Are you one of us? In defense of the “selfie-obsessed”
Taking
and sharing selfies—or self-portraits—is not as modern as it seems.
However, the ancient selfies were just a bit harder to
come by as one would need a lot of resources, time, or skill to create their
very own selfies. These days, technology has made it so much easier and faster
to take a photo of one’s self on a smartphone and immediately share it with the
world.
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Harnessing the practice of selfies in
a positive way. OPPO organized a
National Selfie Day celebration late last year at Enchanted Kingdom, where
loyal fans spent a fun-filled afternoon with their families and friends and
documented these special moments through selfies.
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Filipinos have always taken to new tech trends like
ducks to water and the selfie phenomenon is no different. The premise is so
simple—just hold a smartphone with a front-facing camera about an arm’s length
away, snap a photo, slap on a filter, and share on social media. It’s so simple
and easy that by 2014, the Philippines (specifically Makati and Pasig) was
named by Time magazine as the selfie capital of the world,
with roughly 300,000 individuals out of the country’s 100 million population
being active selfie-takers.
It’s 2018 and easy access to smartphones and mobile
data has empowered Pinoy selfie-takers, whose numbers swell by the thousands
with each new gadget release. Rising steadily along with the number of selfies
taken and uploaded by Filipino netizens every second is the amount of vitriol
that selfie-takers receive.
“Gandang-ganda sa sarili,” “vain,” “in
love sa sarili,” “feelingera.” These are just some of the
words hurled at those who take a lot of selfies. Anna[1],
a 20-year-old college student with roughly 500 followers on Instagram, has been
on the receiving end of these words because of the selfies she regularly shares
on her social media accounts.
“Sometimes people leave negative comments on my
posts,” Anna shared. “I’m not a celebrity, so why are these people bashing me?”
Selfies as a modern manifestation of Filipino
traditions
For psychologist Ma. Fiona Ella G. Sandoval, MA RPsy,
a licensed professional affiliated with the MLAC Institute for Psychosocial
Services, there is a more positive aspect to the selfie phenomenon growing
among Filipinos of all ages.
“Some recent local studies show that selfie-taking and
other social media activities have a strong familial and community element
among Filipinos,” Sandoval said. “More than just looking at the selfie
phenomenon as an individualistic activity, let’s look at the instances when we
take them. Selfie-takers usually document important moments shared with their
loved ones, travel destinations, or just to share daily moments with friends
and family members who live or work abroad.”
According to a Culture Trip article
titled “How Manila Became the Selfie Capital of the World,” Filipino
selfie-takers often produce a bulk of digital images “to satisfy familial
obligations.” Family photos, groufies with friends, or selfies with famous
landmarks are often taken to “reassure family of their whereabouts and safety.”
In a country where family ties are close-knit and
friends are often treated as part of the family, Filipinos have plenty of
special moments to document almost on a daily basis. This might explain the
thousands of selfies uploaded on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram every minute
or so.
Anna agreed with the sentiments shared by the author
of the article and by Sandoval. “The selfies I take usually document important
moments in my life, like celebrating my birthday with my family at our favorite
restaurant. There are also times when I feel good about how I look and simply
want to share the moment with my friends.”
Mindfulness is key
Sandoval, however, still sees potential for
selfie-takers to take their hobby of self-portraiture to a more dangerous
level.
“If you have reached a point wherein taking selfies
occupy most of your time and robs you of being able to savor and appreciate the
present, take a short break each day from all the selfies you feel you must
make,” Sandoval cautioned. “But in moderation and when appropriate—when it
doesn’t take up too much of your time, doesn’t disrupt your life, and done for
the right reasons—selfie-taking is for the good and can be a self-enhancing
hobby. Selfies are all about keeping treasured memories in a digital format and
bonding with loved ones.”
The psychologist also emphasized the importance of
mindfulness, or living self-aware in the present, as key to live a more
enriched life in the digital age. “As said by the monk Thich Nhat Hanh, the
present moment is the only moment there is for us to be alive. Don’t wait for
your digital activities to disrupt or damage your relationships or routines
critical for survival,” she said.
Capturing the real you
With Sandoval’s advice, Anna is working to be more
mindful about her selfies. “After listening to her, I’ve realized that selfies
are not just for feeling like I’m pretty or replicating the posts of
influencers and celebrities. There’s so much more to it, like communicating and
relating to my loved ones through pictures.”
The college student also related to the OPPO F7
advocacy against online bashing, as led by social media and silver screen stars
Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia. The campaign is a brave stand against online
negativity, especially these days when leaving nasty comments in social media
posts seem to be the norm among Pinoy netizens. Barretto and Garcia encourage
Filipinos of all ages to not only shrug negativity off, but to capture their
real selves through the selfies that they take on the OPPO F7. This new
flagship smartohone is powered by an industry-leading 25MP selfie camera with
A.I. Beautification 2.0 technology that allows users to present their best
selves in the most advanced, natural way.
“I am now inspired to be more mindful of the selfies I
post and the comments I leave on other people’s posts. I want to capture and
convey my real self on social media from now on,” Anna concluded.
For
more information on the OPPO F7 and upcoming promos and roadshow events, like
OPPO Philippines’ official Facebook page or follow @OPPOPhilippines on Twitter
and Instagram.
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