The Ironies of Thai Selfie-Culture: Social Semaphore Over Smoothies

[CCP]

Hi All,

New member checking in. Trying carefully to not break any rules. Wrote this recently and would like to share with anybody who has an interest with Thailand and photography. This would seem like the right place.

The Ironies of Thai Selfie-Culture: Social Semaphore Over Smoothies

Every genre of photography exists for a reason and fulfills a role. By far and away the largest genre prevalent in the world today is the smartphone-facilitated snapshot taken specifically for sharing on social media. Who could have known that this genre would have had such a significant impact upon not only photography but also the way people live their lives as a whole?

Sure, this is old news, but it still never ceases to amaze me how witnessing examples of its impact on social behaviour first hand can bewilder, amuse and sometimes even sadden me as the observer. There’s a version of these events and stories for every city and town in the world. This is what I witnessed in Bangkok recently:

I had been shooting street, it was a day when I was pushing myself and I had got up to maybe my third roll with a 35 Summaron on the M2. Nice weather but hot and I needed a place to sit down, sort through some films in my pocket and replenish my body with fluids in a cool place. I had sat down in a nice cold fruit smoothie establishment in a pretty slick part of the city. I was sat at the back but next to the window with Leica bits, Kodak cannisters and a light meter strewn in front of me on the nice wooden butcher style table top. I was unwittingly announcing to the world that I was probably odd or eccentric, if the world were bothered enough to pay attention to me, which of course it wasn’t. Times like these you might get a puzzled smile from an older person or a Klingon hipster trying to shoot you that knowing look.

Through the large window I notice a young couple advancing toward this place, they were doing the annoying self-important walking whilst smart phoning and not looking up thing. People engaging in this practice are basically relying on other people’s good will in getting out of their way. This is a classic ignorance and arrogance combination that has never sat well with me. Although it can sometimes be amusing when you see two people bumping into each other doing the same thing from different directions. I saw a guy drop his uncased IPhone to the floor once from such an affair. The jerky fumble dance that ensued as he tried in vain to catch it on the way down was almost Mick Jaggeresque. Upon hastily reclaiming his beloved device from the evil terra firma, his face looked like he had just lost a kidney. Talk about crash test dummies. I wonder what happens if a pedestrian crossing whilst texting gets hit by a motorist who is texting and driving? Would the universe have some way to just kind of let the two cancel other each out and chalk up another couple of strikes for team Darwin?

Although I don’t always admit it, I sometimes gain twisted satisfaction in being deliberately ‘obtuse’ to these kind of offenders in public, I say the word in much the same way that Andy Dufresne did, although hopefully without such dire consequences. I refuse to side step them, I stop short of actually speeding up and barging them head on but NO, I will not sidestep for thee. It’s on you. But that wasn’t what had really caught my attention about this pair of trendy lookers, they were both really quite photogenic and I was fervently hoping that they wouldn’t suddenly create the perfect street scene photograph right before me now in great light as I was sitting there with no film loaded in the M2. These ‘the one that got away’ moments haunt all photographers, especially those who shoot street with film cameras. The young girl was really very pretty, although she probably didn’t quite believe this herself as she was caked up in far more make up than was needed. Her boyfriend was quite the good looking young chap. It’s always a hallmark of a good looking bloke that even straight men notice how good looking you are. It’s probably a gold standard.

They enter the scene stage left, not looking up from their phones and yet still somehow managing to both get through the door and into the establishment. There is a long high bar and stools along another window. She sits at one stool and he automatically sits two stools down from her. This immediately piqued my interest as they were clearly a couple yet it was a given that this space was needed between them and you could just tell that this was a regular and well rehearsed drill of theirs. The young guy ordered smoothies of their choice without entirely looking at the menu at all; his eyes still never left the phone. As they waited for somebody to bring their order over, both of them anxiously tried several different positions on the seat to see which angle and light worked the best. They had both decided at the same time and without any communication between them, that their entry to a humble smoothie outlet was an event that they needed to be broadcast to the world. The young lady in question briefly applies either lip balm or lipstick of some kind and then warms up with a few shots. I am only two metres or so away and her smartphone is a newer, jumbo screened affair. I can see that she has already taken at least six photos but none of them have yet met with her approval. The smoothies arrive, now she needs to include this in the frame and proceeds to take another ten frames with her mouth sucking on the straw in a goofy manner but she’s still not happy. Pretty > Goofy, try again. She takes yet more frames with the smoothie on the bar top and her pretty head at just the right angle next to it. Getting closer now, she’s honing in on the desired result but I can see that she is less than thrilled to have me in the background of the shots. I can just make myself out in them. She moves a fake potted plant very slightly (and slowly so as to not make it too obvious) with her fingertips jus a bit at a time until my unfortunate middle age has been perfectly blocked out of the frame by a fake cactus and that’s when I realize why they have sat so spaced apart. This lady needs her own ‘selfie-zone’ studio space everywhere she goes in which she can move herself and all the props within it to represent her own perfect, trite, saccharin sweet, artificial version of reality for just 1/500th of a second to show the world.

