“Death by selfie”. Picture that headline in a newspaper or a news channel. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a comment related to what was going through the victim's head, but in truth, the so-called selfies take more lives than it appears. Recently, several statistics have been published about selfie deaths around the globe, and although they are few compared to other causes, some of the data that emerges from them is striking...
The Unlikely Danger
Every activity that shows an explosion of popularity sooner or later develops its share of associated accidents, which in certain cases can be fatal. Practicing a sport, driving a special vehicle, visiting a specific place... and believe it or not, taking self-portraits. More than once we've come across a YouTube video where someone trips or ends up headfirst in a fountain because they can't take their eyes off their smartphone. Any distraction can have serious consequences, but the difference here is that taking a selfie is something desired by the victim in question. Selfie deaths are already so numerous that it's possible to generate precise statistics, from which aspects emerge such as gender, age, and "direct causes".
The Numbers
The folks at Priceonomics explain that since 2014, selfies have claimed a total of 49 victims. 36 of them, or 73.5 percent, were male, which speaks of a deep quest for "extreme selfies" among men. One of the most striking examples is the Instagram user "drewsssik" (real name Andrey Retrovsky), a 17-year-old Russian who fell from a ninth floor trying to update his profile with another intense self-portrait. Precisely, this loss reflects two critical details: Most of the dead are very young, with 27 percent belonging to the 21-year-old bracket, and the number one direct cause (16 deaths) is falling from heights, closely followed by drowning (14 deaths). The total number of victims in 2015 alone rose to 28, a number that places selfies on par with skateboarding, and well above shark attacks (8 annual deaths).
By Country
This brings us to the classification by country. Where does the highest number of selfie deaths occur? At the top of this unfortunate list is India, with 19 victims. Then Russia follows, with seven recorded deaths, and the United States with five. The case of India is very particular: According to the World Health Organization, 86,000 people drown every year in that country, and faced with factors such as lack of safety and preparedness to assist victims, the quest for the perfect selfie only amplifies the potential risk. This tragic situation forced the various local authorities to implement "selfie-free zones", while in Russia, its Ministry of Internal Affairs launched an official campaign encouraging responsible selfie-taking.
Of course, the problem is not limited to the decision of each person who risks their life for a photo. The current "mindset" of the Web, the constant search for approval, the need to show others that we have a life full of emotions, and a new era of "narcissism 2.0" are fundamental parts of this deadly equation, but despite the loss of lives and subsequent warnings, something tells us people will keep taking selfies in dangerous situations...
Priceonomics
