To have had enough with today's self obsessed culture

[cablewable]

I feel like all we see now is people taking pictures of themselves on every opportunity, speaking about how they feel, what they did, why they did it, where they are, what they achieved, where they went etc etc.
What ever happened to doing something because you wanted to or just enjoy it.
Who are we proving ourselves to? At we really ever doing anything for ourselves?
Does anyone ever just look at things and say -why?!?!!?!?!??!

For me- gym pics and hospital tags are the worst, along with selfies for no reason what so ever!!!

Adding to Beachy's picture, this one of Hillary Clinton addressing a meeting says it all, really.

That doesn't look like she is addressing the crowd, it looks like she is either just starting or just finishing her address and waving to give a photo op. People are taking photos, shock horror.

Unless you are suggesting that the crowd spent the entire speech with their backs to her taking one selfie after another? I don't believe that, just another opportunity for people to take a biased picture and use it to bash an entire generation. Completely self absorbed people don't go to political events in my experience.

I've always thought there was a difference between an anonymous talk board and social media - maybe I'm wrong

Whywhywhy. Wasn't that mostly just the rich. I'm sure that other people were busy with children or out working. I feel it's got a lot worse since the phone. I miss the days before the phone camera.

Yeah, bloody technology meaning the plebs can do what was previously the preserve of the rich. Outrageous.

Being old enough to remember the slide nights of my grandparents and family friends, I don’t think the desire to document and share is new. It’s simply much faster and easier now.

Seems like some people do need to get better at managing their social media to get access to what they need without being irritated.

I do like social media (god bless Mumsnet) but YANBU - there’s a meme somewhere doing the rounds about being young in the 90s - no social media = no evidence.

I worry about the future impacts that the constant selfie taking and sharing every element of their lives will have long term on the yoof.

Having said that I do try to keep up with news/technology/trends and that is a million times easier/faster through social media

YANBU
I am involved in cat rescue and I won't rehome to someone who has a FB full of selfies.

I know someone whose dp posts gushy sickening comments about how wonderful she is - except that she just logs into his account and writes them herself!

Adding to Beachy's picture, this one of Hillary Clinton addressing a meeting says it all, really.

She's obviously got them to ask turn around and take a selfie with her in the background

You control your timeline.

Make it so you can enjoy it

I have shed loads of selfies on my FB, primarily with my kids and grandchildren.

I hate having my pic taken, and spent years avoiding it, just like my Mum & Gran.

When my Gran died we realised we had hardly any pics of her, even less with us.

So now when my kids say 'selfie mum!' I just smile and join in.

That’s what I mean sweet cheeks - that’s potentially a negative impact to someone’s life because of their approach to social media.

I actually find MN a bit weirder/worse in some ways than social media. Selfies/breakfast shots etc are basically harmless, if a bit dull, but I'm often at the really identifying, intimate stuff people post up here, always featuring other people who definitely didn't consent to have their private lives smeared across the internet.

I know it's meant to be anonymous, but I've spotted at least one person I know IRL on here and she shares a LOT. I like reading MN and it's fun for debate, but I would never post anything serious here.

I think that it is a fashion that will pass.
It is quite embarrassing and unecessary though, I agree.
I think the perfect glass skinned look that teen girls are keen on it causing a fair few mental health problems. The have just banned phones in French schools and I this is the way forward to improve mental health.
The endless navel gazing is a bit worrying.

@SleepingStandingUp thank you! I just think we don't really know what is going on behind that photo.
They maybe deeply unhappy or yes self indulgent, or even just in a happy place.

I try to be nice anyway because it doesn't really affect my life if I don't allow it. But a simple like or comment might make them feel 100 times better that day.

We are told to love ourselfs but also criticised if we do.

lethal there are differences between twitter and FB but they are still social media.
MN is not really anonymous and its open to everyone. Its googleable.
Its pretty easy to work out who people are with a bit of digging.

Most contracts will state that even if you share work related stuff on an anonymous forum you can still face disciplinary action if it brings the company/agency into disrepute.

The nursing and midwifery governing body is very clear and very strict about that.

Rachie thats why I am a bit torn about it.
So many women of my generation refuse to have their photos taken because we were bought up to believe we should hate what we look like or pretend to. If we enjoyed having a photo that made us big headed and needing to be crushed.

