Selfies: uncovered

We are the smartphone generation, the DSLR generation, the social media generation. Whatever you want to call it, they all have one thing in common, “selfies” or as I like to call them, “attention addiction”. With increased connectivity and access to high definition cameras on the go, we like to feel important and the need to instantaneously tell our friends what we are upto. Who needs a tracking device these days when we willingly express our whereabouts to the whole world within a matter of seconds through just an image?

It’s no wonder how the word “selfie” ended up as Oxford’s word of the year 2013. Not only is it overused but also one of the most poorly coined term as the “self” part makes sense but the rest is just work of an overgrown child who hasn’t read many books. The purpose of taking a “selfie” or a self portrait by yourself is still not fully understood. Why would you take your own photo, by yourself and post it on your own profile for people to see?  The answer is far more complex than just attention seeking.

The problem, according to me, with today’s generation is that we have been blessed with extremely advanced technology and gadgets  in a very short span of time and aren’t quite sure how to use them. The same is the case with money, the more you get in a short span of time, the more useless investments you make.

With apps like snapchat and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Instagram, it has become sort of a culture to upload photos of your everyday experiences and share them with the world while managing to look like supermodels. Instagram is perhaps the only site that solely aims to connect its audience through a graphical experience because typing is just too mainstream and slow.

 

Selfies are sometimes also associated with sexuality as the youth is becoming more confident with their appearance and feel that they can control the way an image is captured in order to ensure that they are not viewed as anything less than a celebrity or whoever they find appealing visually. Many a times a ‘selfie’ doesn’t even show the face of the person but just the body or other times just shows the face and not the body.

We can never be certain of what the future will bring us or how the people will react to it but what we do know is that the generation of “selfies” has just started and is here to stay. So much to capture, so little time!

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/11/word-of-the-year-2013-winner/

By Alina Imran

Drug Addiction

Nowadays, drug abuse is a very common problem faced by people, especially our youth. Unfortunately, this issue has increased over the passage of time and is inclining at a very high rate. This has proven to be a very serious issue which isn’t given the required attention. Measures need to be taken to eradicate this problem from the society. Drug addiction/abuse has been the cause of many deaths (mainly teenage deaths). Addiction of drugs has ruined relations, families and careers. People start off by taking drugs for fun usually, without experiencing any sort of negative effects at that point in time but later develop a habit of it; which they find extremely difficult to give up. Drug addiction to heroin, cocaine and marijuana is most common.

There are many reasons which have lead to drug addiction, and peer pressure is one of the most important causes. Peer pressure in a society is building up along with increasing the victims it affects. Drugs are also readily available for anyone, and easy access is also one of the reasons for this increased trend. Friends and family have an influence on an individual and result in the person making decisions under their shadows. Many drug addicts explain how their father’s or brother’s drug addiction was the reason they got into this.  Negligence from loved ones also results in an individual getting attracted to this, and later getting addicted. Depression and anxiety are very common disorders found amongst people. Such disorders result in the person adopting any substance which provides them relief, and drugs are said to be effective healers.

Many similar symptoms and signs are found amongst drug addicts. The amount of intake of a drug affects the symptoms shown by the person. A drug addict starts neglecting responsibilities and becomes forgetful. They usually become cranky and have frequent mood swings and anger outbursts, and end up in fights quiet often. Their tolerance level keeps on declining as they increase their intake. A drug addict might end up stealing or borrowing money to maintain their constant purchases. They also might frequently change friends, usually hanging out with people of their kind (addicts).  It becomes intricate for the drug addict to quit with time. Bloodshot eyes, disturbed sleeping patterns, deterioration of physical appearance, odd body odor and slurred speech are a few of the physical symptoms of drug addictions. One might notice a change in their personality or attitudes due to drug addiction.

Steps should be taken to help such people, as withdrawals can be excruciating for the person and the people around him/her. Punishing, threatening or hiding their drugs doesn’t help. They usually become rebellious and the only way to help them out is through understanding and cooperation.

Omer Saeed