archiveselfies

I don't mind selfie sticks. I think they get a bad rap. It's so drearily predictable people would moan about them, too, isn't it? I heard someone the other day say that selfie sticks were "end of civilisation as we know it". Not the refugee crisis, or war, or transphobia or Hollyoaks, but selfie sticks. Even Brooklyn Beckham – whose every word I hang on, believe me – has come out against them in his iconic guide to Instagram that had my eyes rolling so hard they played the tune to...

I have no issue with selfies – those up close and personal, carefully crafted self-portraits that no Instagram account should be without. If there’s nobody around to take your picture, and you want to savour the moment or are feeling your look, why not snap away? And if you’re with a bunch of mates and want all of you to be in the photo, where’s the harm in bunching in tight, camera in the air and adding it to your portfolio? They're a confidence boost, a feelgood. A much easier...

The 2010s are truly the age of the share, whether Instagramming pictures of your breakfast, Facebooking all your friends about your holiday or tweeting a link to your latest blog. Social media has turned us all into broadcasters, producing special-interest programming on every aspect of our lives and thoughts. We are all our own chat show. But while we gently mock those who overshare or bore on about their children or their dull jobs or impart half-baked political opinions, social media has also given us a window into people’s lives...