Don’t fear that her other half is getting his feelings hurt by accommodating such a requirement, for he himself is making full use of the space to take similar selfies of note wearing his sunglasses indoors. He’s less concerned with including the smoothie in the frame in case it compromises his high-maintenance, fragile, new-found masculinity. Yet nailing the perfect angle of the sunglasses and their reflection is an issue which seems to be challenging him somewhat. He has made at least twenty to thirty attempts at this shot despite being sat in good light with a very capable camera in his late model, high-end smartphone with huge display.

Already five to ten minutes has passed. Not. One. Word. Not so much as a non sequitur.

I watched on. I couldn’t quite decide if it was great that they were so comfortable together that they could be like this with each other or whether it were in fact such a terrible shame that they were wasting their wonderful young days of love away uploading pictures of fruit smoothies to people that they haven’t seen since kindergarten. Desperate to plug into the grid and the hive matrix, real life was passing them by as their youth and good looks slowly melt away like the smoothies. Too busy updating the world to actually be in it. Authors of their own irony. 'Virtual reality'…the first word means almost. This situation was almost real, but not quite. Something occurred to me now that I’m entering middle age. I’m glad that in my first days of adulthood, a photo was something I took quickly with a compact camera and then got developed later on. I’m glad not to have missed out on that part of my life, love and relationships with others in the world due to being sucked into the matrix. I love technology but I also love life and wish to appreciate it with technology in it, not the other way around. Maybe that sounds like an old man saying “Get off my lawn”, I honestly don’t know. I’ll go one further, younger people should have their heads up more to see and enjoy the world instead of their heads down like the old people playing bingo who have already seen it.

The two young lovers continued their routine, not once interfering with each other’s flow or (im)personal space. I have to admit, it was seamlessly done and as smooth as their beverages. There was almost a sense of choreography to it, all which unwittingly revealed just how often they had practiced this rendition. All it really needed was Ravel’s Bolero in the background and it would have been bordering on a performance art piece in its own right.

My M2 was now loaded, the light had changed, and my cup of tea was done. I took a reading with my Sekonic, wound on and shot the first two blank frames out of the way and I was ready to go. As I stood up and got ready to leave, handsome boy had finally just about got his sunglasses to be exactly as he wanted them. By looking at him posing in his screen, I could see exactly where his eyes were gazing and he was completely oblivious to my new position or recent movement. I came in close and fired off a shot of both of them from the side. He didn’t flinch, relentless in pursuit of the ultimate selfie for the day. The M2 is a quiet machine so I went for broke and stepped in closer still to test the minimum focus range of the Summaron at around eighty centimetres, literally less than meter away from the guy’s face almost exactly square on from him at ninety degrees. I knew that he would probably catch me in the act but decided that I wanted the shot and would just smile and leave the premises as planned upon being busted. Amazingly, I took the second shot and still neither of them cottoned on. I was the invisible man. Anybody who googles the exact name of this thread/topic (copy and paste) might find my photo or a way to my weekly photos of Bangkok and my blog on Thai photographic ramblings. I will not post URL's or names of websites here so as to remain within the rules and not over step the mark. I don't wish to spam. I went on my merry way. Never did hear them speak. They didn’t even see me leave despite my doubling back around and walking past their window on the way to the next stage of my photographic jaunt. They were just so wholly consumed by sharing with their legions of adoring devotees. Were Lennon still alive today, he might have said “ Life is what happens while you’re busy making other fans.”

CCP

[FracturedRabbit]

Great story, well-written. Thanks for sharing.

[Happy Grumpy]

Well written.

I was out with a young African woman last night. Educated African woman in her 20's. Her iPhone didn't come out once. Instead it was very fun conversation with her leading the way with hilarious, fun tales, that almost had me crying with laughter. Not the type that had Lakorn-esque boing-boing sound effects.

After 9 years of Thailand, I must say that it was refreshing for an evening to be spent having fun without neither a phone being seen or selfie being taken.

[CCP]

Great story, well-written. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

[CCP]

Well written.

