The post-crisis selfie

As per usual, social media is now the focus of last week’s stabbing tragedy at Franklin Regional Senior High School.

Nate Scimio, the sophomore student who was named a hero by classmates has come under fire for posting a selfie on Instagram just minutes after the stabbing occurred. The photo has been highly scrutinized by websites and newspapers across the country, citing Scimio as an attention seeker and even going as far to say his only motive for pulling the alarm was a bid for fame.

Typical. Very pathetic, but typical.

Our generation is unfairly criticized for our supposed overdependence on and constant use of social media and cell phones. The negative connotation linked with social media, smart phones and today’s youth is simply a waste of energy. We’ve grown up with it, we’re directly marketed to want it and buy it. We see nothing wrong with it.

Social media is not going away anytime soon, and this event shows only its significance
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Most of the nation learned of the stabbing via social media or smart phone, so why is this guy being criticized so heavily for simply exercising his right to citizen journalism?

As a teenager in 2014, taking an Instagram selfie is merely second nature. Whether you approve of the trend or not, selfies are a daily occurrence of American youth, and I find overanalyzing the content to be more than it is much more inappropriate than the picture Scimio took.

Not to mention if the photo had in fact not been a selfie, perhaps taken by a parent or hospital attendant, there arguably would have been no controversy. It’s hardly different, yet due to the strange negative association of teens and their beloved mirror pictures, it’s a national headline.

It also is hypocritical to fault this guy for using social media to let everyone know he is OK, when there are dozens of comments on the Instagram from various news reporters of high stature.

An editor at NBC News in New York was just one of many journalists who posted on Scimio’s photo asking for interview time, even leaving a phone number for Scimio to call if he felt “up for talking.” To say the use of social media in this situation is inappropriate is to be expected, because that’s just what those whippersnappers are doing nowadays. It’s also narrow minded.

The art of social media in journalism is being taught in universities all across the world including this one.

Not necessarily because our generation needs instructing, but to prevent comments like the one left on Scimio’s photo from “Animal,” a news site based in New York City. The comment left asked for Scimio to “get in touch” with one of their reporters in order to “use this tragedy to get some more page views.”

Now, that is what I would label as an inappropriate use of social media.

cnmcelwa@indiana.edu
@clairemc_IDS