In 2010, the selfie began to go viral; people started to take close-up pictures of their face and posting it to social media sites such as Flickr or Instagram, according to The Guardian.
Selfies were taken by the photographer/subject holding their phone in their extended arm, but there is now a selfie stick. By attaching your phone to a stick, you can get a better picture of your self and you no longer have an arm in your picture. Despite the popularity of the selfie stick, there is a lot of controversy over the little metal rod. People are unsure if the appearance of selfie are more of a trend or a phase, according to skift.com.
“I think it's a trend that we are going to look back and be embarrassed about,” said Dallin Haycock, a junior studying interdisciplinary studies from Iowa. With the use of selfie sticks becoming more prevalent, they have been deemed a hazard and spy on other people.
Most college students at BYU–Hawaii do not have a selfie stick. Nicole Westman, a senior studying graphic design from Iowa, is one of those students. “I’ve never used them,” said Westman. “I think it looks funny when you see everyone using them. I just think it shows society has become so much more self-centered you need a stick now to get a better picture.”
Despite the general dislike of the selfie stick, there are still students who like the item. “I think they are a good thing,” said Charlotte Burchell, a sophomore from England studying hospitality and tourism management. “Especially if you’re in Hawaii, and you are in a really cool place and you want a cool picture with friends and there aren’t people around to take it for you.”
For students at BYUH, there is a time and a place for selfie sticks, and a common opinion concedes that hiking is an appropriate location for using selfie sticks. “Say you’re doing Crouching Lion and you’re at the top with a couple people and you want a cool picture,” said Burchell. “You want someone to take a picture and there’s not good spacing, and you’re at the top of the mountain, so it’s good for that.”
Haycock agreed, saying, “I think if you are with a group of people and there’s no one there to take a picture out on a hike, then it's okay.”
There is also a time and place where selfie sticks may seem unnecessary. “It’s the random people by themselves,” says Haycock. “If you’re by yourself, that’s when it gets a little weird.”
Whether you’re buying a selfie stick or not, use it wisely. “I think it's up to the person who can use them,” said Westman. “They bought it, they can use it.”