Soul Searching – Could It Be the Original Selfie?

Lately we have been inundated with opinions about selfies and what they really mean. Is this fascination with taking and posting images of ourselves healthy? Could it be a sign of narcissism or deeper emotional issues? Opinions are rampant and have been expressed by many people from laymen and acclaimed psychologists to social media gurus. All tell a different story about the meaning of incessantly posting selfies to our social media pages.

Back, back before iPads, cell phones and social media entered our lives; we all took selfies at one time or another. We called it soul-searching, looking deep within to learn who we really were and what we really looked like after an honest self-examination. With a swiftness we have become accustomed to, technology has ramped things up a notch to instant self-examination… the selfie!

Today’s selfies enhance our memory bank, cementing the details of personal routines visually by creating an image of the how these mundane habits affect us instantly. This includes the daily events in our lives.

Selfies are spontaneous rather than being staged like typical photographs. They reflect the truth about our emotions and their immediate effect on us, from the inside out. It is comparable to an ultra sound image. We see the outward effects of the inner struggles.

For those who post daily or multiple times a day, we are treated to the effects of joy, anger, disappointment and fatigue. There are noticeable changes in the selfie images providing proof positive that indeed our emotions impact us instantly!

Today’s youth exist in a fast paced environment of learning and coping, a fact made necessary by the rapid advancements of the technology they are required to use to learn and grow in their daily lives. Is it any wonder that they replaced our outdated soul-searching processes, which many times were lengthy, for one that is instant and effective? It is a reflection of how they process everything in their lives.

And so the debate rages on. Is it healthy or unhealthy? Time will write the final analysis. One thing is certain; if it is an indication of narcissism or some other deviant behavior, the devil will be found in the details that are forever set down in time through the images.

If it is determined that selfies are a harmless pursuit that enhances social media contact, then everyone who has been confused about what really makes them happy, joyful, fearful, angry, miserable or sad need only to look at their selfies and make note of what was going on when they posted them to see the proof. There is a strong possibility that selfies may be the best ammunition against allowing denial to become rooted in our lives. The proof is literally before us, proving that a picture does indeed speak a thousand words!



Source by Alexa Keating

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