The Selfie Testimony
Kim Kardashian has made a career from the selfie. Her thousands of self taken pictures have clogged the internet and caused more than one media sensation. She also published a book of her selfies (in case you missed them online) in 2015 with the aptly named title of Selfish. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most selfies taken in one hour is 1,449 and was achieved by Patrick Peterson and NBC Sports (both USA) with students and faculty at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, USA.
Here are ten other selfie facts you may not know:
1. In November 2013, the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary, which gave the word itself an Australian origin.
2. Men tend to search more for online tips on how to achieve the perfect selfie...really?
3. People born after 1980 will take an estimated 25,000 selfies in their lifetime!
4. We spend 54 hours a year taking selfies...that's more than 2 days!!!
5. Not all selfies are for vanity purposes. Cancer Research UK initiated a make-up free selfie campaign in March of 2014 that grossed $12.5 million!
6. It's estimated that the first selfie was taken on a rooftop in NYC in December of 1920!
7. 47% people think it's okay to take a selfie during childbirth, and 20% feel it's acceptable to take a funeral selfie!
8. In 2014 it was estimated that over 1 million selfies are taken per day!
9. 36% of people admit to doctoring their selfie or editing it before sharing it. This includes enhancing skin tone or using a filter.
10. Most selfies are shared on Facebook!
The selfie is a phenomenon which reaches across race, sex, and social status. Just the other day I was waiting for a shake at a local restaurant when I noticed in the car next to me a young teenager making faces and staring apparently into the sky. Then I noticed her outreached arm and heard the familiar "click" of her phone camera. Conservatively, I would say she completed at least twenty to thirty different faces and poses in the few minutes it took for our food to be delivered. I get it. I really do. It makes sense that if we are going to take a picture, it might as well be of our favorite person - us!
While this may be acceptable to see on social media sites, and in photo albums, it is not a good quality to have in regards to our testimony for Jesus. John the Baptist had the right attitude when speaking of Jesus he said "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30) Or listen to the words of Jesus concerning his future crucifixion - "And when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) Jesus tells us when HE is lifted up then men will be drawn to him. Not us...HIM. Our story is powerful. It reaches people sometimes where they are. It can give hope that one day their lives can be different. But it is the life and story of Jesus that makes that hope possible and that change occur.
Jordan Monson, contributor to Churchleaders.com writes about the narcissism of the modern testimony in his article Your Testimony Isn't About You. Click HERE to read the article and take some time to think about your own testimony...selfie or picture of God?
