Selfie Culture Is An Extension Of A Sinful Culture

I know I may be old by some standards, but at forty-one, I’m technically a millennial. Though, please, don’t clump me in with the stereotypes. Millennials are known for many things to which I can’t relate. Topping that list would have to be selfie culture. If you’ve just emerged from a life isolated in the woods, selfies are those pictures people take of themselves with or without duck face.

To put it plainly, I want the camera as far away from me as possible. Maybe even point it in the other direction, OK? However, much to my dismay, we live in a selfie culture. We have for a while, but it has only amped up over the years as social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and X have taken over our lives.

I used to be able to say that I could count on one hand how many times I’d taken a selfie. I began taking them, on occasion, when I was on a trip of some sort with my family. I’m not comfortable sharing many pictures of them on my public accounts, so I try to keep them out of most of the photos. So, I eventually began posting more selfies than I ever had before.

Now, let’s be honest. I’m no model. I expected my selfies to be ignored or laughed at, but the response was overwhelmingly positive. I wasn’t sharing selfies to build myself up, but woah, can I see how easily the selfie mindset nurtures a self-obsessed and sinful culture! That attention feels pretty nice…

Selfie Culture Nurtures Sin

1. Selfies Feed Narcissism

*I’m not using narcissism in clinical terms.

You know this person. She constantly posts pictures on social media, and these photos are not interesting at all. They’re generally just of her face. A woman who posts pictures of herself like that regularly implies that she believes she is just that important. Plus, we, the innocent bystanders in all this, must be waiting with bated breath for the next visual assault from her Instagram account. We care so much, she thinks. But, um, we don’t actually care at all. Most of us scroll by yet another one of her selfies.

I’d like to clarify that I’m not equating someone who posts constant selfies and someone who posts a lot of pictures (some of which may be selfies). Some folks are photographers at heart, if not in profession, and take beautiful and interesting photos. Show us, please! A selfie narcissist, on the other hand, loves seeing her face and seeing comments, likes, shares, and other responses to her appearance and her life. That is the narcissism fed by selfie culture…”It’s all about me!”

2. Selfies Feed Self-Importance

This idea is strongly linked to narcissism. Narcissism relates to admiration of self and a strong focus on one’s appearance. This person will want the likes and other affirmations concerning those elements. On the other hand, self-importance is a little grander in scope than narcissism.

Self-importance suggests that you are more important or valuable than you are in reality. Imagine going to the Grand Canyon with a friend. You two are viewing one of the most awe-inspiring scenes in the whole of the United States. Then, you realize your friend is only taking selfies. Thirty-two pictures later, and she is the primary focus of every single shot. Who wants to see the Grand Canyon when your friend could be in the picture instead? Not to be a downer, but, like, everyone would rather see the splendors of nature over a self-indulgent selfie. (Note: Go ahead and take some vacation selfies, but remember everything is not about you.)

Our Fearless Leaders Love An Ill-Timed Selfie

The ultimate example of a self-important selfie is given to us by former President Barack Obama. He famously took a selfie with two prime ministers at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. It’s not just Obama, though. Selfies at funeral and memorial services are a common occurrence now. I find examples like the above Grand Canyon scenario annoying, but taking selfies at funerals really does put oneself at the center of the world, doesn’t it?

3. Selfies Feed Worth Through Praise

Post anything on social media, and you will likely find yourself checking back for reactions. The likes, comments, and shares dictate the success of the post (and you) on a purely artificial scale, but we look to it for value and worth. According to addictioncenter.com, we talk about ourselves 30-40% of the time. However, that percentage increases to 80% on social media! Each time we receive feedback on a social media platform our brain releases dopamine. It feels good, but the problem is the rewarding feeling is only temporary. Like a drug addict, we go searching for another hit.

We feel good about ourselves when we have these interactions. It bolsters our self-worth with each hit of dopamine. You see, if I’m getting positive feedback paired with chemical mood enhancement, then I begin to rely on that to feel good. Because the reward cycle is linked to photographs of me, it all ties into how I view myself. No likes = No worth.

So, we become that 7th grader who constantly fishes for compliments because we lack confidence and believe the lie that our worth comes from what others think of us.

4. Selfies Feed The Worship Of Self

Creating idols is certainly not a new idea to the human race. Golden calf, anyone (Exodus 32)? In the case of selfies, however, the idol we worship is ourselves. All reality revolves around us. Selfie culture unmistakably cultivates this mentality.

Pictures? Mostly me.

My desire? Attention and compliments about me.

Descriptions I write about selfies? Flattering about me.

You should find some of those Christian Instagram girls. Very little displays the worship of self in a more repulsive way than a girl posting a heavily filtered picture of herself with her Bible and a caption that humblebrags about her walk with Jesus. Somehow, the Lord ends up as a secondary character in those posts.

Why Selfie Culture Is Not Biblical

I sure am being rough on selfie, but as with all things, we need to filter selfies through the Word. So, let me throw some Bible verses at you.

1. We Should Be Humble.

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

James 4:10

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30

Scripture shows us the importance of humility in these two verses. We are exalted by God when we are humble and put Him above ourselves. Scripture insists God is first, and we only harm our relationship with Him and our spiritual walk when we focus on ourselves as the center of our lives.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

1 John 2:15-16

Is the selfie culture and obsession with constantly sharing ourselves on social media a picture of the pride of life? Of course it is! And what does the Bible teach about a person who has given herself over to this? Well, perhaps, she doesn’t truly know the Lord because she is in love with the things of the world.

2. We Are To Die To Self.

NERD ALERT: I really wanted to say “die to self(ies).”

And back to the point…

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Galatians 5:24

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Matthew 16:25

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 14:27

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

The Common Link

Christ does not require your physical death to be His disciple, but He does require a death of the old self. We are to put Him first and set aside the selfishness of our fleshly desires. Selfies don’t create a natural leaning toward others, and they most definitely do not point to Jesus.

3. Please God, Not Men.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

Galatians 1:10

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.”

Ephesians 6:5-9

Pulling It Together

In order to truly serve your Lord, you cannot serve men. Who do selfies serve? For whom do you post these? There is a reason it takes twenty-nine tries to get the “right” selfie to post. We want it to look good to the people who follow us on social media. We are curating our images to best please others, but we ought to be concerned with how to best please God. As Ephesians 6 says, when we serve others, no matter our position, we do it in service to Jesus.

Final Thought

So now what? Maybe we should stop taking pictures of ourselves, quit all social media, and sit in a darkened room and pray every waking minute of the day. Well, feel free, but I’m not sold on being that extreme. In fact, I’m not even willing to cast away selfies. On the other hand, may I suggest that we just be more thoughtful about how we interact in a world driven my social media?

I’m not going to be a big selfie enthusiast, personally, because I think it’s kind of silly and feel self-conscious about it. At the same time, I’m not opposed to sharing some selfies when it seems appropriate. There is nothing inherently wrong with them, but like with all good things, there is a point when it becomes problematic.

I can’t tell you why you post selfies. I don’t know your heart. Ask yourself, though, next time you are about to post one:

Is this feeding narcissism?

Am I being self-important?

Will this post give me a sense of worth if I receive positive feedback?

Am I idolizing myself?

Lastly, am I loving God and representing Him well with this selfie?

You decide what your next step is after you answer those questions, and be careful not to slide into sinful love of self because you wanted to do what everyone else is doing (Romans 12:2).

Do you like selfies? Do you see any problems with them?

Want More On Media?

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Image courtesy of Mateus Campos Felipe via Unsplash.