Welcome to the new Selfie - ‘Ussie’
Have you started seeing a lot of group selfies lately on your Facebook wall and are wondering what is going on? Yes, people are still pouting, making the duck-face or the fish-face but instead of doing it alone, they are doing it together. Maybe it’s time to get the hint: We have a new addition to the Selfie family- ‘Ussie’
What is an ‘Ussie’?
According to the urban dictionary, Ussie is ‘A self-inflicted group photo; when the participant of a group photo also acts as the picture taker’. The number of participants in an "Ussie" is not limited. Though not always, the background in an "Ussie" is often the focal point and subject matter of the picture. In simple words, people have started calling ‘group selfies’ as ‘Ussies’ (Us-Selfies). It has other variations too, which depends on the number of participants, e.g. Twofie (for Ussie with comprising of two people), Threefie (for Ussie with three people) & so on. What more? Ussie is already a hashtag on Instagram. Ussie is definitely the new fad!
How we moved from Selfies to Ussies
Not long ago, the world seemed to be bitten by selfie bug. Whether on your Facebook, twitter or Instagram, it was not difficult to come across some self-obsessed friends pose for a selfie. We saw celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, and Alia Bhatt posing for different types of selfies whether a duck faced selfie, pouting selfie or Welfie (a workout selfie).
Everything was going fine until the night of the Oscars, when Ellen DeGeneres gathered stars for a “selfie” that became a retweet more than 3 million times, beating President Obama’s record for the most retweeted posting in Twitter history. Several people mocked the ‘Ussie’ adding fuel to the fire. What more? Even Bollywood came out with its own version of' ‘Ussie’ during the IIFA awards sponsored by LAVA Mobiles.
The ussie trend will catch up more due to the festive season. Ussie adds an element of relationships to the otherwise narcissist selfie and thus is socially more accepted that the selfie. Psychologically speaking, human being is a social animal. A socially active, extrovert is appreciated more than a self-absorbed person. This very trait makes Ussie more socially accepted.
| Above: The famous Bollywood Ussie clicked at IIFA Award 2014. Credit: Lava International Limited |
Now some quick tips to capture that perfect Ussie
Practice your Pose: It is important to practice the perfect pose with your companions. A few pre rehearsed poses will help you save from the ultimately dreaded conversation, "please delete this one”
Who gets to click the picture?: The person with the longest arm should be the one clicking the picture. It also helps to avoid half faces. However, ensure that the person taking the picture is not infamous for shakiest hand possible. If it’s a couple picture, make sure that the shorter partner stands in front of the taller partner so that you get your perfect shot.
Lightning: Lightning is extremely critical. While too much darkness will cast shadows, too much light will make faces look stuffy and dull. So, correct lightning is most tricky and one of the most rewarding types of photography.
Where should we look?: Few people look at their reflection while others look directly into the camera eye. Whatever you choose to do it’s usually best (but not by any means mandatory) to look in the same direction.
As the trend of “Ussies” continues to grow, we suggest you take as many Ussies as you want. I strongly recommend taking as many “Ussies” as humanly possible. Always remember, there is never a bad time for a selfie. And NEVER EVER a bad time when want to get together with your, friends, family, spouses for taking an everlasting USSIE!
