Personal snaps ... a man takes a selfie in Mumbai, India. Picture: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool
INDIA’S biggest city has banned selfies in most areas following a spate of selfie-linked deaths.
Mumbai has declared 16 no-selfie zones after new data revealed India has the highest number of selfie deaths in the world.
Priceonomics data shows 19 of the world’s 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014 have happened in the Asian country.
There have been seven deaths in Russia and five in the US, but none in Australia, according to the figures.
Earlier this month, an 18-year-old college student on a class picnic lost his balance while taking a selfie atop a rock near a dam near the central Indian city of Nashik. He fell into the water and drowned, along with a classmate who jumped in to try and save him.
Last month, an 18-year-old woman fell and drowned in the sea while taking a photo of herself at Mumbai’s Bandstand Fort, a popular tourist spot.
An engineering student sustained fatal head injuries when a rock he was standing cracked and sent him tumbling. He’d been trying to take a selfie with friends in front of the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu.
And in January 2014, three students aged 20 to 22 died when they stopped to take a photograph with a speeding train approaching, and were hit. They’d been on their way to visit the Taj Mahal.
Group photo ... a group takes a selfie on Mumbai's coastline. Picture: AP Photo/Rafiq MaqboolSource:AP
In Mumbai, police have declared selfies off-limits in areas perceived as risky — particularly along the coastline in spots with no railings or barriers. Anyone venturing into off-limits areas, even if they take no photos, risks being slapped with a fine of 1200 rupees, or about $24.
After the woman’s death last month, the city’s police conducted a survey to identify such dangerous places, police official Dhananjay Kulkarni said. The city also plans to run an awareness campaign.
Despite clearly marked signs demarking the selfie-free zones, people can still be seen clicking away, and often going to the edges or standing on ledges to get the most thrilling shots.
“When you are travelling alone, and do not have anyone to take your pictures, then it’s only selfie,” said Murtuza Rangwala, a student in Mumbai.
Mumbai psychologist Keerti Sachdeva said she doesn’t expect the constant pursuit of selfies to end any time soon, saying one probable reason is the need for acceptance and love.
“You know people have this sort of feeling in adolescent age, especially that they need to get this acceptance from everyone, that I am a smart person, I am a good-looking person,” Sachdeva said. “So for acceptance and recognition they are indulging in taking of selfies.”
India has a population of 1.25 billion and is one of the world’s fastest-growing smartphone markets.
The Selfie Industry is Not Going Away Anytime Soon1:00
The selfie has become the center of its own economic ecosystem, compelling existing businesses to adapt accordingly and fueling the creation of entirely new businesses. The growth of selfie products, software, or services means real money is riding on the continued relevance and growth of selfies as a form of cultural expression. One part of the new selfie economy is obvious to anyone who has traveled to a tourist site recently: the selfie stick.
