Leonoras, Denisse Gaille T.
November 07, 2020
Purposive Communication
(Module 5.1.4.a, Explain: Learning Task #2)
Learning Task 2: Writing an Explanation Essay on the ‘Selfie Phenomenon’
I. Pre-writing
Before you write your explanation essay, complete the table below.
What is the phenomenon you are
explaining?
What explanations are you
providing for the said
phenomenon? Give at least
three.
How do you plan to introduce
your topic?
What are your sources of
information? List your sources
using the APA format.
Cite at least five (5) sources here.
BE – 1A
PCOM
In this essay, I will be discussing the negative effects of the selfie
phenomenon as the advent of social media and technology emerges in
this era.
1. Researchers believe that an individual’s obsession in capturing a
seemingly perfect self-snapped shot may bring danger and risk to their
lives.
2. The existence of mental disorders associated with a selfie is yet
another negative factor of the popularization of the selfie culture.
3. Another potential risk why selfie culture in the digital era has adverse
effects is because it provides easier access to breach an individual’s
cybersecurity and identity.
The introduction will focus more on how the selfie culture is considered
as a matter of life and death, literally, to most people. It brings “life” to
celebrities and influencers while incidents and “death” may happen to
some, especially those who are too obsessed with the mentioned
phenomenon.
1. Brown, D. (2019, June 21). Perfect selfies are all over Facebook,
Instagram and Snapchat. They're killing us. Retrieved November 01, 2020,
from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/05/22/why-you-take-
selfies-and-how-its-dangerous/3691366002/.
2. Olya, G. (2020, October 29). These Stars Get Paid Obscene Amounts of
Money To Post One Picture. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from
https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth/celebrities/these-stars-get-
paid-obscene-amounts-of-money-to-post-one-picture/.
3. Swan, M. (2020, January 23). How selfie-related deaths have given rise
to 'killfie' travel insurance. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from
https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/how-selfie-related-
deaths-have-given-rise-to-killfie-travel-insurance-1.968602.
4. Bansal, A., Garg, C., Pakhare, A., & Gupta, S. (2018). Selfies: A boon or
bane? Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 7(4), 828.
doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_109_18.
5. Lovitt, B. (2018, June 25). Death by Selfie: 11 Disturbing Stories of
Social Media Pics. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from

How do you plan to end your
explanation essay?
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/death-by-selfie-11-
disturbing-stories-of-social-media-pics-gone-wrong-15091/.
The conclusion of the essay will focus more on restating the thesis
statement and the generalization of the three points discussed in the
body. In the latter part of the conclusion, I will be recommending some
measures so that the negatives of this phenomenon can be reduced.

II. Writing/Drafting the Essay

Here are the guidelines for the explanation essay on the ‘selfie phenomenon:’
1. The essay must be at least 500 words long and organized as follows:
 Introduction - At least one paragraph.
 Body - At least three paragraphs
 Conclusion - At least one paragraph
Your essay will be marked using the following rubric:
Content
Have you substantially explained the phenomenon? Did you provide
20 points
credible and adequate support for your explanations?
Organization
Have you arranged the main points of your essay clearly and logically? Did
10 points
you use the right transition words?
Language and Mechanics
Did you observe proper use of language forms (grammar) and mechanics
10 points
(punctuation, capitalization, etc.)?
Total 50 points

The Negatives of Selfie Phenomenon

 The picture-perfect selfie plague in pursuit of looking presentable, exquisite, or even

becoming an imitation of the Kardashians has been a matter of life and death to some people.

Life in the sense that there is an influx in the bank accounts of some celebrities every time they

post photos of themselves on various social networking sites (Olya, 2020). And death, where

some people, ordinary ones perhaps, have to risk their lives just to get the validation and praise

of anybody (Brown, 2019). Although selfie culture is widely recognized as a form of self-

expression, several studies suggest that the negatives of this phenomenon can outweigh its many

benefits. The advent of selfie culture coupled with social media use constitutes the exposure of

selfie-related incidents, acquisition of various mental disorders and, provides a leeway for cyber

predators to put an individual’s privacy at risk.

Researchers believe that an individual’s obsession in capturing a seemingly perfect self-

snapped shot may bring danger and risk to their lives. Numbers did not prove these claims wrong

as 256 selfie-related incidents were reported between October 2011 to November 2017, with

casualties ranging from ages 10-19 and 20-29 (Bansal et al., 2018 as cited in Swan, 2020).

Bryn Lovitt (2016) also published an article featuring the most disturbing stories of selfie-related

accidents, ranging from walrus and shark attacks to deaths caused by natural phenomena.

