The irony of the selfie

When people post selfies online, it's ironic that they're taking photos of themselves to get validation from others. At first, I thought that selfies were primarily about vanity; people wanted to show off all the cool places they'd been. But, it's gotten to the point where people are addicted to the feedback. In a way, people are losing their sense of self. They're no longer taking pictures that make them happy. Instead, they're doing things that they think their friends are most likely to approve of.

While social media has created communities for people to share what's going on in their lives, it's also dramatically changed what people want to do. Instead of being a place to celebrate individuality, these communities have started to dictate what people should do with their free time, putting people's sense of self in jeopardy.