That selfie with the group can and should wait

Is this the death of group selfies? Probably, just a hiatus, until things get better

Do you recall the days when all of us would pose for a front camera of a smartphone? The tallest amongst us would be tasked to hold the device at the right angle, whilst all of us (numbers were irrelevant) would squeeze into the frame - a few of us on tippy-toes, some sitting on our knees, many of us struggling to get both our shoulders in (the frame), and a handful still managing to make space for the devil horns behind the other. I'm talking of the good old days of selfies, or what some called groupfies. For the uninitiated, a groupfie is a group selfie photo taken with a smartphone that contains three or more people. No occasion was complete until a picture was clicked, with all of us squeezing in making space for one another. The idea was never to get a perfectly clicked image, but to drive home the point and make a memory of many of us indulging in a meal or a moment together. Come 2020, togetherness got a new meaning, and groupfies made it to the list of 'Things, we would not see in 2020', and thank God for that.
Yes, whilst not long ago, selfies were declared dangerous and warnings were issued to those hanging from ziplines and jumping off cliffs to foremost concentrate on the task at hand and not obsess over capturing the moment - the same is now true (worse, maybe) for groupfies. A news report even stated that selfies kill five times more people than sharks! In 2020, proximity also has a new meaning, and it's only wise of all of us to not huddle into a frame, or otherwise.
One is likely to feel terrible and even get tempted to pose for such a picture, after all, our moments of togetherness have also reduced drastically, but then even with a mask on it isn't advisable to fall into the trap and cause oneself and others harm. As responsible individuals, we need to only say no to being part of such pictures, but also advise others. Yes, social evenings and corporate meetings aside, my heart also goes out to the passing batch of 2020, for batch group images are a big deal and find their place on walls and scrapbooks, but we can always do that at a reunion, right?
Is this the death of group selfies? Probably, just a hiatus, until things get better. And they will, as long as we mask up, practise social distancing, and wait just a little longer to flaunt groupfies on social media timelines. Remember, a little distance can bring us a step closer to safety and normalcy as we once knew it.
-purva@khaleejtimes.com