Obsessed with selfies?

During my free leisure stint or when I am contentedly sitting on my couch I screen through my smartphones with many who love to be allied to the world by taking selfies. Take a visit to any famous landmark the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, Times Square, or even when sitting in an inaudible teashop —and you’ll likely see people with phones held high, finalising the angle for their next selfie.

The selfie, once an occasional Polaroid, has now become central to how we experience life. We document everything: meals, outfits, sunsets, workouts, even acts of charity, some will even stand in front of the mirror showing off their muscles.

If you hail a metro commuter they stand shoulder-to-shoulder on trains, yet remain absorbed in their screens. In some places like Rome tourists turn their back to centuries-old art to capture themselves instead. This digital dependency has changed our social fabric.

Yes, we have lots to keep us busy these days in the social media world but there was a time when we used to never have these with us so I ask myself how did we converse, get along and catch up with friends, family members, cousins? Let’s try to reckon if we have an exclusive day to remember like a no mobile day. How many of us can live without the phone on that day?

Mathew Litty,

Dubai