The Fourcast explores the craze of taking selfies

Walking down the hallway, it is not uncommon to see a girl, arms extended, phone in the air, making a silly face into the camera.

She is taking a selfie. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. And yet everyone does it.

The phenomenon of the selfie, or self-taken picture, has revolutionized and personalized the idea of instant communication, some students say.

Freshman Caroline explained some of the positive effects of using selfies as a means of communication.

“You can see a face, and there’s an expression along with the message, making it more personal,” Caroline said. “It’s easier to see what a person means when you can see their face, because when I talk to someone in person I’m looking at their face, and selfies are a way for me to do that.”

Caroline also said that selfies were just another way of entertaining herself and talking with friends.

“I know that I have entire conversations of just selfies with my friends that’s just making different faces at each other,” Caroline said. “With selfies, people are undone and you can see a more natural side of that person.”

Sophomore Elizabeth, however, comments on how selfies cause a lack of self awareness.

“It encourages people to not pay attention to what’s actually going on around them while they’re trying to take the perfect picture of themselves,” Elizabeth said. “I find it a little bit annoying when people constantly take selfies, especially when they take a ton of them at once.”

English Teacher Katherine Downey was recently introduced to the concept of a selfie by her advisees.

“There’s a lot of concern about all these things making the new generation disconnected, but I think it’s the opposite,” Downey said. ”Things like this help us stay in touch.”

Sophomore boarder Cierra said she uses Snapchat, an iPhone application that sends pictures for between one to 10 seconds before deleting them, to stay in closer contact with her family.

“It helps me see my family and stay connected to them instantly, even if I’m not there with them,” Cierra said.

Junior Hannah also uses snapchat to keep in touch with friends at her old school.

“By sending someone a picture they get more of an idea of what you’re doing,” she said. “I don’t know if it matters what you’re doing or why they would care, but it’s kind of like including them in your life.”

-Avita