Does Taking Pictures Make Others Uncomfortable?
With a countless number of social media apps and the trend of taking multiple selfies daily, the amount of images being uploaded to the internet is crazy. Each new filter on Snapchat or Instagram brings a whole lot more pictures.
Take a picture of yourself, no problem- you can choose which one you like and have the decision whether or not it is worthy for “the ‘Gram”. If you want to willingly submit yourself looking like a crusty, old, grandma then so be it. But, it is not fair to do so to others without their consent. It is similar to touching a person who doesn't want you touching them, it is an invasion of privacy.
In a recent survey taken, some students reported that if they knew the person taking the picture was purposely making them look bad, they would not want them to post it. They also said, “If it’s just a regular picture, that’s okay, we all have bad angles, but it’s just what we look like…”. However, this was the minority voice. An overwhelmingly large number of students reported that they wouldn’t like any type of picture to be posted of them without their consent and review first.
Photo by Kendall Roberson
The reasoning why people have this fear is that children are mean, and are cruel without even thinking about it. The results show that people are very self-conscious about what they look like and the thought of it being put on social media, where thousands can see it, makes them hesitant. Perhaps it is because many take pictures that purposely make them look bad and it causes others to ridicule them- it is humiliating. No one wants to be the center of attention in a negative way; most don’t even want to be the center of attention in the first place.
Who wants to go onto social media and see a picture of them and being ridiculed for being themselves? Often, the picture was taken out of context and gives the wrong impression. Though the person taking the picture may not have had malicious intent, it doesn’t change the end result. There are few, like myself who don’t have social media and it makes it even more personal when people post a mean picture because they know that unless someone shows me, I won’t see it. They think that it’s an inside joke of some sorts and think that if I don’t find out, then it is a good laugh. While I just brush it off, others don’t. Think about how you would feel if you were put in the same situation.
If you respect your peers, then ask them if it is okay before you post. It seems like such a weird thing to worry about because taking pictures is normally something fun and shouldn’t be a big deal, but most disagree. There are some who are frequent selfie takers and mistakenly think that one bad picture of them is how they look all the time. Everyone has things they are self-conscious about and for most, it is pictures. Just be thoughtful.
