Selfie-Induced Deaths Tops Shark Attack Deaths in 2015

Selfie-Induced Deaths Tops Shark Attack Deaths in 2015

A cultural phenomenon scoffed at for its narcissistic tendencies and frivolous consumption of time now poses a new threat to society.

The infamous “selfie,” appropriately named since it requires a close up picture taken by one’s self of one’s self, has swept the nation as a prevalent past time; in fact, infogr.am reports that approximately one million selfies are taken per day.

So far, in 2015, there have been more deaths resulting from striving for the “perfect selfie” than there have been due to shark attacks by a count of 12 to eight.

Such fatal instances include a 17-year-old girl posing on top of a bridge and falling onto a cable that unfortunately electrocuted her. Electrocution also took the life of a 21-year-old who climbed on top of a moving train to get an action picture. An oncoming train was also the culprit that killed three students who were recklessly snapping selfies on railroad tracks.

Another death resulted from 21-year-old Oscar Otero Aguilar attempting to show off his new gun while accidentally firing a bullet into his head, killing him. A similar scenario took the life of a Russian woman this very same year.

Other selfie-induced deaths include attempted selfies while driving a car, riding a motorcycle, falling from the edge of a South African cliff, and falling down a flight of stairs while touring the Taj Mahal.

Such catastrophes give the teenage to 24-year-old generation a reputation as a social media orientated group predominately focused on their own image. Junior Leane Santos argues, “We are the generation that will need to fix political and environmental mishaps and rather than cultivate a whole generation of students who are masters at taking selfies, we should be taught valuable skill that will benefit society when we are older. Otherwise, mankind is slowly meeting its demise.”

Santos may have a point seeing as many parks are outlawing the selfie practice and even closing due to the implications and dangers selfie-takers pose. Waterton Canyon in Colorado was forced to close its doors due to selfies with the wildlife endangering both the visitors and animals. Park manager Brandon Ransom told Mashable.com, “We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet.”

Lake Tahoe and Yellowstone National Park have seen the same careless selfie-taking tactics that in one circumstance resulted in injury when a bison charged a woman attempting to take a selfie with the bison.

One can only hope this trend ceases to become fatal and the selfie practice remains innocent for future generations exposed to such a fad.