No One Wants to See Your Selfies -- Especially Not Your Friends

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by Kiri Blakeley 2 hours ago

Self-portraits in one form or another have existed since humans began recording their existences -- but there's just something a little different about Van Gogh's self-portrait and, say, your drunken duck face selfie. See, one is art. One is annoying. Guess which one is which. In case you're on the fence, a new study makes it clear which thing no one wants to see: It's you. No, really, it is.

Researchers in the U.K. have discovered the inconceivable: Those persistent selfies in your Facebook feed are actually alienating your friends. But you don't really post them for your friends, do you? No, of course not.

At any rate, selfies are the most unwelcome images in people's social media feeds, says the crackerjack researchers. Why? Says lead researcher Dr. David Houghton:

People, other than very close friends and relatives, don't seem to relate well to those who constantly share photos of themselves.

Trust me, good doctor, very close friends and relatives don't want them either.

We can probably blame the iPhone for the rise of the selfie. That made it easy to see your selfie (remember when you had to hold the camera at arm's length and hope it came out okay?) and upload it almost instantly.

Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Amanda Bynes are three celebs who just can't help the selfie habit. But most celebrities do it. Selfies without makeup. Selfies in bed. Selfies in bed with other people. Selfies asleep. Selfies eating. Pregnant selfie. And the all-important, all-encompassing selfie in the bathroom mirror.

If not for the selfie, would the Kardashians exist? I'm not so sure.

When that kind of self-absorbed behavior filters down to your regular pals, and then filters into your social media feed, it's just annoying. It screams of insecurity. Plus, those who are obsessed with the selfie also tend to be obsessed with checking people's reactions to their selfie. It's like a mirror that turns in on itself a million times.

All of this makes The Kinks prescient geniuses. Their old song, "People Take Pictures of Each Other," has the lyrics:

People take pictures of the summer,
Just in case someone thought they had missed it,
And to proved that it really existed.

People take pictures of each other,
Just to prove that they really existed.

Yes, you exist. But people who have to see your selfies wish you'd just forget about that for awhile.

Do selfies annoy you?

Image via BadGirlRiRi/Instagram

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