By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter
@Siwri88
In the past
week (starting 17 March), my social media news feeds, particularly Facebook has
really hit the selfie craze. In a normal week, it would be full of birthday
wishes, status updates and the occasional and slightly tedious game request.
However the
no make-up selfie which has driven women to donate money and get the message of
beating cancer has really worked. The awareness raised (Cancer Research UK message pictured below) has been truly fantastic
and it is great to see this, speaking from an individual who knows about what
it can do and the support I give on a monthly basis to one of the leading UK cancer charities.
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| Cancer Research UK post an important message |
In 24 hours
in midweek, Cancer Research UK made over £1m in donations from over 800,000
people. However there has been a negative response from some quarters of
society and then, other pathetic attempts to to hit the selfie craze. So, is this
selfie promotion a publicity stunt, or the way of things to come when the word
generosity is used?
The selfie
The
definition of the word selfie is it a self-portrait photograph, typically taken
with a camera on a smartphone or a digital camera. These can be casual shots
with a camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror. They can also involve
multiple people in “group selfies,” as widely shown at the Oscars ceremony
(pictured below) earlier this month.
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| The Oscars selfie at the start of the month drew plenty of conversation |
Whilst
selfies are believed to have been around for hundreds of years, they have only
really taken off in the last couple of years. In 2012, Time Magazine had selfie
as one of its 10 biggest ‘buzzwords’ of the year. Last year, it got so popular
that a definition was entered into the Oxford English dictionary.
Whoever you
are, most of us have taken a selfie of themselves. They can be from your
brother or sister, to a colleague from work or education or even well-known
politicians such as David Cameron and Barack Obama.
I was having
a conversation on Facebook about this earlier in the week and was thinking of
whether I’ve taken a selfie in the last year? I said no to start with but when
considering this a bit more, I’ve taken pictures of myself in the past. Sad I
know, but I guess who hasn’t done this. Below is an example of a selfie I took back in 2010, before I even understood the word existed.
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| A 2010 selfie from my first year as a University student |
As you can
see from this example, I’m not the most attractive person and the
permanently non-existent relationship record can vouch for that but it is a different way of taking a photograph. When I took the above photo, I wasn’t aware
of the word selfie but now I am and I don't mind it.
The surge of donations
I have no
idea where this surge in donations has come from for the various cancer
charities in the UK, from Cancer Research UK to Breast Cancer Awareness. At
first when these selfies were popping up online, I admit that I thought it was
just another Instagram burst. I was generally confused until seeing what it was
for.
Cancer is one
of, if not the biggest killer in diseases. A good portion of us have suffered
the agony of seeing one of our favourite famous faces have to deal with this.
Some have had the pain of it happening to someone you love or really care
about.
Adverts keep
appearing on television and rightfully so. Without the help of the British
public, cancer will not be beaten. My polite message to cancer would be; ‘Go
away and leave us alone.’ Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as that.
This campaign
asked women to post selfies with no make-up online using the hashtag #nomakeupselfie.
They would then nominate five of their friends to do the same, then text a
number with a donation of £3 to the cancer charity of their choice. For many,
Cancer Research UK is the main charity but it could be to a local fund
or a more personalised group. As soon as this went viral, the craze continued. In my view this is not a publicity stunt; this is a serious message
that more needs to be done to find cures for cancer.
Cancer
Research UK has insisted this wasn’t their campaign to start with but is incredibly generous
to find so much support out there. I make a monthly donation to Teenage Cancer
Trust – a cause I have always admired from afar and was able to start making a
contribution to their work when I got my break into full-time work in the publishing
industry last summer. I know how valuable it is but sadly some don’t get it.
Lack of appreciation
There has be
some criticism in the face of this publicity, with accusations of women missing
the point of these selfies and just finding excuses to post more photos on
their social media feeds.
It has led to
some posting their text message or response to their donation from a smartphone
onto the internet. It shuts the critics up and anyone who still then finds the
right to accuse this campaign needs to think before speaking out.
This is not
something like a political argument, a sporting debate or a clash over music
genres you can agree to disagree on. By making a cheap and selfish comment, you
could be hurting a lot of people out there.
Last October,
my world was hit by the loss of a family relative to the disease. He was in his
80s and had lived a good life. Nor was he afraid of what was going to face him
but it must have been truly horrible to deal with. I know it was dreadful seeing it happen to someone so close to me. When I saw my dying relative a month before
he passed away, it was a really tough moment for me to take. It was a new
experience and a situation I for one struggled
with massively.
The best
thing I could do was to keep my family strong in such a hard moment. On the
outside, I put on a brave face and threw myself into my work – both as a
picture researcher at my job and the freelance writing I do in my spare time
but on the inside, it was incredibly hard. This is where you need the support
of your friends too – to know that they are there for you. I got some amazing
messages of kindness and I won’t forget that gratitude. Others who I expected
the support were not there which at one of the most difficult experiences of my
life was like a slap in the face.
The no make-up selfie is for valuable and important causes. It is a shame that some don't quite appreciate the full context behind the background stories.
Stupid
sellotape
Off the back
of this has come selfie craze number two of the month and that is ‘sellotape
selfies!’
I find this
completely ridiculous and I can’t see donations going to the sellotape
industry!
In the words
of Buzz Lightyear from the first Toy Story movie; ‘There are some sad, strange
little people out there and I have my word. Farewell!’
Some just
have far too much time on their hands. If I see someone I know, decide that with
nothing to do, they will stick sellotape all over their face, then they will be
unfollowed or unfriended. It is childish, pathetic and stupid. What’s next –
sticking blu tac all over faces and taking a selfie of ourselves!
The selfie
should be a happy shot, a surprised look or one like we’ve seen in the last
week of dealing with an important issue like beating cancer – not one of making
yourself look like an utter fool just to be at the centre of attention! It isn’t
required, simple as that.
In summary,
the selfie craze is something different about our interactivity. I hope it
doesn’t become too frequent as it would become a bit bland after a while but
when an important message is wanted to grab the eye of the general public, it is
a new and interesting concept. So, no make-up selfie for cancer charities gets
a big tick from this writer; sellotape selfies for Britain’s Stupidest
Individuals gets angry thumbs down from this writer.
To donate to Cancer Research UK, Teenage Cancer Trust or Breast Cancer Awareness, click on the links.