I was out with a young African woman last night. Educated African woman in her 20's. Her iPhone didn't come out once. Instead it was very fun conversation with her leading the way with hilarious, fun tales, that almost had me crying with laughter. Not the type that had Lakorn-esque boing-boing sound effects.

After 9 years of Thailand, I must say that it was refreshing for an evening to be spent having fun without neither a phone being seen or selfie being taken.

Must have made for a new kind of experience. Tempted to go off on a reply all about how I remember Thailand before smartphones and selfies but that borders onto ranting territory and my post was meant to be more tongue in cheek really. Besides, the scourge of smartphone abuse is prevalent all over the world, I was merely recounting a Thai version of the tale which had captured my attention I suppose. Hope that things go well for you with the young lady in question.

[Familyonthemove]

Nicely written. I found the same post on the Rangefinder Forum - but not your photos?

But I have a different view of the events you observed.

I know it's a cliché - but we do live in a connected world. I have friends in UK, US, India, New Zealand and throughout most of Asia. I see these friends perhaps twice a year. I also have friends in Thailand and I see them most days.

So when any of us get together for food, events or just a chat, we'll start the proceedings with a bit of posting to our mutual friends overseas.

And these post need to be current. We live in the now - not the 'week ago' of the old airmail days or even the 20 minutes ago of the telegram or fax. I like to see what my friends are up to now, not what they did three days ago. If the posting from a friend is really wild, I may contact them direct via Skype, WhatsApp or Line for a chat.

It's all part of the 'current-cy' of living in the present.

The best restaurants understand this culture, and they develop dishes that look good as well as taste good, knowing that we'll post images on Facebook giving them some free marketing.

As a film user you appreciate different values. The considered setting of a manual camera, the cerebral skills required to predict the results of your work, without the benefit of 'chimping' on a screen to get immediate feedback. I admire you for these skills, but your choices are not in any way superior to the people who, like me, decide to live in an immersive, multicultural, multi time zone world.

I enjoy sharing my meal with more than just the friends who happen to be in the same room, I like to make my distant friends and relatives feel included in social gatherings by sending a contemporaneous message, I enjoy using 21st century tools to sustain my friendships on a global scale, bridging time zones, cultures and generations. I also enjoy photography, which is my camera can connect to my phone so I can download and share quality shots of my food.

And I would no more look down on the selfie posters than on film users. Both are using tools to communicate beyond speech and gesture, both have left the cave and are embracing technology to develop wider social networks than would be possible without the tools, and ironically in this case, both are using the internet to communicate their thoughts beyond their immediate peers.

[villagefarang]

Nicely written. I found the same post on the Rangefinder Forum - but not your photos?

But I have a different view of the events you observed.

I know it's a cliché - but we do live in a connected world. I have friends in UK, US, India, New Zealand and throughout most of Asia. I see these friends perhaps twice a year. I also have friends in Thailand and I see them most days.

So when any of us get together for food, events or just a chat, we'll start the proceedings with a bit of posting to our mutual friends overseas.

And these post need to be current. We live in the now - not the 'week ago' of the old airmail days or even the 20 minutes ago of the telegram or fax. I like to see what my friends are up to now, not what they did three days ago. If the posting from a friend is really wild, I may contact them direct via Skype, WhatsApp or Line for a chat.

It's all part of the 'current-cy' of living in the present.

The best restaurants understand this culture, and they develop dishes that look good as well as taste good, knowing that we'll post images on Facebook giving them some free marketing.

As a film user you appreciate different values. The considered setting of a manual camera, the cerebral skills required to predict the results of your work, without the benefit of 'chimping' on a screen to get immediate feedback. I admire you for these skills, but your choices are not in any way superior to the people who, like me, decide to live in an immersive, multicultural, multi time zone world.

I enjoy sharing my meal with more than just the friends who happen to be in the same room, I like to make my distant friends and relatives feel included in social gatherings by sending a contemporaneous message, I enjoy using 21st century tools to sustain my friendships on a global scale, bridging time zones, cultures and generations. I also enjoy photography, which is my camera can connect to my phone so I can download and share quality shots of my food.

And I would no more look down on the selfie posters than on film users. Both are using tools to communicate beyond speech and gesture, both have left the cave and are embracing technology to develop wider social networks than would be possible without the tools, and ironically in this case, both are using the internet to communicate their thoughts beyond their immediate peers.

Thank you for saving me from having to write something similar. Putting others down for living their lives as they choose seems unfair and unnecessary to me. It does seem to be popular, however.

[DDbkh]

It used to drive me crazy, my wife would take masses of photos and selfies. Every meal in a restaurant and some at home (she's a great cook) are photo'd - then one day I read an article in a newspaper that went some went to explain it. Basically it's an existential thing, she can now with Facebook and Line show her friends what she is doing and enjoying.

