Selfie stick

[hans kraay fan club]

Funny. I was in Barca last week and a solo girl spent over 6 minutes pouting into her camera and checking the images on the roof of the Milo building. It was plain weird, especially as she kept swishing her hair and tossing her head for a windswept look.

PS I was not timing her, knew it took this long as I was able to listen to a 6 min section of the audio commentary and learn something whilst she preened.

Pics?

 

[Wilko]

Funny. I was in Barca last week and a solo girl spent over 6 minutes pouting into her camera and checking the images on the roof of the Milo building. It was plain weird, especially as she kept swishing her hair and tossing her head for a windswept look.

This is EXACTLY what I mean. Some of the people I saw looked like they were auditioning for a porno. Often they would take 5 or 6 of these pics, checking them to get them right whilst others waited patiently, utterly hideous behaviour in my view.

 

[spring hall convert]

Don't get me started on the iPhone hordes at gigs. It genuinely seems more important to some people to have a photo of being there than actually observing, participating in and enjoying the moment they are experiencing. The best shows envelop you to the degree that you forget about all the extraneous bullshit. In fact, I'd say THAT's the point in going, otherwise you could stay at home and listen to the records.

Another reason why I loved those Kate Bush shows last year - photos banned during the show and impeccibly observed. So many people I spoke to afterwards said that it enhanced their enjoyment.

 

[tinx]

I got a go pro for Xmas and was considering buying one of these sticks to muck about with on holiday. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't if that's the image they have.

 

[Frutos]

It's the impact on the experience itself that I can't abide. How can you really experience and enjoy a gig when you're watching it through a phone screen? The same with football matches. As for your kids plays it's unbelievable, the majority of parents are watching their kids through a screen and can't possibly enjoy the moment. It must be the same with holidays/tourism; surely you need to take in the atmosphere, experience where you are and appreciate it rather than record that you were there and move on like some sort of speed dating holiday.

Exactly.

 

[Badger]

Having just traveled for a month in SE Asia I really find the whole thing narcissistic, self indulgent and frankly embarrassing. Everywhere I went there were single travelers using a selfie stick whilst pouting, yes pouting whilst taking a pic of themselves in front of crowds of people - how can they not be embarrassed?

Using one to take a nice pic of you smiling in front of a monument or iconic building is one thing but to pout in front of a tree or road sign really says a lot about our narcissistic society.

It is not the invention itself that is bad but rather the way in which it is being used.

This. I also spent a month in SE Asia recently, before that selfie sticks had barely registered on my radar but all of a sudden everyone had them. It was mainly Chinese tourists who seem hell bent on getting a selfie in front of EVERY remotely interesting (or not interesting) thing they come across.

I think they work OK with a GoPro though, you can get some pretty spectacular footage from those things.

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

It's the impact on the experience itself that I can't abide. How can you really experience and enjoy a gig when you're watching it through a phone screen? The same with football matches. As for your kids plays it's unbelievable, the majority of parents are watching their kids through a screen and can't possibly enjoy the moment. It must be the same with holidays/tourism; surely you need to take in the atmosphere, experience where you are and appreciate it rather than record that you were there and move on like some sort of speed dating holiday.

This is what gets me these days, i had to laugh while watching the London Fireworks NYE and when the camera paned on the crowd they were all watching through phones!.

 

[Wilko]

This is what gets me these days, i had to laugh while watching the London Fireworks NYE and when the camera paned on the crowd they were all watching through phones!.

Indeed, how many times are you realistically going to look back and watch that video? Once, maybe twice until the phone breaks or you upgrade and that will be the end of that.

 

[clippedgull]

I got a go pro for Xmas and was considering buying one of these sticks to muck about with on holiday. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't if that's the image they have.

Tinx, be a free spirit! Go and stick it to the haters.

 

[TonyW]

There was a group of people having great fun with one at a Christmas meal in the pub recently.
Seemed a good idea for a group shot at the table.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Not as black and white for me.

Like everything it can be overdone, but there is nothing wrong with taking photos or making videos to share with others or keep yourself.

If you can recall in detail all of the sights/sounds/emotions of events without any aide memoire then you are lucky. Most people with children cherish photos and video clips of their kids at younger ages and I certainly enjoy looking at Youtube of Albion matches and crowds...

 

[Bladders]

Its.....

......on a stick

 

[Mowgli37]

Not as black and white for me.

Like everything it can be overdone, but there is nothing wrong with taking photographs or making videos to share with others or keep yourself.

If you can recall in detail all of the sights/sounds/emotions of events without any aide memoire then you are lucky. Most people with children cherish photos and video clips of their kids at younger ages and I certainly enjoy looking at Youtube of Albion matches and crowds...

This.

One thing I can't abide is the way people talk about selfies as if they're a new invention. SELF-PORTRAITS have been around since the dawn of photography ffs.

 

[spring hall convert]

Most people with children cherish photos and video clips of their kids at younger ages

Granted, I do think that is a different matter.

 

[Wilko]

This.

One thing I can't abide is the way people talk about selfies as if they're a new invention. SELF-PORTRAITS have been around since the dawn of photography ffs.

I think we are talking about CONTINUAL selfies, those people that would take 20 or so a night, then you have an issue:

http://www.trueactivist.com/scientists-link-selfies-to-narcissism-addiction-mental-illness/

I am also not bothered about those that take the odd pic of themselves with a selfie stick, it is the pouting, attempted modelling type poses which grates.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I've started seeing people using them with Ipads....

Again, in Asia people used them everywhere and it was so annoying, GoPro fine, Iphones not fine.

 

[dibsy]

I bought one on holiday and it enabled my wife and son and me to all be in the same pictures, and for a tenner frankly it was brilliant. I had been a sceptic before but I found it very useful. There's not always someone around to take a pic and so we often just have only two of the 3 of us in our photos.

But I do agree that people who film everything then watch it back on video may as well not be there in the first place.

 

[Mellotron]

i dont understand any reason to dislike them. need to seperate the practical act of taking a photo of oneself on holiday/event with the narcisissm of doing so with continous upload and commentry via twitbook.

Why do you need a photo of yourself at the event? Why not just take a photo of the event?

 

[Mellotron]

Why don't people just carry mirrors around with themselves, if they want to look at their own face so much.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

SELF-PORTRAITS have been around since the dawn of photography ffs.

A bit longer than that, I think.