Narcissm, Self Obsession and Selfies in Thailand

[laolover88]

I am old enough to dislike "Selfies" Oddly my children think they are stupid, too. But I wonder. Are Thais any more obsessed with themselves and their looks than other people? I don't see the same self obsession and the photographing of the self in France and the UK. I know the "presentation of self" is important in Thailand, particularly for women. Seems to me a bit "over"! What do you think?

[BritManToo]

I think the attractive women in the world should be allowed to take all the naked selfies they want.

As long as they leave their phone within my reach, when they leave the room, I'm happy.

One did that last night!

Edited May 4, 2016 by BritManToo

[joeyg]

For starters I live here and, like Thailand and it's people. Having said that the obsession with superficial looks/selfies/materialism, face (pun intended) etc well I've just never seen anything like it. You got a love it though...

[trd]

The selfie stick spells the end of civilisation as we know it.

[ExpatOilWorker]

I would rather swim with sharks than taking a selfie. Apparently it is also safer.

http://www.sciencealert.com/selfies-have-killed-more-people-than-sharks-this-year-reports-show

Is selfie really a word?

[stevenl]

Thai hardly make selfies compared to the Chinese.

[optad]

Hate to be reasonable, but... it is just the new generational 'thing'.

I loathe the selfies, think they debase other ways of socializing but i cannot fault the logic of 'not my time'/ their time. ie GEN Y

We, over the age of 'X' will always lament change. I am personally hyper-critical of so many aspects of the gen 'Y's generation and all they bring but do realize it is their right to do so.

I recently discovered a Swiss person in Thailand doing something i had done some years before for an organisation. However, she had documented everything on Facebook, replete with selfies but also so much more. There was an archive of what her year, her participations' meant and were about. I personally, could never be so self promoting nonetheless, the selfie is part of this generation's statement of themselves. It is a tech thing as much as a social phenomena and ego representative of ID.

Do not be too strict given it is their time and place now, and if there is a failure ..... perhaps we just did not get the message across or cannot see their values in new media spaces.

[Aussieroaming]

I work all over the world...selfies are as common as a piss in the morning. Welcome to the world of cameras...I never realised that people had such a hard on for themselves either.

[Blackheart]

It has little to do with body image.

It's similar to their obsession with brand names, the selfi is all about showing off where they are and what they are doing.

Putting themselves in the pic to say hey look what I'm doing, like taking pics of everything they eat.

Interesting but not annoying.

[HooHaa]

I work all over the world...selfies are as common as a piss in the morning. Welcome to the world of cameras...I never realised that people had such a hard on for themselves either.

Ah finally an opinion with current experience beyond its immediate doorstep.

[kannot]

i think theyr'e all self obsessed <deleted>

[ripstanley]

I would rather swim with sharks than taking a selfie. Apparently it is also safer.

http://www.sciencealert.com/selfies-have-killed-more-people-than-sharks-this-year-reports-show

Is selfie really a word?

Yes it is. Definition from the Oxford dictionary

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/selfie

[questionsreplies]

in uk and france they read books, maybe it helps being less stupid than in Asia ?

[chowny77]

I believe it is a world wide craze. Females I find do seem to do selfies more than males as males seem to me more drawn to doing videos of stupid pranks they can pull on their friends.

[Squeegee]

Same everywhere but Asians are the world leaders. Thailand is just some of the Asians.

[HooHaa]

in uk and france they read books, maybe it helps being less stupid than in Asia ?

Does this reading of books occur in other countries or just the UK and france?

[geronimo]

I would rather swim with sharks than taking a selfie. Apparently it is also safer.

http://www.sciencealert.com/selfies-have-killed-more-people-than-sharks-this-year-reports-show

Is selfie really a word?

Yes it is. Definition from the Oxford dictionary

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/selfie

When I was a lad, a selfie was something you did when there weren't any girls around!!!!

[sipi]

I go to lengths to avoid having my photo taken.

[Berkshire]

I work all over the world...selfies are as common as a piss in the morning. Welcome to the world of cameras...I never realised that people had such a hard on for themselves either.

Agree. This is a worldwide phenomenon, certainly not a Thailand thing. Everybody knows this....except for the OP. Every time this guy starts a thread, you just know it's going to be another feeble attempt at Thai-bashing.

[steveyinasia]

I work all over the world...selfies are as common as a piss in the morning. Welcome to the world of cameras...I never realised that people had such a hard on for themselves either.

Ah finally an opinion with current experience beyond its immediate doorstep.

Most of my travel in around South East Asia and Thailand is no different from any of the other regions when it comes to the selfie obsession. My main observation though is that women seem to be more active than men.

[Emster23]

Seems rather pointless and futile, as their "friends" no doubt also busy taking & posting selfies.... who has time to look at others selfies? Like a chain letter to ones self....

[Ombra]

It is not a modern phenomenon. I remember twenty or thirty years ago taking trips with my wife to Amsterdam, Vienna and Athens, and all she was interested in was having her photo taken in front of some picturesque place. She had no interest in knowing what the building was and she never read a guidebook. Her friends seemed to be the same. I just regarded it as amusing behavior which made her and others happy. It was a way of sharing something with other people.

[goonnerone]

It has little to do with body image.

It's similar to their obsession with brand names, the selfi is all about showing off where they are and what they are doing.

Putting themselves in the pic to say hey look what I'm doing, like taking pics of everything they eat.

Interesting but not annoying.

oh its annoying trust me I hid a friend because I was fed up of her posting 3 or 4 selfies on he Facebook a day

[bbbbooboo]

There is s story about a young Greek man named Narcissis, who was forever looking at his handsome reflection in a pond of water. One day they found him drowned,he had leaned forward a little too far to admire himself and fallen in.

[gandalf12]

If a Thai takes a selfie and it doesn't look as good as they would like, does this make them lose face and they have to smash the phone?

[gandalf12]

in uk and france they read books, maybe it helps being less stupid than in Asia ?

Taking your comment to its conclusion it means that probably 90% of the world are stupid which when thinking about it would account for a lot

[likeke]

I have absolutely no problem with selfies. It's innocent fun to share with others. No one gets harmed, it is safe, not harmful to the health of others, and does not pollute the environment. I can't say that about smokers. Don't get get me started.

[smotherb]

in uk and france they read books, maybe it helps being less stupid than in Asia ?

I taught international management in several universities for over 20 years; the Asians were, at least, as bright as the Europeans, Americans, Canadians, or Aussies--in many cases, the Asians were brighter. Perhaps you are comparing educated westerners with uneducated Asians.

[BritManToo]

in uk and france they read books, maybe it helps being less stupid than in Asia ?

Taking your comment to its conclusion it means that probably 90% of the world are stupid which when thinking about it would account for a lot

When you're in the top 0.5% like me, 99.5% of the world look a bit simple.

Selfies and reading are no indication of IQ.

Being able to discuss Dark Matter, MOND (Modified Newtonian Dynamics) and GIA (Glacial Isostatic Adjustment) are much better indicators.

Edited May 5, 2016 by BritManToo

[Robert24]

I guess you are older, young people like selfies, it's funny....