The News About Selfie Deaths Has Been Greatly Exaggerated, And Here’s Why


Despite reports touting the danger of the selfie, the truth behind the hype is this: deaths related to self-photography may be on the rise, but they’re not deadlier than sharks.

And this distinction is really just a matter of understanding the difference between something that can kill you, and something you do that puts you at higher risk of getting killed, The Washington Post reported.

Since Mashable reported that 2015 has seen more selfie deaths and deaths by sharks (12 versus 8), the Internet has exploded with the disturbing news. But never fear, that does not mean taking a selfie is dangerous.

Just be a bit smart about where you take them. For instance, a selfie with a bear is probably not the best idea. A park manager at a park in Denver, Canada told The Guardian that people are purposefully and frequently putting themselves at grave risk to snap a shot with the deadly animal.

“We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible – sometimes within ten feet of wild bears.”

The selfie deaths recorded this year are no less ridiculous. A 66-year-old just died falling down the stairs at the Taj Mahal after snapping a selfie. A man was gored during a bull run in Spain. Another two men blew themselves up while posing with a live grenade. A young woman shot herself in the head while pointing a gun at her temple for a selfie, and teen died after touching live wires on railroad tracks. A tourist from Singapore fell to his death in Bali, and a 19-year-old Texan was shot in the throat while framing the perfect shot. Then there’s the woman who crashed her car after taking a selfie of herself singing to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.”

Now this is a worthwhile selfie. German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst takes a 'selfie' during his spacewalk, whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Now this is a worthwhile selfie. German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst takes a ‘selfie’ during his spacewalk, whilst aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

But in none of these cases were the deaths caused by the selfie. What killed these people was the fall from the cliff, the angry bull, the gun, the grenade.

The distinction that needs to be made, the Post noted, is the mechanism of death, or the thing that actually kills someone. The selfie is the “underlying mechanism” — it creates the accident, but doesn’t hurt anyone. A person may fall and hit his head, but the rug he tripped on wasn’t the cause of death.

In light of this fact, selfie deaths are actually miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Though one fact remains — people are still putting their lives at risk to snap a picture that will get attention on social media. Falling from a cliff, being electrocuted, or wrapping your car around a tree doesn’t really seem like a worthy sacrifice for a really cool photo and lots of Facebook likes.

“But as a society we need to get a grip on the real value of attempting an unusual selfie in situations which could, by even the most rudimentary observation or assessment, be deemed potentially harmful,” the Guardian‘s Hannah Jane Parkinson wrote. “If two teens blown up on a mountainside leaving behind a tragic, meaningless.png file isn’t a solid enough wake-up call, I don’t know what is.”

[Photo Courtesy Carl Court, ESA / Getty Images]

Share this article: The News About Selfie Deaths Has Been Greatly Exaggerated, And Here’s Why
More from Inquisitr