‘Selfies’ are on the rise

Walk around the campus and it is common to see at least one student holding his or her smartphone high, aiming the camera at his or her face and making a face as he or she snap a picture. Coined as taking a “selfie,” the act of taking a picture of yourself has become a rising trend over the past year.

Taking selfies became more popular when phones were equipped with front cameras, simplifying the process of taking a picture by not fumbling and holding a camera phone backwards.

“I think people take selfies because they are fun and a good way to pass time,” sophomore Sumedha Gupta said. “Since phones are starting to have front cameras, it makes it easier to take selfies than it used to be.”

Some applications for Apple and Android products put front cameras into use and encourage users to take selfies on a regular basis. Snapchat, an app that hit the No. 3 spot on the iTunes free app chart in November has become popular for its quick way of communicating through pictures and short captions. Junior Jane Chang uses Snapchat because it’s “kind of fun yet entertaining” to make different faces.

While Snapchat allows one to communicate through taking pictures of oneself, they also provide the opportunity to pester a friend or “spam” a friend’s phone with selfies.

“I don’t have Snapchat, but I always Snapchat others through my friends’ accounts,” sophomore Varna Jammula said. “It’s really fun to just do when you’re bored.”

Selfies blend well with photo-sharing apps like Instagram. Instagram is a “fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family,” according to its website.

However, other students view “selfies” as wasteful. Senior Benedict Chiu believes there are more productive activities to busy oneself with besides taking the occasional self-portrait.

“I think taking selfies is a poor use of time and those who do it need to find better hobbies,” Chiu said. “I don't mind other people doing it; I merely roll my eyes at them.”