Selfie stick

A tourist using a selfie stick near the top of the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan

A selfie stick is a monopod used to take selfie photographs by positioning a smartphone or camera beyond the normal range of the arm.[1] The metal sticks are typically extensible, with a handle on one end and an adjustable clamp on the other end to hold a phone in place.[2] Some have remote or Bluetooth controls, letting the user decide when to take the picture,[2] and models designed for cameras have a mirror behind the viewscreen so that the shot can be lined up.[3][4] In contrast to a monopod for stabilising a camera on the ground, a selfie stick's arm is thickest and strongest at the opposite end from the camera in order to provide better grip and balance when held aloft.[5] Safety concerns and the inconvenience the product causes to others have resulted in them being banned at many venues, including all Disney Parks, both Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood.[6]

A fully extended selfie stick with a smartphone attached

History

Homemade selfie sticks could date back as early as 1925. A photo from that year shows a man taking a photograph of himself and his wife, with the aid of a long pole which is pointed towards the camera and out of frame. Amateur box cameras of the period would not have been able to capture a self-portrait in focus when held at arm's length, requiring photographers to use remote shutter devices such as cables or sticks.[7]

An extensible selfie stick appeared in the 1969 Czechoslovak sci-fi film I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen, where one character holds a silver stick in front of herself and another character, smiles at the end of the stick as it produces a camera flash, and immediately unfurls a printed photograph of the pair from the stick's handle.[8][9]

The 1983 "Minolta Disc-7" camera had a convex mirror on its front to allow the composition of self-portraits, and its packaging showed the camera mounted on a stick while used for such a purpose.[10] A "telescopic extender" for compact handheld cameras was patented in U.S. in 1983,[11] and a Japanese selfie stick was featured in a 1995 book of "101 Un-Useless Japanese Inventions".[12] Canadian inventor Wayne Fromm patented his Quik Pod in 2005[13][14] and becoming commercially available in the United States the following year.[15] In 2012, Yeong-Ming Wang filed a patent for a "multi-axis omni-directional shooting extender" capable of holding a smartphone,[16] which won a silver medal at the 2013 Concours Lepine.[17][18] The term "selfie stick" did not become widely used until 2014.[19] Extended forms of selfie sticks can hold laptop computers to take selfies from a webcam.[20]

The selfie stick was listed in Time magazine's 25 best inventions of 2014.[21] The selfie stick has been criticized for its association with the perceived narcissism and self-absorption of contemporary society, with commentators in 2015 dubbing the tool the "Narcisstick"[22] or "Wand of Narcissus".[23]

Usage

Reporter Vanessa Lua using a Selfie Stick instead of a video-grapher for an interview

People attach their cell phone or camera to the end of the selfie stick, raise it in front of themselves and then make a sound or press a shutter button on the stick handle which is connected to the camera (usually using a port such as a headphone jack), or press a button on a wireless remote (often via Bluetooth), or use the camera's built-in timer to take a photo after a number of seconds have elapsed. The first two methods usually adapt the device's physical means of triggering the camera shutter such as the volume controls or the dedicated camera button of the device, which are replicated on headphones with on-cord controls, and are seen by the device as headphone devices.

The device gives more practical use in situations that require assistance for difficult photographs. It allows the user to take photographs in otherwise dangerous situations such as taking a photo over a cliff or from the door of an airplane. The device is sometimes used to take selfies that involve the photographer inside a moving vehicle.

Compatibility

Bluetooth remote shutter is compatible with Android 4.2.2 OS and above, and iOS 6.0 and above. Some selfie sticks have telescoping capabilities that allow for greater length and wider shots.

Bans and restrictions

A "no selfie sticks" sign at the Museum of Brisbane, 2015

Bans and restrictions on the use of selfie sticks have been imposed across a range of public venues generally on the grounds of safety and inconvenience to others.

