Dying to our ‘Selfies’

There’s no doubt that 21^st century Scotland is a society which is characterised by vanity. Fuelled by digital innovation, self- image, self- promotion and self- esteem have become the watchwords of our times.

The word ‘selfie’ meaning , ‘a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media’ has made it into the Oxford English Dictionary which named it as ‘word of the year’ in 2013 due to the amount of interest in it. By 2015, the use of the word ‘selfie’ had increased by 17,000% according to language research.

Writing in the Telegraph in an article aptly entitled, ‘Generation selfie: Has posing, pouting and posting turned us all into narcissists?’, Anna Hart argues that while the vanity of the selfie is most extreme in the under forty generation, no age group is immune.

According to Ofcom's 2020 report, 82% of 45 to 54-year-olds and 55% of 55 to 64-year-olds have a social media profile. Retired baby boomers are travelling the world with their iPad Airs, taking selfies at Machu Picchu, writing travel blogs, getting arty with the filters on Instagram”.

The taking and posting of selfies is fast becoming the norm for politicians like Nicola Sturgeon and Keir Starmer. For tasteless, vacuous self promoters such as Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, the selfie has become the self sustaining oxygen necessary for life.

Writing in the Mail Online, Sarah Griffiths summarised some interesting research from Ohio state University: “People who share lots of selfies are displaying psychopathic traits, according to a new study.

It found that men who regularly post selfies on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are more likely to be narcissistic, impulsive and display other characteristics, such as a lack of empathy.

Obsessed with selfies? Men who regularly post them on social media sites are displaying psychopathic traits, according to a new study, which found that selfie addicts are also likely narcissistic. Male celebrities regularly keep their fans updated with self-portraits

Researchers also revealed that self-objectification may be a bigger problem for men than previously thought, with many taking the time and effort to edit and improve their selfies, before posting them online…………… men who posted selfies regularly, scored higher than average for levels of anti-social traits”.

As a born again Christian, I despair when I see the fascination with self-image, self-promotion, and self-esteem amongst those who claim to be believers; particularly those who are older, more mature in the faith and who should therefore know better.

Journalist Carey Lodge writing in Christian Today asks this question of believers: “Sometimes I wonder what Jesus would have done if he lived in an age of camera phones. Would he have tweeted photos of himself hanging out by the water's edge, having a few glasses of wine at the wedding at Cana, or standing next to that tree with the caption "I think someone's up there, LOL"? Somehow I can't imagine it, because he always favoured intimate relationship over self-promotion.”

I agree. The Bible has some sound advice for anyone caught up in the culture of vanity and pride. These personal characteristics mask an individual’s sin. The gospel on the other hand reveals the truth that leads individuals to repent of their sin.

The Bible clearly explains that vanity and pride are part of our sinful natural self. Every human being is a slave to the natural self until he/she places their faith in Jesus, who sets the captives free.

True believers are those who surrender to Jesus and humble themselves in order to have God’s perspective in life rather than a selfish one.  

Jesus said: ‘“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”…..the question is: are we prepared to die to self?