Dying for a selfie

Most of us have taken a selfie at one time or another, be it a photo of ourselves in a beautiful place, during a performance by our favourite band, or on a memorable night out with friends. Even monarchs, prime ministers and presidents have been seen in the news grinning inanely at the screen of a smartphone. But today, more and more people are putting their lives at risk in an attempt to get the most shocking picture to share on social media. In several cases, this action has had disastrous consequences.

Take, for example, the Spaniard who was killed by a bull while he was taking a selfie during the annual bull run in a village near his hometown. Or the Singaporean tourist who died when he fell from cliffs on the coast of Bali. Incidents such as these led to the death toll from selfie-related incidents reaching double figures for the first time in 2015, overtaking the number of victims of shark attacks. Most of the cases involve people taking selfies while posing with animals, or falling from high places.

Despite the risks, social media is full of pictures featuring near misses that could have been fatal under other circumstances. Under the caption 'Most dangerous selfie ever', a woman posing at a stadium can be seen narrowly avoiding being hit in the head by a baseball approaching her. Yet the photo has received thousands of 'likes', and the comments below it suggest that this behaviour is something to be admired. What is even more worrying, however, is that the woman herself dares others to better the shot, seemingly overlooking the fact that by doing so, she is endangering the lives of her 'friends' as well.

In response to the increasing threat posed by the selfie, the authorities have started to take action. National parks, such as the Waterton Canyon in Denver, Colorado, have closed their gates to visitors who have been getting too close to the bears to get them in the photo. The Russian Interior Ministry has launched a public education campaign advising selfie-takers against balancing on dangerous surfaces or posing with their pets, among other things. But if instructions like these are really necessary, then perhaps it is about time we asked ourselves which is more important, a 'like' or a life?


1. What is the main idea of the article?

2. What happened to the Spaniard mentioned in the text?

3. Why did selfie-related deaths surpass shark attacks in 2015?

4. What was the “most dangerous selfie ever” mentioned in the article?

5. How did the woman’s post influence others?

6. What question does the writer ask at the end?