The chat room: Govt must demarcate no-selfie zones to save lives'

Selfie-craze youth from the city are willing to put their lives on the line for “likes” on social media websites. From clicking pictures on the cliffs to train tracks to window ledges, youngsters risk it all for a better social media image. Vijay Rao asks the opinion of two city-based entrepreneurs Dheer Lalit Gupta and Anushka Jain on where the youth should draw the line when it comes to taking selfies.

Social media may have its uses, but it is also proving to be a dangerous addiction among many youngsters, who compete to collect the most “likes” or “shares.” With some throwing caution to the wind and attempting selfies at dangerous spots like railroad tracks, on terraces of homes or perched precariously on window ledges, in their quest for the coveted hurrah from their peers, newspapers often have headlines that read, "Yet another killed while attempting a selfie."  

Entrepreneurs, Anushka Jain ,  founder of Share at Doorstep and  Dheer Lalit Gupta , founder of GreenBubbles Startup services, are concerned like everyone elses about the selfie trend that is taking young, adventurous lives both in the city and elsewhere.

Anushka, however, has a solution. “  I’ve observed the uses of social media in spreading a message. Take for example the # Me too campaign, which  has brought awareness about how women are sexually harassed. A similar hashtag campaign to prevent selfie deaths could have a tremendous impact,” she reasons.

Nodding in agreement, Lalit says, “ I think a  social media campaign titled something like #selfImportantThanSelfie  may be a good way to start. There is already a lot of news and several videos circulating on selfie deaths and this hashtag campaign can  fuel awareness.”

He comes ups with another idea. “Tourist spots like dams and rivers  should have boards saying ‘Safe Selfie Zone’ or ‘No Selfie Zone’ to  make sure people do not take unnecessary risks when on holiday,” he suggests as Anushka looks on approvingly. Adding her bit  to his suggestion, she says, “The government should mark risky locations as Strictly No Selfie zones and levy heavy fines on those who ignore the warning. I believes youngsters, who are only interested in getting applause on social media, will not take a photo if it is a crime. Even if they were to take a picture and upload it, the respective authorities would be able to identify the location and punish them.”

Anushka goes on to make another point. “ I think social media apps, that are location based,  should themselves take into consideration  the risks that youngsters take for selfies, and warn or deny them the attempt  if they are at a dangerous location.”

Being well versed in technology start-ups , Lalit finds her idea a  good one . “This provides a perfect opportunity for a start-up to develop an application that  warns the smartphone user that he/she is at a risky location and advises against taking a selfie there,” he agrees.

But he has one more idea up his sleeve. “As it takes quite a bit of skill to get the right camera angle, some people lose their footing while attempting a  selfie and their loss of balance can cost them their lives. So tourist spots could offer sturdy selfie sticks to keep people out of  harm’s way,” he concludes.