'The Selfie' as we know it dated back to the 15th century, when artist across Europe most prolifically the German artist Albert Durer started creating works in which they themselves were the main subject.
Perhaps because of England's deep-seated suspicion of self-promotion, English artists were slow to adopt the new form, but selfies came to the British Isles through the arrival of a court painted England's earliest known self-portrait while imprisoned with the 'gentlemen pirate' Henry Strangwish.
Social Media platforms such as facebook were initially created for networking, to help students to stay connected with their fellow students. It is now turned into a place to rant about one's bad day or brag about one's lives. Why this selfishness, this need to turn the attention on oneself like that? Is this new generation an insecure generation who relentlessly need praise from people around them? Maybe it is because of its easy access. We live in a world of instant gratification. And in a world where everything is so instantaneous and moving so fast, it seems as there is a need for constant reassurance, a constant need to remind our entourage of our existence.
By becoming more self-absorbed and wrapped up in its own little own world, this new generation is trying to tell us something. They are more aware and are not afraid to speak their mind. They are more in control of their life than the previous generation, more entrepreneurial, and more interested in making impact in the world they live in. Maybe this selfie generation is on to something. By cultivating self-awareness, they know what their audience likes and do not like and, therefore, know how to target people and make an impact. With constant interaction with their audience, they know how to connect with them on a deeper level and become better marketers, for example.They are somewhat courageous as well by exposing themselves to the world and speaking their minds as they do. They learn early on how to cope with rejection and build themselves a self-confidence that some major heads of a corporation still do not know how to do.
One thing is for sure, this selfie generation has not finished impressing us. They may be self-absorbed and tad narcissistic, but they know what they want and I am sure they will succeed.