So I like that young women today are happy to have photos taken.
But then I realise that a lot of the photos are heavily staged and filters so perhaps its not that different.

YANBU. It’s the oversharing I can’t stand. I’ve begrudgingly accepted selfies are part of SM life now but nights out with 15+ photos with the inevitable pic of the cocktails to start the night off are just ridiculous. We’ve all seen a cocktail before just go out and enjoy yourself!! Same with going to a gig, people stood there filming on their phones...whatever happpened to living in the moment?! Plus the sound quality is crap on the playback anyway!!

I don't blame you OP but you do have to switch off if you can , l am very selective who l am friends with on Social media and in RL. My true friends are from when l was very young , we grew up together and l can count them on my one hand , they would drop everything for me and vice versa.

@pinky

My reason for not rehoming is weird, but through experience a profile full of selfies seems to equal a person who is impatient/shallow/self absorbed and will return said cat when it does something unsavoury like scratch the furniture or poo outside the litter tray even if they've only had it one day.

So many women of my generation refuse to have their photos taken because we were bought up to believe we should hate what we look like or pretend to. If we enjoyed having a photo that made us big headed and needing to be crushed.

That's such a good point. I read an article somewhere saying something similar - selfies are threatening to people because they are an example of young women taking pleasure and pride in their own appearance. It isn't that we don't think women should be judged by their appearance - women are judged on their appearance constantly. Photographs of women are everywhere. But we're meant to pretend we don't notice, and be modest and claim we hate how we look (see all the supermodels who give interviews explaining how they don't feel beautiful and got bullied at school for being gangly etc). Selfies completely flip this narrative.

What amazes me about social media is how many people have completely open profiles and no privacy settings. I find this more prevalent the younger the person is.

We do social media searches of any potential new recruits and no, if you want to work in a professional environment then having photos of yourself half naked and pissed that anyone can see (so that means clients too) you’re Not going to fit in here.

I like Facebook. I love the support I've had through my pregnancy (including a bump selfie I've posted once a week) and I've enjoyed following others pregnancy journey. We've shared tips and stories.

I love seeing how my friends are doing with their hobby (most of my FB friends relate to my hobby) and the photos and ups and downs that go with it

I've just unfollowed or deleted anyone overly annoying or vacuous

Also had some great debates and discussions on things on Facebook!

Ooh and got some great interesting recipes

It is what you make it imho

I'm old enough to have started going out when we had just standard cameras. My photos weren't that different to now, maybe less blurred crap ones. There's still tons of selfie ones with mates, random things you'll not be able to place a decade down the line, tables of cocktails etc. The difference is to share we had to be together to go through hard copies and no one else saw

I disagree. A proportion of people have always been self absorbed and self obsessed. I remember a few of my granny's friends who would bang on about themselves all the time. Its just now that type have an efficient and visible way of manifesting that

Read The Circle by Dave Eggars. Social media taken to the next level. Everyone wears a necklace broadcasting their every interaction. "Privacy is theft". We did it for book club and most of us either came off or massively scaled back SM...

selfies are threatening to people because they are an example of young women taking pleasure and pride in their own appearance.

Yep yep yep.
People who complain about selfies hardly ever mention men. They'll complain about seeing cleavage or bums, they'll say women are "self-obsessed", and they nearly always complain that people in the comment section say nice things about the photos!

I've come to read it as; women should cover up and not be happy enough with their bodies to post pictures of them, women shouldn't like their appearance or take time for themselves (notice how they always whine about nights out/holidays etc. pictures), and women should tear each other down instead of being supportive.

I have never taken a selfie of myself .just find it so embarrassing.I have of course been in group selfies as I dont mind that so long I am not the one in the middle holding the camera.I have friend who changes her Facebook profile every week usually some looking under her lids pouting one.She is 47 years old so its not only the young folk who are a little self obsessed.
We were in the Maldives about 3 yrs ago on an island just for couples.Many of the couples there were Asian Honeymooners .They spent their three day honeymoon taking photos and selfies with the full camera equipment in different staged and splayed poses around the island and in the evening sat on the romantic beach restaurant looking at their iPads.There was no conversation.it was just so sad to see.