Travelers have always wanted to document their family vacations and solo journeys around the globe in hopes to remember the feeling of being surrounded by things unique to their everyday experiences. Before mass produced cameras, there were journals and essays. Before social media, there were family photo albums.
As the world becomes more technologically advanced, the art of rhetoric seems to have been replaced by b-rated photos. First seen in family photo albums consisting of sticky cellophane and blurry 4x6 landscapes, our b-rated shots have since moved to Instagram, replacing the opportunity to be truly present in your environment, and potentially compromising safety.
We put together a short list of dangerous selfies taken in 2015 by tourists that highlights why you may want to put your phone down and stay in the moment.
1. The time a woman was tossed aside by a bison
Would the tourist still have engaged in the activity if they were not taking a selfie? Probably.
If standing close to a 3,000 lb buffalo is on your bucket list, I sure hope it is somewhere at the bottom and you have fulfilled all other hopes and dreams in preparation. This must have been what the unidentified woman had done before she had put both herself and her six year old daughter at risk in 2015.
Engaging in this type of risky behavior could be attributed to many things. Maybe you are trying to get your best selfie or maybe your vacation has you feeling optimism bias a little too strongly. Regardless, when it comes to wildlife, it is best to follow the rules the experts put forth, because they have safety in mind. Both for you and the surrounding wildlife.
2. The time a state park closed due to people taking selfies
Would the tourist still have engaged in the activity if they were not taking a selfie? Probably.
Waterton Canyon park is popular among Colorado natives and tourists alike. With an average of 100,000 visitors annually, the park remains a popular destination. But for the safety of both visitors and wildlife, the park had closed due to the combination of higher than normal bear activity and hikers holding selfie sticks.
“We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears,” Brandon Ransom, manager of recreation of Denver Water, the public utility that maintains the park, said in blog post. “The current situation is not conducive for the safety of our visitors or the well-being of the wildlife.”
It is unnecessary to put yourself, your companions and local wildlife at risk. Due to the unnecessary, documented chain of incidents, a popular tourist destination has been affected.
3. The Japanese tourist who died after slipping down the stairs
Would the tourist still have engaged in the activity if they were not taking a selfie? Possibly.
Millennials are not the only demographics falling prey to the technological world in which we reside. This 66 year old tourist tragically died while taking a group selfie by the Taj Mahal's Royal Gate, suffering an accidental and tragic death.
While climbing stairs is considered an every day task, it is one we approach with some level of care, especially if the stairs are of the concrete variety.
If you are choosing to hone in on taking the perfect selfie versus being mindful of your balance and surroundings, you are putting yourself at unnecessary risk. The injuries sustained by the Japanese tourist may not have been life threatening to an adolescent or middle-aged tourist, but whether he lost his footing due to the selfie or not wearing proper shoes for his adventure remains unknown.
Whether you believe the world is becoming more careless or the carelessness is just more easily documented, it is undeniable that the risk some tourists take while they happen to be snapping selfies is a few clowns short of a circus. But the selfies may not be the cause, humans may simply be innately curious. It is what helps us grow, but can also prove dangerous.
According to the Washington Post, "Grisly examples of photo ops gone wrong aside, the people aiming to get a good shot are arguably part of a tradition that far predates the Instagram age. Humans have tried to capture the essence of wildlife since cave paintings -- it's just that the rise of image sharing online has made that instinct easier than ever to act on and share."
If you are going to take a photo, selfie or simply try to get the best view, at the very least, be sure to remain aware of your surroundings and do so safely. There is no sense in harming yourself or others.
Read some tips on taking a photo while on vacation here.