Although these accidents were purely unintentional, it does not deny the fact that people would

go to great lengths to seek attention from others. Some may think that as the picture gets more

interesting and unique, they will instantly gain the validation and praise of the viewers. This

sense of approval eventually became the reason behind the emerging societal selfie obsession. As

a result, the number of people putting their lives at risk is ever increasing and will likely increase

more if proper measures and precautions are not taken.

The existence of mental disorders associated with a selfie is yet another negative factor of

the popularization of the selfie culture. Vandali and Biradar’s (2018) paper defined this disorder

as “selfitis” or the obsessive-compulsive desire of an individual to cope up with the lack of self-

esteem by posting selfies on social media. However, too much focus and concern in an

individual’s physical appearance is perceived as a cause for their “lowered body image and self-

esteem”
(de Vries, Peter, Nikken, & de Graaf, 2014, as cited in Mills, Musto, Williams, and Tiggemann,

2018). This often happens during adolescence to adult phases wherein they are looking for

validation in terms of their physical appearances, and others tend to imitate another person’s

clothing styles, gestures, and ways of living to further increase the likelihood of acceptance and

praise. In the long run, people lose their sense of authenticity and may experience depression and

anxiety when imitation and negative-body image persists in an individual.

Another potential risk why selfie culture in the digital era has adverse effects is because it

provides easier access to breach an individual’s cybersecurity and identity. Ondrej Krehel, a

digital forensics expert, explained that the famous peace-sign selfie could be “cropped, edited,

printed, and lifted into a clear fingerprint,” allowing ID thieves to copy a person’s unique ID

(Pineda, 2017). If thieves and fraudsters gain access to the photo and fingerprint of an

individual, this will likely be used to create scam and dummy accounts using that individual’s

personal information. Thieves can even sell these IDs at a profitable amount in black markets,

thus allowing the buyers to use your name and account on every occasion they want

(Shcherbakova et al., 2019). The number of identity thefts and frauds in the United States is

ever-increasing, and one should think twice before showing the peace sign in their selfies.

While most people indulge themselves in a wide variety of selfie poses and trends as a

means to convey their feelings and true selves, some may perceive these trends as a form of

obsession and narcissism. This attitude may lead a person to engage in risky poses that may

inadvertently result to accidents or even deaths. Additionally, the self-esteem and authenticity of

an individual may slowly deteriorate if this craze persists. Not only that, the innocent peace signs

that most people like to pose may also be utilized by cyber predators to steal their identities.

Engaging in these trends is not hazardous, but a person’s obsession, abuse, and outlook towards

this craze may potentially bring dangers to their lives. And as new forms of technology and

trends progress over the years, one must be able to understand the limits and thresholds of their

digital use.
References

Bansal, A., Garg, C., Pakhare, A., & Gupta, S. (2018). Selfies: A boon or bane? Journal of
Family Medicine and Primary Care, 7(4), 828. doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_109_18.

Brown, D. (2019, June 21). Perfect selfies are all over Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.
They're killing us. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/05/22/why-you-take-selfies-and-how-its-
dangerous/3691366002/.

Lovitt, B. (2018, June 25). Death by Selfie: 11 Disturbing Stories of Social Media Pics.
Retrieved November 02, 2020, from https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-
lists/death-by-selfie-11-disturbing-stories-of-social-media-pics-gone-wrong-15091/.

Mills, J. S., Musto, S., Williams, L., & Tiggemann, M. (2018). “Selfie” harm: Effects on mood
and body image in young women. Body Image, 27, 86-92.
doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.08.007.

Olya, G. (2020, October 29). These Stars Get Paid Obscene Amounts of Money To Post One
Picture. Retrieved November 01, 2020, from https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-
worth/celebrities/these-stars-get-paid-obscene-amounts-of-money-to-post-one-picture/.

Pineda, N. (2017, February 27). How ID thieves could steal your identity from a selfie. Retrieved
November 03, 2020, from https://abc7ny.com/7-on-your-side-consumer-selfie-identity-
theft/1771546/.

Shcherbakova, T., Esposito, J., Grustniy, L., Ferapontov, A., Aver, H., & Nashilov, E. (2019,
August 12). Selfie hunting: Think twice before confirming your identity. Retrieved
November 03, 2020, from https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/selfie-with-id-card-
scam/27926/.

Swan, M. (2020, January 23). How selfie-related deaths have given rise to 'killfie' travel
insurance. Retrieved November 02, 2020, from
https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/travel/how-selfie-related-deaths-have-given-
rise-to-killfie-travel-insurance-1.968602.

Vandali, V., & Biradar, R. (2018). Selfie Syndrome – A Mental Disorder. International Journal
of Nursing Education and Research, 6(3), 287. doi:10.5958/2454-2660.2018.00068.6.