Selfies and the Evolution of Self-Esteem and Confidence.

<p>Byall accounts,&nbsp;<em>social media</em>&nbsp;has created an inundation of selfies whereby people express their sense of belonging. Before continuing this article, did you know that according to a study conducted by&nbsp;<a href="https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Maryville University</a>, &ldquo;In a sense,&nbsp;<em>social media</em>&nbsp;began on May 24, 1844, with a series of electronic dots and dashes tapped out by hand on a telegraph machine?&rdquo; No one saw that one coming.&nbsp;<strong>For most</strong>, social media is what we currently see: FB, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, Linkedin, etc.</p> <h2>Never in our wildest dreams did we think that a telegraph could be considered social media.</h2> <p>But, according to the aforementioned study, it does! In fact, the story goes on by saying that a Washington Post article &ldquo;details the history and relevance of Morse code, complete with early versions of today&rsquo;s &ldquo;OMG&rdquo; and &ldquo;LOL.&rdquo; Go ahead, read it!</p> <p>To read the whole Washington Post article,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/05/24/before-there-was-twitter-there-was-morse-code-remembering-social-medias-true-inventor/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p> <p><strong>Most people agree that the picture below would be considered a selfie.</strong></p> <p><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*X8cBhyHMqUHxHoFqEzmlSw.jpeg" style="height:1097px; width:700px" /></p> <p>Selfie of Dr. E.R. B&aacute;ez</p> <p>The reason they are referred to as selfies is simple:</p> <ul> <li>The person takes the picture</li> <li>The image is of themselves</li> <li>It was taken with a smartphone or webcam</li> <li>It is shared via social media. . .</li> </ul> <p>To be clear, here is the Webster&rsquo;s dictionary definition:</p> <blockquote> <p>An image that includes oneself (often with another person or as part of a group) and is taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks.</p> </blockquote> <p>So, the picture above meets all of those perimeters; thus, a selfie.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/original-philosophy/selfies-and-the-evolution-of-self-esteem-and-confidence-8764dff2ca53"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>