‘Selfiest’ tag: No big deal—UP prof

CEBU, Philippines - A day after the Philippines was declared "selfie capital of the world," netizens have been taking a variety of selfie versions with prominent and regular individuals posted via various social media sites.

For a social science professor, this is a way to express oneself heightened by the availability of technology, which means that most Cebuanos are comfortable with how they look.

"It goes to show that Cebuanos are not shy about themselves. Selfies are a form of self-expression covered by one of our basic freedoms, the freedom of expression. It could also be because of the accessibility and availability of cheap hi-tech gadgets," said University of the Philippines-Cebu professor Zenaida Ligan.

She explained that even before the recognition from the TIME Magazine, Cebuanos have been doing selfies so the tag will not have any abrupt effect.

"Unless we try for a world record, then maybe it will increase the selfies. One thing is for sure, those that are doing it now will still be doing it and those that don't may or not do it depending on the situation," Ligan said.

Personally, the academician believes that the matter does not have to be taken as a big deal.

Several reasons, she added, may cause a person to take and post selfies on the internet.

These include showing off to friends their lifestyle, looking at themselves seen worldwide in relation to narcissistic and vanity tendencies, or dealing with a difficult situation.

"At the end of the day, whatever the reasons are, it is a form of self-expression that wasn't available a decade ago but has become prevalent today because of the advancement of technology.

In the TIME Magazine’s March article, Cebu was ranked ninth while Makati and Pasig in the National Capital Region shared the number one spot in the top 100 cities in the world with most number of selfies posted via photo and video sharing site Instagram.

The article was entitled "The Selfiest Cities in the World: TIME's Definitive Ranking." – (FREEMAN)