Sunday, April 24, 2016

Autographs going away because of selfies

Years ago when people met a celebrity, they’d want to get his or her autograph. But no more. Selfies are the memento of choice today.
After all, why get a squiggly line of barely legible ink when you could get a photograph with a celebrity and quickly post it to social media?
A photo with a celebrity shows a more personal connection to that person than a signature on a piece of paper.
Also, everyone has a smartphone on them, but few carry a pen and paper these days.
Singer Taylor Swift noted in 2014 that autographs have become “obsolete.”
“I haven’t been asked for an autograph since the invention of the iPhone with a front-facing camera,” Swift said in a Wall Street Journal column.
Recently a 12-year-old girl was invited on stage by singer Adele for a selfie after holding up a sign written on a napkin for nearly two hours, the Daily Mail reported.
Another recent article showed how fans will try to take selfies with celebrities even when the subjects resist.
And President Barack Obama said earlier this year that he’s “fed up” with posing for selfies.
Just like some celebrities refused to sign autographs in the old days, some today will likely say no to selfies.

Photo: President Barack Obama poses for a selfie with several YouTube video stars in January. (See articles by CNN and the Huffington Post.)

No comments: