From the full-fledged filtered picture to the “#nofilter”, selfies have become the ‘epidemic’ of this generation. Throughout your day, there are high chances you’ll run into someone taking a selfie.  Although it is looked down upon by society, we all still take them at one point or another. Welcome to the selfie craze!

It is said that what you most take photographs of is held close to your heart. Nowadays, it seems to be ourselves. The selfie madness exploded in late 2010 when the IPhone 4 was released with a front camera, opening its doors to the world of self-centered pictures. This narcissist ideal has been developed in the minds of young people, making daily selfies ‘okay’. Our society is growing to be more vain and conceited as years go by, and that is the reason selfies are admired as a trend. Selfies are said to take the meaning out of ‘the big picture’ and focus on ourselves.  A picture is meant to capture the moment, not your face.

“Selfies are taken for the fun of it, such as taking a picture with your close friends. On a more serious occasion, a normal picture is more appropriate,” junior Michelle Robles said.

Selfies have become so popular that the word itself was in Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2013. Social platforms like Instagram have been a key factor in spreading the snapping of selfies.  Scrolling through your newsfeed without seeing one is nearly impossible. Since everyone, including celebrity icons, posts them; we view it as the norm. Posting our selfies keeps the trend alive.

“I think selfies are funny mostly because people are entertained by them. I think Instagram perpetuates selfies by each day having a certain hashtag, forcing people to follow them,” senior Natalie Crespo said.

Everything has a certain extent; too much of a good thing makes it bad. Selfies, although mainstream, are constantly being judged because of their excessive use. No one feels moved by a selfie and seeing twenty a day gets annoying. There is nothing wrong with taking a selfie now and then to use as your profile picture, but if your friends call you the ‘selfie queen’ then you might be going a bit too far.

“I think selfies are criticized because they are overtaken and posted so much. I personally like taking selfies and think there’s nothing wrong with them,” junior Valerie Montesino said.

No matter how much it’s critiqued, selfies are what makes our generation the way it is. We are surrounded by people that can’t go a day without taking a selfie. This is what is causing us to become more self-centered rather than focusing on the bigger picture. Is your selfie game too strong?