Selfies, in case you have recently emerged from solitary confinement, are those self portraits, preferably set in interesting or unusual surroundings or amid a clump of friends, that one takes with a cellphone camera, sometimes holding it on the end of a selfie stick to gain a wider field of view. They have spawned a great many cartoons, generally satirizing the implicit valuation of the solipsistic photographer’s face above the Grand Canyon or Mona Lisa. There have also been deaths and injuries, often of exotic kinds: falling into volcanoes, getting electrocuted or swept out to sea, or holding a gun in one hand and the camera in the other and getting the triggers mixed up. Falls from precarious places and encounters with moving trains seem to be among the more common mishaps.
Aftermath: Carelessness
Key Takeaways:
- A 2014 pilot's plane crash was attributed by the NTSB to spatial disorientation, with cellphone use (likely for selfies) identified as a contributing distraction.
- While direct evidence of selfie-taking during the crash was circumstantial, prior recorded flights demonstrated the pilot engaging in the activity.
- The incident serves as a broader lesson that social pressures in flying, such as showing off for passengers, can be an "insidiously distracting" element.
- The article stresses that flying, especially in demanding conditions like night or IFR, requires complete focus and is unforgiving of any carelessness or inattention.
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