The selfie gene: Putting on our best face

There is an ongoing debate whether selfies represent a low point of modern-day culture or not. Jerry Saltz, the Pulitzer-winning art critic disagrees. He says, ‘selfies are our little diaries that say...

Apr 30, 2018, 19:52 IST6 min

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FAKE NEWS SELFIE (Nov 19, 2017)"11 years ago today, Me & Britney invented the selfie!" Paris Hilton tweeted in 2017, while posting two pictures of the duo from 2006. The bold claim amused a...

Image by Forbes

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FIRST SELFIE (Oct 1839) The picture (above) is considered to be the earliest photographic self-portrait ever taken. The picture was clicked in 1839 by Robert Corneli...

Image by Library of Congress

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BEST-FACE SELFIE Chinese giant Meitu has almost literally transformed the face of China. The company sells a range of smartphones designed particularly to take flattering selfies. Meitu&rs...

Image by VCG via Getty Images

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FIRST SPACE SELFIE (Nov 1966)NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin takes a selfie while doing an EVA (extravehicular activity) during the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. Before taking the shot, Aldrin lift...

Image by Courtesy NASA

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DEMON SELFIE (April 13, 2017)If you are Ravana and are taking a selfie, where do you even begin pointing? A young man dresses as the multi-headed Ravana during a religious rally to celebrat...

Image by Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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&lsquoAPING HUMAN&rsquo SELFIE (2011)This viral selfie, displayed at the Museum of Selfies, in Glendale, California was taken by Naruto, a crested black macaque in the jungles of Sulawesi, ...

Image by Forbes

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I-MEAN-BUSINESS SELFIE (April 21, 2017)Mamu is a man of few words but then it is his business. He walks about confidently, poker faced, tapping his stick, and every vendor in the vicinity o...

Image by Madhu Kapparath

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MOST TWEETED SELFIE (March 2, 2014) 'Best photo ever.', Oscars 2014 host Ellen Degeneres tweeted the famous selfie. The jury is still out on that but it was definitely a record-breaking on...

Image by Forbes

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CELL-FIE (April 24, 2018) Delhi&rsquos Modern School students click selfies inside a police cell during their visit to Barakhamba Road Police station. The students were there to get first-h...

Image by Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

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SELFIE SONG (May 14, 2017) Who is Dinchak Pooja? An internet and social media sensation. What does she do? Feature in song videos written, composed and sung by her. S...

Image by Forbes

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LONG LIVE SELFIEThe pursuit of a perfect selfie can turn deadly. India accounts for maximum number of selfie deaths globally, most of it near water or train tracks. It is such a serious iss...

Image by Vijayanand Gupta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

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THE-SELF-AS-OTHERS SELFIE (2009 onwards)Look closely. All these images are of the photographer Olivier Culmann dressed up as the quintessential Indian man. He uses his staged self-portraits...

Image by Olivier Culmann