Jammu, January 10: The selfie mania has hit the world in a big way and everybody seems so obsessed with the idea that the trend has started going haywire and acquiring dangerous proportions in the society.
While we have churned out a few songs on the selfie mania with no less than our Prime minister making the selfie taking a national and international event but what we forget is that our self is more important than selfies and some of us are going overboard to take selfies resulting in fatal accidents.
The latest fatality comes from Mumabi where three girls drowned in the sea while taking selfies while two of them were saved but the third one alongwith the rescuer was swept away by the waves.
Back home a 20 year old youth Abhishek Gupta was killed when he slipped from the Reasi fort and fell on a boulder resulting in his death again while taking a selfie.
The selfie mania is so hit among the youth that they don’t mind taking serious risks and sometimes doing bizarre things which evoke outrage from the sane elements of the society.
We still remember how Amitabh Bachan had expressed outrage when a man had taken a selfie while shouldering the body of deceased during the funeral procession and some people wanted to take selfies with Amitabh Bachan during another funeral procession.
In another incident two young men were arrested in the UAE over their selfie in front of a New Year’s Eve hotel fire. The news of the arrest and release of the two men comes after a couple were similarly criticized on the night of the fire for taking what was deemed to be the “most inappropriate selfie ever” smiling together with the burning hotel in the background.
According to experts “There have been cases where youngsters have put themselves at unnecessary risk to take that one good picture. It is crucial that you draw a line between habit and obsessive behaviour,” Dr Ashish Mittal, consultant psychiatry at Columbia Asia Hospital in Gurgaon, told a news agency.
In November, a 14-year old schoolboy, who was trying to take a selfie on his cellphone atop a stationary train wagon, was electrocuted and died in Mumbai.
“Parents should intervene as it is no more a laughing matter. Their ‘selfie crazy’ children may require expert help. Else, they may put their lives at risk for a mere picture,” he added.
The craze for a perfect selfie shot has taken many young lives globally in the past year.
In neighbouring Pakistan, a 22-year-old man was killed while trying to take a selfie in front of a moving train in Rawalpindi city in December.
In the same month, two teenagers were killed in Turkey after they lay on the middle of a road to try for a selfie with a plane in the background.
In another tragic instance, a 17-year-old schoolboy fell from the roof of a nine-storey building while trying to click an “extreme selfie” in Russia in September last year.
“Not only in India but worldwide, people should be careful for taking selfies in dangerous situations. The habit needs to be discouraged,” added Dr (Brig) S. Sudarsanan, senior consultant (Psychiatrist), at BLK Super Specialty Hospital in the capital.
According to Dr Samir Parikh, director (mental health and behavioural science) at Fortis Hospitals in New Delhi, education and guidance are useful for any novel or upcoming phenomena like selfie and selfie sticks.
“Taking precautions while taking selfies can be beneficial in order to ensure more informed and responsible decisions associated with social learning,” Parikh said.
“We all are familiar with the craze of selfies, especially among youngsters. But if someone is taking a selfie in a dangerous situation like on a mountain or in the middle of the road, it can lead to fatal accidents,” noted Dr Mittal.
“Also, if someone’s selfie is not liked by friends on social media, it can lead to further stress and frustration. This can turn into obsessive behaviour if not taken seriously,” he emphasised.
According to experts, it is the right time to tame selfie obsession.
“Do not succumb to peer pressure. Be smart enough to draw the line as at the end of the day, it is just a picture,” Dr Mittal advised. Consult an expert if needed. “Treat selfies only as a fun activity,” Dr Sudarsanan added.