With smartphones featuring high-end cameras taking over the world, the selfie movement defines the younger generation of today. Phones are often advertised for this very purpose which has made “a good selfie camera” one of the most important features a buyer looks for. It comes as no surprise that this generation has acquired the title of “selfie generation”.
An activity isn’t complete without a selfie to go with it—a selfie when you go for a movie, at the office or at that swanky holiday destination. Selfie is also the easiest and fastest means to capture a moment, especially when running into a celebrity. Besides being in the news for 'selfie-related deaths', a selfie captured the media's attention recently—when a fan clicked a selfie with eminent playback singer K.J.Yesudas, without the maestro's permission. The incident took place when Yesudas was leaving his hotel in New Delhi to attend the 65th National Film Awards. Miffed at the fan's intrusive behaviour, Yesudas asked the fan to delete the photograph. He then went on to take the phone from his hand and deleted it himself. Before leaving the scene, he said “Selfie is selfish.”
A selfie might seem like a harmless act until you overstep certain boundaries. Yesudas being an influential figure in the music industry is treated with utmost respect and admiration. A person like that should be approached with a certain kind of decorum and barging in his way when he is already struggling with the crowd is something the selfie taker should have thought about before-hand. Celebrities are often treated as props to increase social media popularity and garner likes and it is no surprise that the act was offensive to the singer. While some celebrities accept it as a part of their job, others get rather troubled by the whole affair. Instead of cornering them with the phone, the sensible thing to do would be to just seek permission.
Some may argue that Yesudas was being pretentious about the issue but what needs to be noticed is the fact that social decorum is never paid attention to while dealing with celebrities in public. The admiration and excitement of meeting a celebrity clouds the fact that they too are human beings who need their own space. One must take time to judge the situation and the mood of the person before diving in for a photograph. Some take it well but others don’t, so it is ideal to stop and ask for permission to take a photograph. If they refuse, respect their space and gracefully accept their decision.