Taking selfies has always seemed awkward to me. Even seeing others’ selfies makes
me slightly
uncomfortable.
 |
| Me, not smiling. No one told me to say cheese. |
I finally figured out what it is. In the old days, people did not often take
self-portraits. It was too much work. You had to set up a tripod or
balance your camera on a steady surface; then set the timer to count down before
the shot; then run quickly to your spot in the frame and wait for the shutter
to click. That was so involved that people
rarely did it.
Photos normally were taken with someone behind the
camera. The photographer coaches, arranges and frames the subjects. Then he calls out, “Say cheese!”
Everyone smiles for the photographer.
They smile for someone who is there.
Here’s what’s so different/creepy about selfies: it is a solo experience. You are not smiling for anyone else when you
take the picture. You never instruct yourself
to say cheese. It’s like you pretend
that someone else is behind the camera, when really you are just smiling for
yourself. Maybe it’s just me, but it
seems weird.
