Selfie-conscious

A new technology can lead to change of culture! We are fortunate to have witnessed this nature's experiment in a clear demonstration.

Smart phones are the biggest revolution that this generation has witnessed. We know that lot of things like transferring information including videos or transferring money can be done in few seconds by a hand-held device today. My children are often surprised that we didn't have internet or mobile phones in our childhood, yet it was equally convenient.

With the arrival of internet came the urge to share our smallest experiences with the world. The most imploring desire being, the wish to share the experience one has on visiting a new place and what better than sharing its picture. This became possible with the new camera phones, just click & send! However, better still would be if one could be seen in the frame alongside the novelty. It was difficult if one was alone. People started using their skill of taking a blind picture by facing the camera and clicking it in innovative ways. The phone manufacturers soon realized this need and started providing a 'selfie' camera, whose megapixels increased with each generation of phone. Then 'selfie' from a buzzword became a rage. But the problem was that selfie was usually quiet a close-up with one's face being prominent in the foreground. That is when the need to look good became compelling. These Selfies were to be shared with thousands or lacs of people on social media and so looking good was mandatory. Thus came the obsession to look good. Nowadays, it is common to see young men sitting in parlours and getting themselves groomed, with attention to each detail. Men were never so conscious of their looks in my life-time as they are now and I think it is because of the 'Selfie'. These days most trendy young men sport a beard, as it is 'in fashion'! I feel men are more obsessed with 'Selfie' but may be there is no statistically significant difference between the sexes. So we see how with arrival of new technology, the culture has changed and we have more number of well-groomed people on the streets. I hope technology someday makes a change where people on the streets are well-mannered and better behaved also!!