Within this week’s readings, the issue was raised revolving around appropriate vs. inappropriate times to take selfies. These appropriate or inappropriate times can depend on the current circumstances, the location, the people involved, and more. In Elizabeth Losh’s essay discussing feminist media theory within the Selfiecity site, she describes the cultural conversation about when selfie-taking can be seen as taboo or one that tip-toes the line between the private and public sphere.
This question of when is it right or wrong to take a selfie in this day and age reminded me of this Buzzfeed article that reported the online reaction to people taking selfies at one of the most recent tragedies, that of the Sydney Siege in late 2014. As many recall, a cafe in Sydney was taken over by a lone terrorist and hostages were taken during the standoff, which resulted in the deaths of two and injuries in others. This Buzzfeed piece, entitled “Outrage as Bystanders Take Selfies at Sydney Siege,” collected and reported on various Twitter reactions to people, mainly tourists who were visiting Sydney, who had been caught taking selfies in front of the cafe scene during the 16-hour standoff.
Of course, most of the reactions that were screenshot and presented in this article condemned this act of taking a selfie in front of a hostage crisis. Many claimed that taking such a photograph was selfish, disrespectful, and was just plain inappropriate at such a catastrophic event as this. Some even marked this showing as the end of decent humanity. Thus, this moment in history has definitely been categorized by a majority of people as an inappropriate time to take a selfie. Like some of the case studies within the reading for this week, like those on the Auschwitz selfie and selfies during funerals, these times have been designated as not the right time to take such a photo.
So, what makes a time appropriate or inappropriate to take a picture of yourself using your phone/camera? If all selfies are seen negatively as narcissistic, selfish, or egotistical, why aren’t all times in life considered inappropriate to take a selfie? I thought that this point might be an interesting one to flesh out, as I feel like my friends and I know what could be considered the right time to take a selfie or not. We can see and understand why there would be outrage over selfies during the hostage crisis. But how have we learned to know the difference between when/where is right and when/where is wrong?
I definitely believe there are times when even having a cell phone out are inappropriate. Unfortunately, with this little distraction device, moments when attention should be elsewhere, are now draw to the data sucking gimmick, because of what I think is convience. Although there is alot behind a picture that as an audience member you dont know. It is hard for me to critize, I would rather just address things of this nature in the moment, no one needs more rules they have to follow, especially with a selfie which is a more intimate moment.
I think intuition and a basic sense of respect for ourselves and others around us form the basic internal mechanism needed to distinguish appropriate from non-appropriate selfie moments. People still end up taking Auschwitz selfies, though, because humans are essentially curious beings. I think it’s almost like how we stop and stare at an accident on the freeway, and enjoy watching gory, tragic or otherwise gruesome scenes in movies. There is a fascination we have with disaster and the horrific sublime that ethics or decency sometimes cannot explain away.
I think that the proliferation and instantaneous availability of social media and selfies could be the reason as to why certain people disregard space and circumstance when taking selfies. If you connect this with Shannon’s blogpost, it could offer some sort of connection. Maybe these people are so consumed with the fact that they want to be reporters in their own right that they forget that certain etiquette applies to these spaces. For example, the Sydney Seige probably saw such people because they wanted to be the primary source of the story for their friends back home, all the while forgetting about what truly is at stake i.e. human lives, their own dignity, etc.