Selfies are nothing new. The culture of taking pictures of ourselves didn’t originate in the modern decade, but the idea sure exploded.
Having a picture taken was a big deal just a few decades ago. Film developing labs could be found all over town, Polaroid cameras were big-ticket items, and photos were desperately cherished in special books to pass down for generations.
Now, most people have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos on their mobile devices and computers. In fact, most people have so much personal imagery on their devices that it is reason alone to use a VPN for data protection.
If you are one of those people with more photos than you can count, you might check out this review for TunnelBear. Photo leaks are no joke!
With modern technology, taking and printing a photo is as simple as having a phone, uploading to a computer, and either printing at home or through a photo lab printer. Most prints are finished in just a few minutes!
So, it is no surprise that this shift in photo culture has brought with it a few questionable trends.
The biggest modern development stemming from accessible cameras and photo editing software is Instagram.
Instagram and Selfie Trends
Instagram is a platform where users have found fame and profit in taking and uploading interesting photos. While there are popular accounts that focus on nature, pet, and travel photography – the majority of popular accounts are selfie based.
The amount of wealth that can be generated from a popular Instagram account is impressive, which makes it no surprise that the field is incredibly competitive.
This means that users are always looking for the next big thing in the “selfie genre.”
These ideas create constantly changing trends that have influence far beyond the cyber walls of Instagram itself. These trends can be seen across Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, and most other social media platforms.
Here are some of the trends we are already seeing in 2019:
1. Advertising heavy selfies
a. With all the money to be made, one of the biggest trends in 2019 will be selfies focused on products in an attempt to sell said products.
2. Selfies in unique locations
a. Location-based selfies always do well. They can even be linked up for advertising if done properly. However, this year we are going to see more selfies of people trying to find the most unique locations in an attempt to outdo other people’s selfies.
3. Re-creation photos
a. A big trend in 2019 is recreating photos from the past as well as posting side-by-side comparison photos, à la the ten-year challenge.
4. Extreme selfies
a. This isn’t the first time that extreme selfies have been big, but usually, the trend fluctuates with the existence of other cultural phenomena. The parkour trend is a good example of this. In 2019 the cultural trends change constantly in the form of “challenges” which always spark selfies to prove the completion of these challenges.
Dangers of Selfie Trends
Though selfie trends can be fun and interesting, there are still dangers that are posed by many of these trends. Let’s take a look at some of the most prevalent dangers.
1. Advertising dangerous or scam products
a. When being approached by a company that wants to sponsor your selfies, you need to be very careful. Some companies are intentionally vague about their products and services, which can end in disaster.
2019 has already seen this play out with multiple popular YouTube/ Instagram personalities advertising a scam artist who claimed to sell discounted makeup brushes. The result was dozens of followers spending money on products they never received.
2. Trespassing
a. With all the focus on finding the most unique places to take your selfies, it is inevitable that people are going to wander onto land that does not belong to them. This is incredibly dangerous. Not only could you end up with large fines for trespassing, but in some locations, it is legal to protect your private property with a firearm.
3. Performing dangerous stunts
a. Whether you are recreating a photo from your youth or trying to follow the next big challenge trend, there is a major risk for injury during the stunts. When the Kiki challenge was big there were a large amount of people who were wrecking their cars and causing major property damage.
Selfies are not exempt from the dangers of these types of videos. Trying to climb precarious items, trying to lift your full-grown younger sibling, trying to jump off items for interesting perspective shots – it is all dangerous. There needs to be extreme caution and careful planning when these types of selfies are the desire.
4. General dangers in selfie posting
a. The actual act of taking selfies are not the only dangers involved. Every year we hear news of major photo leaks that affect celebrities and social media personalities.
Having compromising photos saved to your devices or posted on your social media can leave you vulnerable to an attack. This could be something you find innocent, like a selfie with your address in the background or a vacation picture with your itinerary in view.
It is vital that you always take the time to consider the risks of what you are posting as well as take measures to protect private photos and files with the use of a product like a VPN.
2019 is surely going to be an interesting year for the selfie. As long as we all remember to consider what we are putting out onto the internet and being safe in the process, we can all enjoy the interesting, strange, and sometimes annoying trends that are coming our way.
SU