I still find it mildly irritating but have basically come to terms with this modern phenomenon.

[CCP]

Nicely written. I found the same post on the Rangefinder Forum - but not your photos?

But I have a different view of the events you observed.

I know it's a cliché - but we do live in a connected world. I have friends in UK, US, India, New Zealand and throughout most of Asia. I see these friends perhaps twice a year. I also have friends in Thailand and I see them most days.

So when any of us get together for food, events or just a chat, we'll start the proceedings with a bit of posting to our mutual friends overseas.

And these post need to be current. We live in the now - not the 'week ago' of the old airmail days or even the 20 minutes ago of the telegram or fax. I like to see what my friends are up to now, not what they did three days ago. If the posting from a friend is really wild, I may contact them direct via Skype, WhatsApp or Line for a chat.

It's all part of the 'current-cy' of living in the present.

The best restaurants understand this culture, and they develop dishes that look good as well as taste good, knowing that we'll post images on Facebook giving them some free marketing.

As a film user you appreciate different values. The considered setting of a manual camera, the cerebral skills required to predict the results of your work, without the benefit of 'chimping' on a screen to get immediate feedback. I admire you for these skills, but your choices are not in any way superior to the people who, like me, decide to live in an immersive, multicultural, multi time zone world.

I enjoy sharing my meal with more than just the friends who happen to be in the same room, I like to make my distant friends and relatives feel included in social gatherings by sending a contemporaneous message, I enjoy using 21st century tools to sustain my friendships on a global scale, bridging time zones, cultures and generations. I also enjoy photography, which is my camera can connect to my phone so I can download and share quality shots of my food.

And I would no more look down on the selfie posters than on film users. Both are using tools to communicate beyond speech and gesture, both have left the cave and are embracing technology to develop wider social networks than would be possible without the tools, and ironically in this case, both are using the internet to communicate their thoughts beyond their immediate peers.

Thanks very much for your considered reply. Very well put. You might be surprised to learn that I pretty much agree with you entirely. It was all ever so slightly tongue in cheek and I certainly didn't mean to imply any superiority or looking down my nose at them. You never know how people read something that they find, to be fair of course... the reader doesn't know how the writer intended it. This is due to the lack of para-linguistic features when not having a face to face conversation in the real world I suppose. They were happy, I'm pretty sure. You probably don't need to convince me of the digital real time arguments, we're on an internet forum after all. It's just a 'sign of the times' blog post of how weird I find it, I know some don't but I do. I think that's all really. I do sometimes shoot with a digital camera as well, although I can't deny that my preference is for film. Agree with all your points about the benefits of sharing with friends in real time etc, a fairly large percentage of people on here will likely be living a long away from their homelands and so that gives us an added perspective of course. Thanks again for what you wrote I enjoyed it.

[CCP]

It used to drive me crazy, my wife would take masses of photos and selfies. Every meal in a restaurant and some at home (she's a great cook) are photo'd - then one day I read an article in a newspaper that went some went to explain it. Basically it's an existential thing, she can now with Facebook and Line show her friends what she is doing and enjoying.

I still find it mildly irritating but have basically come to terms with this modern phenomenon.

Yes, 'come to terms with it' would perhaps best describe it for me also.

[samuijimmy]

Before the phone buzzed ...exercise time!!!

oh a tweet!

[shaggy1969]

An enjoyable read,thanks for sharing it with us!

Smart phones,wonderful creations.They are like a Swiss army knife for photographers.

'Selfies',.......hmmmm each to their own, I suppose.Personally I would much rather look through the lens,than point it at myself!

Edit.....A link can be found at the bottom of the CCP's post in rangefinder,well worth a look,in my opinion.I especially like the

'THAIRICHPOORTHAI' images.

Just a thought, add the website link to your Thaivisa personal profile page?

[SoiBiker]

Ironic that you would start a piece about selfies with words carefully chosen to present a certain image of yourself to the world.

[CCP]

Before the phone buzzed ...exercise time!!!

oh a tweet!

Simpler times no doubt Jimmy, thanks for the reminder.

[CCP]

An enjoyable read,thanks for sharing it with us!

Smart phones,wonderful creations.They are like a Swiss army knife for photographers.

'Selfies',.......hmmmm each to their own, I suppose.Personally I would much rather look through the lens,than point it at myself!

Edit.....A link can be found at the bottom of the CCP's post in rangefinder,well worth a look,in my opinion.I especially like the

'THAIRICHPOORTHAI' images.

Just a thought, add the website link to your Thaivisa personal profile page?

