During a JetBlue Flight from California to Texas on September 18, the plane's starboard engine burst, immediately releasing smoke into the cabin and causing oxygen masks to fall from above. While other passengers were freaking out, Scott Welch had a different reaction to the crisis. Instead, Mr. Welch, a sports photographer, responded in a distinctly 2014 manner: He reached for his Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, thrust it into the murky air and pressed the record button. He even found the presence of mind to record a smiling selfie. The plane landed safely, but the videos soon went viral with over 1 million views on YouTube.
Over the course of the past year, selfies have taken social media by storm. It seems that everyone, from celebrities to Pope Francis, has taken one. At the Oscars last year, Bradely Cooper's famous selfie became Twitter's most retweeted tweet with over 2 million retweets and a total of 32.8 million views. The phenomenon is even the basis behind a new show on ABC titled Selfie, a show about a woman who doesn't know how to interact outside of the internet world. It may seem completely ridiculous, but is it possible? Could we become so obsessed with recording our lives that we forget to live our lives?
When I scroll down my newsfeed, whether its Instagram or Facebook, more than 50% of the photos I see are selfies. I'm not going to lie, my smartphone is filled with selfies of me and my friends. But after reading this article, I was immediately concerned with the power of a picture. Welch was in a potentially life threatening situation, and he chose to take a video recording himself. This just doesn't seem natural! In years past, I don't think this thought would have ever crossed anyone's mind. In Welch's defense, he said he took the video to show his family, in case the plane did not land, that he was smiling. Although I understand his intention, I don't think it was appropriate. I think its important to understand the gravity of a situation and react accordingly. Welch could have been in real danger, yet his main concern was not attention to his safety. The purpose of a picture is to capture the moment, cataloging memories for years to come. But lets not get carried away and remember that human interaction and appreciation of special moments can never truly be captured on film.
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| A snapshot from one of Welch's videos |
When I scroll down my newsfeed, whether its Instagram or Facebook, more than 50% of the photos I see are selfies. I'm not going to lie, my smartphone is filled with selfies of me and my friends. But after reading this article, I was immediately concerned with the power of a picture. Welch was in a potentially life threatening situation, and he chose to take a video recording himself. This just doesn't seem natural! In years past, I don't think this thought would have ever crossed anyone's mind. In Welch's defense, he said he took the video to show his family, in case the plane did not land, that he was smiling. Although I understand his intention, I don't think it was appropriate. I think its important to understand the gravity of a situation and react accordingly. Welch could have been in real danger, yet his main concern was not attention to his safety. The purpose of a picture is to capture the moment, cataloging memories for years to come. But lets not get carried away and remember that human interaction and appreciation of special moments can never truly be captured on film.
Sarah-
ReplyDeleteI had just seen a story about this on the news and was intrigued by it. I think our generation has become so obsessed with outdoing each others selfies in a way and it causes people to go to extremes and put themselves in real danger just to take a "good selfie" that will get them attention on social media. I think this is a very good reminder to live your life and not only be recording it because you do miss out on a lot when consumed by your smart phone and social media!