First came asking someone to take your picture with your camera. Then came the selfie—holding the phone or camera at arm’s length and trying to get your shot without your arm. Front-facing cameras on phones helped with that, but angles were still limited as was the distance possible (no wide shots!)
But the “selfie stick,” a device to hold the phone or camera further away and allow better composition, changes that—but an article by Beth Harpaz, Associated Press travel editor, tells us that despite their wide popularity, some people are concerned that they are another way to avoid contact with others, eliminating the need for the small social conventions of asking, or gesturing, for someone to take your picture in front of the Colosseum or Eiffel Tower.
