Nobody who has ventured into public in the last year or two can fail to have noticed the explosion in popularity of the selfie. Almost every tourist site now features people facing away from the attraction and holding their camera or smartphone at arm’s length to capture themselves in front of it.
This is far from a passing fad. The term "selfie” is thought to date from 2005 – around the time social media was becoming equally inescapable – and even Scrabble now deems selfie is an acceptable word. However there is a notable gap between a practice being widespread and it being welcomed. The profusion of selfies on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and elsewhere has prompted questions about a new culture of self-obsession and narcissism.
But now Mastercard is testing a smartphone app that uses facial recognition to verify online purchases. But this poses other questions. Will anyone post the photo with “#selfie paying my utility bill” – and would the app recognise the frowning face?
