The last selfie: How technology has become a menace for millennials

At the heart of the tragic incident that occurred on Sunday – in which seven medical students lost their lives as a hanging bridge collapsed in Neelum Valley – lies a very pressing issue: people’s (especially youngsters) over-increasing dependence on technology.

The incident occurred after a total of twenty-six students gathered on the Jagran bridge built on a deep gulch for clicking a selfie, after which the bridge collapsed due to overweight. Despite the warning sign which clearly indicated that the bridge is able to withstand the pressure of five people only, the tourist students (mostly belonging to Faisalabad) ignored it, jeopardising their safety, putting their life at stake.

And for what? A mere selfie.

It’s heart-wrenching to see how precious lives were lost due to the obsession, the craze that we all have for clicking pictures. And it is quite alarming to see the lengths people go to in order to capture that ‘perfect selfie’, often putting their lives in extreme danger, when it’s not even worth it.

While there is no denying the fact that technology has engulfed us completely, cramming most part of our lives, we absolutely cannot imagine living our lives without it. However, it has become scary to see how people get killed because of depending on or using it excessively.

Have you ever been to a concert that you were planning to be a part of since long, but do not remember even a single moment of it, because you were too occupied with clicking pictures, making videos and posting them on Snapchat and Instagram? I am sure you have, and you just have your soaring dependence on technology to blame for it.

Selfie deaths are not a new phenomenon, they happen all around the world. But what is highly distressing is the fact that the obsession with technology has led to more tragedies than any other thing.

According to a research conducted in 2015, it was found that more people died by taking selfies than by suffering from shark attacks. Moreover, most of the selfie-related deaths reported were due to falling.

Coming over to the most disturbing part of the study: most of the people involved in such incidents were aged between 18 and 22, and the accidents ranged from a man being electrocuted while climbing on a train to a pilot crashing a light aircraft, killing himself and a passenger, and multiple instances of people dying while posing with loaded guns.

And similar happened with these medical students who for the sake of a picture lost their lives.

So to say, people should realise the immense value their lives hold and be very cautious while using technology. You may not know what harm a slight negligence may do to you, not to forget the everyday consequences the addiction of technology has on your health.