Selfie sticks, those extensions that let you photograph yourself at arms’ length—and possibly poke your neighbor in the eye, have been banned from a number of museums and concert halls in the past year. Now, two major U.S. music festivals have jumped on the “banned” wagon.
The Coachella festival in California next month, and Lollapalooza next summer have both issued rules banning the devices, along with a number of other possibly intrusive devices including…wait for it…drones.
MORE from the Telegraph (UK)
Selfie stick photo: Wikimedia / CE Photo-Uwe Aranas
I think I’m not against selfies, per se, since in a way they’re not so different from a smiling picture of a couple at the Eiffel Tower or London Bridge (although, asking someone to please take our picture together is an added bit of human contact). It’s less the idea of a picture of one’s self than the intrusion of the stick and the habit of taking dozens of selfies. I’ve seen people who appear to take no pictures in which they are not the center….
I do find the sticks waving with iPhones attached slightly annoying, but not nearly as bothersome as those trying to sell them.
While in Rome last month, this was the latest thing that the guys on the street were trying to sell. We must have been approached 100 times in one day by folks insisting we get a selfie stick from them. Your life can not possibly continue unless you buy their selfie-stick! Gets to be incredibly tiresome and very much was straining my patience by the end of the day.
DrFumblefinger -See there is a good purpose for getting one and carrying it! It keeps all the other selfie stick salespeople away!
I never thought of it Rob, but a selfie-stick would be great to beat back all those hustlers with!
DrFumblefinger -See there is a good purpose for getting one and carrying it! It keeps all the other selfie stick salespeople away!
“I still have never understood this craze.” While I cannot be sure either, 2 words come to mind, self-absorbed lemmings. And though self-absorption may not necessarily be a sin, combined with lack of creativity, it becomes dire.
I’m on board with this ban! In fact, I wish selfies themselves would get banned altogether. My most recent favorite examples are the two girls in Rome who took a selfie after vandalizing the Coliseum and the tourist who took a smiling selfie at Auschwitz last year.
I still have never understood this craze. Doesn’t help that I absolutely despise my picture being taken–I’m not about to do it to myself willingly!
Right. I guess that’s what irks me the most.
On my trip two years ago I watched people enter sites just to take a selfie and leave. I suppose its their money, but it seemed so wasteful. While yes, before people would go to the Eiffel Tower, have someone take their picture and may or may not call it “done!” but they seemed to linger longer, too. Now it almost is like, “Pic-done! Post to Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest/All of the Above–done! Now we must leave!”
It is changing travel, I think. I’m seeing people’s behavior change with all of this. It isn’t to experience, its for the purpose to update social media and show the world…whatever their motive may be.
This last winter at the Winter Embarcadero ice rink just opposite of the Ferry Building in San Francisco, I watched two women spend $10.00 each just to take pictures of themselves standing on the ice. Not skating. Just standing. It’s their money. Me, I just swizzled, crossovered (well, sorta) and fell a lot. I’m sure they got a few of my fallen bum in their photos, actually! What is worth it to one, is not to another. I rather enjoyed my time on the ice–ferry building in the background, San Francisco’s finest colors yelling in the background, the lights of the city coming on and my partially wet jeans was a worth it experience–for me. And not a selfie to be seen. The world thanks me for that!