Several concert venues in Australia[24] and the United Kingdom have banned the use of selfie sticks, along with some music festivals in the United States. Organisers have cited their role in the "illegal recording" of bands' sets, and the inconvenience and safety issues to fellow audience members.[24] The sticks have been banned in some museums, galleries[25][26] and historical sites[27] because of concerns about possible damage to artworks and other objects.[25][26]

Theme parks including Walt Disney World Resort,[28] Six Flags[29] and Universal Orlando and Hollywood have banned selfie sticks. The sticks have always been banned on rides at Disney World for safety reasons, but after a number of instances where rides had to be stopped because of a guest pulling out a selfie stick in mid-ride, such as incidents on California Screamin' and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney issued a park-wide ban on the accessories.[28]

Selfie sticks have been banned from many sporting events both for their "nuisance value" and for interfering with other spectators' enjoyment[27] or view.[30] The Australia Tour Down Under banned the devices citing "harm to cyclists, officials and yourself".[31] Emirates Stadium, home of the Arsenal Football Club, bans "any object that could be used as a weapon or could compromise public safety", and regards selfie sticks as such an item.[32]

In 2014, South Korea's radio management agency issued regulations, banning sale of unregistered selfie sticks that use Bluetooth technology, to trigger the camera, as any such device sold in South Korea is considered a "telecommunications device" and must be tested by and registered with the agency.[33] In 2015, Apple banned them from a WWDC Developers Conference, though it didn't explicitly state why.[34]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "In Defense of the Selfie Stick". TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  2. 1 2 "The New Tool Everyone Is Using". Business Insider Inc. 2014-07-16. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  3. ↑ "Zuckerberg Selfie Stick". The Next Web, Inc. 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  4. ↑ "Would You Buy a Zuckerberg Selfie Stick?". International Business Times AU. 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  5. ↑ Pogue, David (2007-08-09). "Five Fun Little Gadgets". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  6. ↑ Welch, Chris. "Selfie sticks are no longer welcome at Disney theme parks". theverge.com. The Verge. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Wendling, Mike (February 19, 2014). "Does this 90-year-old photo show the world's first 'selfie stick'?". BBC Trending. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  8. ↑ http://giphy.com/gifs/11enF2SjG85GTK Scene showing the 1969 selfie stick in I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen movie
  9. ↑ http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/3/11157362/sci-fi-film-selfie-stick-1970
  10. ↑ "MINOLTA DISC-7 CAMERA, 1983". museumoftechnology.org.uk.
  11. ↑ US 4530580 "Telescopic extender for supporting compact camera"
  12. ↑ Alex Scola. "Turns Out Japan Invented The 'Selfie-Stick' 20 Years Ago". Distractify.
  13. ↑ Benedictus, Leo (11 January 2015). "Is this man responsible for inventing the selfie stick?". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  14. ↑ US Patent No. 7684694 Apparatus for supporting a camera and method for using the apparatus
  15. ↑ "Quick family photos with Quik Pod". www.popgadget.net. Popgadget Personal Technology for Women. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  16. ↑ Wang, Yeong-Ming; Wang, Ji-Yang (2013-05-21), Multi-axis omni-directional shooting extender, retrieved 2016-02-28
  17. ↑ Joshua Wang (2014-09-10), Joshua on French TV Channel TF1 Prime Time VID 20130511 192811, retrieved 2016-02-28
  18. ↑ Joshua Wang (2014-03-05), 2013 Concours Lepine CNA News report, retrieved 2016-02-28
  19. ↑ "Selfie stick". Google Trends. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  20. ↑ "Selfie stick for MacBook". selfieclicks.net/. 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2016-03-22.
  21. ↑ "Time 25 best inventions of 2014". TIME INC. 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  22. ↑ Carr, David (4 January 2015). "Selfies on a Stick, and the Social-Content Challenge for the Media". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Haslett, Emma. "The selfie stick: A short history of this year's most popular Christmas present". City A.M. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  24. 1 2 Grubb, Ben (24 February 2015). "Australian venues ban 'narcissistic' selfie sticks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  25. 1 2 Dunn, Mark (16 February 2015). "Galleries ban selfie sticks because of risk to artworks and patrons". The Australian. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Wimbledon: Selfie sticks banned from tennis championship". BBC. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  27. 1 2 Jervis, Rick (26 June 2015). "Disney joins growing number of venues banning selfie sticks". USA Today. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  28. ↑ "Six Flags bans selfie sticks at all theme park locations". Fox News. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur in 'selfie stick' stadium ban". BBC News. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  30. ↑ "Oi, Aussie sports fans! Take that selfie stick and stick it". theregister.co.uk.
  31. ↑ Matt Barlow (January 7, 2015). "Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur ban 'selfie sticks' from grounds after fans' complaints".
  32. ↑ "Selfie-stick sellers face fines in South Korea". BBC News. 1 December 2014.
  33. ↑ Goldman, David (14 April 2015). "Apple bans selfie sticks". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
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