Post 5: Digital Culture

Technology have influenced the youth in a way that is very much different from how it influenced the previous youth when computers were first invented.  Today, due to the abundance of social media and information, the youth have taken technology to new heights, from creating blogs to taking endless selfies.



In an article entitled 'Obsessive selfie-taking classified as a mental disorder': What we can learn from a hoax by James Vincent, we come to learn about the obsessive and addictive nature of taking selfies and posting them online.  It has come to the awareness of the public that even a hoax article about selfie-taking being classified as a mental disorder is able to draw attention which helps the public identify a problem. 



"The story about 'selfitis' might have got re-tweeted because people wanted to laugh at the apparent narcissism of strangers - but it's equally likely that others recognized something a little more serious." says James Vincent.

The addiction of social media has become prevalent in our youth, many social media sites like instagram has taken this to a whole new level by only allowing photos being posted, and what photos do you mostly see at these sites? Selfies.  Though there is nothing wrong with looking at a mirror, overly obsessing with a selfie trying to take the perfect image can be harmful to ones health.  It is better if we educate or encourage the youth to do activities which can be more productive and more beneficial to their health.


In another article which expresses the problems of the current digital age have sited selfies as being one of the problems.  Scientists Link Selfies To Narcissism, Addiction & Mental Illness by Joe Martino elaborates the obsessive taking of selfies and links them to narcissism.  It is true that there are some people who take countless hours trying to take the perfect selfie to post on social media.



"Narcissism, being obsessed with receiving recognition and gratification from ones looks, vanity and in an egotistical manner, is becoming a big problem in our digital age." by Joe Martino.

Humanity is a narcissistic race, for we envision human characteristics onto animals or objects.  And though we are narcissistic, there is still a limit for an addiction towards selfie can destroy our mental health and our bodies.  The youth today are living double lives, a life on social media wherein they live their perfect lives and the real world where they use countless hours trying to create the life they want to have.  If we wish to improve as a whole, doing something about your current situation and not taking selfies dreaming about the perfect life we want will have a greater impact on our lives in the long run.  It is up to us to break our ties with this addiction and focus more on what is important, our own real lives and how we can improve it.