The selfie trend which gained traction since the rise of smartphones with front cameras; has now amassed a popularity like no other. With people from all backgrounds and languages aware of the word and the action associated with it, the word selfie has gone on to become a powerful selling point in marketing communication. With smartphone manufacturers packing feature after feature to bump up their front camera capabilities just to sell their phone as the number one selfie phone.
But here is the Selfie problem. Selfies kill.
Some may find it hard to believe how a small seemingly harmless action like this can cause such heavy damage but here is the raw truth of selfie deaths.
India is home to the most selfie deaths in the world. It does not end there, India is also home to 60% of the global selfie deaths.
There is something going terribly wrong here, India has a lowly 20% smartphone penetration for its massive population and sadly a good number of people end up killing themselves with selfie deaths for doing something as normal as taking a picture.
So what was Gionee thinking when they made their ads calling India the 'Selfiesthan'.
What's in a selfie that one needs to be so proud of doing it?
What greatness is achieved by snapping a badly framed picture of your face with just 20% of the background behind you visible?
What's so special about Indians taking a selfies as compared to any other nationality doing it?