Thanks Shaggy. glad you like 'thairichpoortthai'. The idea had been in my head for years but I could never quite get the concept right. Truth is, it was a bit of a pig to do as multiple exposures on old film cameras are not the easiest, very low keeper ratio and took me a while. I was surprised as I somehow remembered it as being a bit easier. I didn't really set out to do a 100% purely film site/blog, although it certainly has gone that way. I'll no doubt add some work shot on digital cameras as time goes on.

If you say it's okay to add a website link to my profile, I shall probably follow your advice, thanks.

[CCP]

Ironic that you would start a piece about selfies with words carefully chosen to present a certain image of yourself to the world.

Isn't it just?

[harrry]

They are probably just practicing for the day in which taking photos of others is not allowed....

oooops that has already come in the west hasn't it.

[CCP]

They are probably just practicing for the day in which taking photos of others is not allowed....

oooops that has already come in the west hasn't it.

Yes perhaps it might have, in some places at least. I have noticed in some countries though that anywhere there are 'no photo' signs, it seems as though selfies are often something that a blind eye is turned to. Not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, just an observation. There's a definite difference in reaction and perhaps regulation between a photo taken with a more serious looking camera and somebody perceived as snapshotting or taking a selfie with a smartphone, even though smartphone cameras are sometimes just as capable in their own right.

[FracturedRabbit]

Ironic that you would start a piece about selfies with words carefully chosen to present a certain image of yourself to the world.

Ironic that a refreshingly different, well-written and entertaining piece appears on this forum and is subjected to sniping; whilst the daily deluge of mediocrity from a small number of culprits remains unremarked.

[harrry]

Sadly if someone took the photo samui jimmie did in many western countries he would be looked on with suspicion if not worse.

[Kan Win]

Hi CCP,

Welcome to the Forum by the way.

Sadly our members missed that part, shame on them.

Hard to read as the font is not black. So did not even bother to try and read it.

However your pinned one, I will read it as it is in black.

Welcome once again and please keep it in black the font and photos is full colour.

Win

[shaggy1969]

Good point there Kan!

Apologies CCP,and a belated welcome to the forum.

Also,have edited your original post from gray to black font,for easier reading.

[CCP]

Hi CCP,

Welcome to the Forum by the way.

Sadly our members missed that part, shame on them.

Hard to read as the font is not black. So did not even bother to try and read it.

However your pinned one, I will read it as it is in black.

Welcome once again and please keep it in black the font and photos is full colour.

Win

Thanks for the welcome Win, it's been changed to black now. I copied it from my website and the colour got changed somehow. Full colour photos might be a bit harder for me though.

[CCP]

Good point there Kan!

Apologies CCP,and a belated welcome to the forum.

Also,have edited your original post from gray to black font,for easier reading.

Thanks for the help there again Shaggy, very much appreciated again.

[Emster23]

Well written piece. Loved "Too busy updating the world to actually be in it."

Being connected is one thing, being tethered is another. Current generation seems to have adopted an electronic umbilical cord... there is a reason the natural one is cut: so you can get on with life.

I predict some years down the track, after I'm dead and gone, massive mental health services will be required for those who rewired their brains with this all consuming activity. And response "Why didn't we see this coming?".

[ozyjon]

I was there at the birth of Windows

I was there at the birth of Hotmail

I was there at the birth of the internet

I was there at the birth of Facebook

I was there at the birth of the mobile phone

I hope i'm there to see them all die.

[DrDave]

A very well written piece - thanks for contributing.

Unlike others, I didn't interpret your post as a put-down. It's more like an observation of current social trends, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the same subtle points you made documented some years in the future by respected sociologists when looking back on changing social behaviors.

Well done!

[mikiea]

Well written.

I was out with a young African woman last night. Educated African woman in her 20's. Her iPhone didn't come out once. Instead it was very fun conversation with her leading the way with hilarious, fun tales, that almost had me crying with laughter. Not the type that had Lakorn-esque boing-boing sound effects.

After 9 years of Thailand, I must say that it was refreshing for an evening to be spent having fun without neither a phone being seen or selfie being taken.

ehhh.... she have a friend ?

[wabothai]

Ironic that you would start a piece about selfies with words carefully chosen to present a certain image of yourself to the world.

Ironic that a refreshingly different, well-written and entertaining piece appears on this forum and is subjected to sniping; whilst the daily deluge of mediocrity from a small number of culprits remains unremarked.

It may occur to you mr. CCP and followers, that some of us are not blessed with sophisticated writer's knowledge of the English language.

I tried and gave up, I am sure others did.

[jhonnie]

love your work....