Today, nearly everyone has a phone in their pocket, and there is zero cost to pulling it out and snapping a photo. Many of us snap away, collectively churning out over 1.4 trillion digital photos each year. 4.5 billion pictures are shared daily on WhatsApp alone, to say nothing of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and other platforms.
There is growing resistance to this phenomenon, with phones and selfie sticks being banned by municipalities, schools, and museums. Taking pictures on our phones is often seen as part of a broader, problematic trend of constant device and social media usage that harms our mental health, especially among young people.
However, the reality is a bit more complicated.
Read the full article at Venture Beat.
This article was produced by Footnote in partnership with University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
