In the early 2000’s, the world discovered ‘the selfie’. Obviously, this wasn’t the first time that someone had taken a photo of themselves but we had a new word for it. Now, selfies are everyday part of our lives. If you’ve got a teenager, you don’t need me to tell you that. Even your Facebook feed will probably feature a few grandparent selfies: the phenomenon shows no age bias.

Why do we take selfies? Well, there’s very innocent reasons: some moments are worth capturing and it’s nice to have memories of them. Selfies get more ‘likes’: Instagram estimates 38% more. For example, post a picture of a sunset: get 100 likes. Post a picture of a selfie in front of a sunset: 138 likes! And, as we’ve talked about before, more likes is what we love!

You see, having a profile filled with selfies might say something about you. It’s nice and good and fine to share the moments you’re enjoying but sometimes, just sometimes, we post the selfie because we know the reaction will be good. Who doesn’t like lots of comments and love on social media? But that approval, that affirmation is incredibly “moreish”.

Proverbs 27:2 says “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.” I wonder if, when we’re honest with ourselves, posting plenty of selfies is more about the praise of others than the innocent sharing of moments.

So, maybe you should save your selfies. By all means take them, by all means share them between you and your friends. Just ask yourself: Am I posting to praise myself, not with my lips but with my clicks?