What is it?

The selfie stick is a collapsible pole that was invented to allow selfiers the ability to take better photos of themselves and their surroundings. In my research, the general consensus seems to be that the selfie stick carrier must have two important attributes: 1) they want a professional looking photo 2) they don’t care about looking respectable in public. 

Where did it come from?

According to Google, who kindly allows us to look at search trends by region, the selfie stick ground zero appears to be somewhere in Asia. It seems that Malaysia and Indonesia may have been two of the first countries swept up in the trend, but the Philippines really took it to the next level. The Philippines’ Makati City was recently named the “selfie capital of the world” by Time.

Why should we care?

Some have started calling the selfie stick just another chapter in the advent of the “me” culture, but selfie stick users claim that the stick does capture more stable video, even at the risk of looking ridiculous. Narcissistic or not, the selfie stick trend is becoming more and more popular. The Huffington Post even has an article entitled “Teen Selfie-Snappers Are Going Wild For The ‘Selfie Stick’.”

 Is the selfie stick really part of a bigger conversation about the degradation of millennial culture? Or are the people against selfie sticks really just afraid of getting poked in the eye by looming selfie sticks?

 It is true that some festival venues, museums (such as the MoMA,) and sports arenas have already banned selfie sticks. In South Korea, unauthorized selfie sticks can lead to fines or even jail time. But selfies are still hugely popular. If you believe that Vanity Fair and the President have also started using the selfie stick, selfies probably aren’t going anywhere, at least not for awhile.

About Jade:

Jade Vickery is an avid typographer, type enthusiast, graphic designer and a writer. In her spare time she likes to write, make websites and watch anime. When she’s not writing or designing you can probably find her wasting time on Tumblr. She is a tea drinker and a college student (a.k.a. an expert ramen maker.)