. All he wanted to do was take pictures, and the second he found out how to switch the screen, my grandpa discovered the selfie.
And what was his reaction, you ask? Pure joy. It’s safe to say he loved taking selfies, and I couldn’t have been happier to take them with him. In fact, I will spend all day taking selfies with my grandpa on my smartphone, in public, because the precious moments I spend with him are ones I want to last a lifetime.
So say what you want, believe what you hear, and do what you please, but next time you’re inclined to scoff at a selfie, think about what you’re mocking. Life is a beautiful thing, and if it takes a selfie or two to realize that, then I don’t see a problem with it.
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