The news is incredible, an announcement that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) had officially classified taking ‘Selfies’ as a mental disorder. In fact, the announcement also claimed that the APA also named the disorder

Unbelievable news? Yes, because it was apparently a hoax from Adobo Chronicles, a website who uses the tagline ‘up-to-date, unbelievable news.’ No mention of this supposed new disorder can be found on the APA website, and has not been confirmed by any credible source.

Of course, the story, and the validity of the hoax are undeniably amusing, but, what we found more interesting was the fact that the spoof is becoming a viral phenomenon almost overnight. Why did so many people latch on to the notion, and share the presumed ‘news’ story without ever questioning whether or not its valid.

Oxford officially named ‘Selfie’ the word of the year in 2013, although the word ‘Selfie’ might be popular to say, the concept of taking photos of ourselves seems to come with a perception of either narcissism, or if nothing else, a sense of humor (one that mocks narcissism).

We actually found the viral nature of the hoax (and concept of the ‘Selfie’) so interesting that we scoured the internet to find data from a reputable organization about how many people are actually turned off by the notion of ‘Selfies.’ Of course, we couldn’t find any credible numbers. We simply found a lot of opinions. Nevertheless, we did find some statistics interesting. Information available to us suggests that 91% of teenagers have taken a ‘Selfie’. However, we also know plenty of adults who regularly participate in the cultural trend as well, as mostly persons above the age of 20, celebrities included, practise this as can be seen on social media.

Why Do People Love the Hoax so Much, and What Can We Learn From It?

The cultural phenomenon of the ‘Selfie’ exposes a very basic human desire—to feel noticed, appreciated and recognized. And, although the ‘Selfie’ may not always elicit the most appropriate type of recognition, receiving just a few likes from our Facebook,Tweeter, Instagram, etc friends uncovers a foundational aspect of human psychology that can actually help drive results in the workplace. For instance,when people are recognized, they feel appreciated, they tend to repeat the behavior that was recognized or that earned them recognition. Reinforcement theory is a limited effects media model, applicable within the realm of communication. The theory generally states that people seek out and remember information that provides cognitive support for their pre-existing attitudes and beliefs. The main assumption that guides this theory is that people do not like to be wrong and often feel uncomfortable when their beliefs are challenged.

Additionally, this theory focuses on the behavior to consequence connection within the ABC model. It can also be referred to as Operant Conditioning or the Law of Effect. Quite simply, this theory notes that a behavior will continue with a certain level of frequency based on pleasant or unpleasant results.

http://www.naijareporters.com/2015/06/selfie-mental-disorder.html