7 reasons why you need to throw out your selfie stick

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Say Cheese, Selfie Stick, Beach, Vacation, Couple, Ocean, Water, iPhone, Dolan Halbrook

Selfie sticks and stones may break your bones, but tripods will never hurt you.

While “selfies” continue to dominate Instagram feeds, our evolving vernacular and tourist attractions around the world, the “selfie stick” is an annoying and sometimes deadly tool for uninspired photographers.

Here are seven reasons why it’s time to trash your selfie stick.

1. Selfie sticks take bad photographs
Given the fact that most selfie sticks only work with cell phone cameras, they use the worst camera on your cell phone: the front facing camera. These low-resolution cameras are suitable for face-to-face calls, but typically don’t pack the same punch as the rear-facing camera. When it comes to capturing your memories, don’t sacrifice quality for convenience!

via GIPHY

2. Our favourite attractions are banning selfie sticks
Joining the likes of Six Flags, the Palace of Versailles, Museum of Modern Art in New York and Britain’s National Gallery, Disney World banned selfie sticks this past week. Following reports of a passenger pulling out a selfie stick to snap a photo mid-ride on a roller coaster, The Happiest Place On Earth has put a total ban on cameras on sticks.

3. The view
Do you remember when people went to concerts to listen to the music? These days, many people are more preoccupied with recording and posting their life on social media. Fortunately, the organizers of major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza are joining in on the trend to ban selfie sticks. Coachella even dismissed them as “narsisstics” on a list of prohibited items.

4. Damage to your phone
This past year the average price of an iPhone was $687 U.S., yet many “photographers” trusted the safety of their smartphones to flimsy sticks.

5. Selfie safety
In 2015, selfie sticks killed more people than sharks!

A photo posted by Ross Blagg (@rossblagg) on

6. They look ridiculous
Have you ever heard someone say, “that person with the selfie stick knows what they’re doing?”

7. Selfie sticks are getting out of control
Meet the granddaddy of all selfie sticks: the MacBook Selfie Stick. This jumbo-sized selfie stick can hold an entire laptop and was created by New York City artists Moises (Art404), John Yuyi and Tom Galle.

MacBook Selfie Stick, MacBook, Selfie Stick, New York

Still need more convincing? Here’s a video clip of Morgan Freeman talking about “two grown-ass men taking pictures of themselves on a f**king stick” with Jimmy Kimmel.

Feature image photo credit: Say cheese, by Dolan Halbrook under a Creative Commons License. 

26 Comments
  • dancingpalmtrees April 2, 2016, 4:14 pm Reply

    I work as a museum security guard and they are banned at my museum. In fact I believe the Mayor has banned them in all New York City Museums. Can’t stand those things. I’ve seen people stop dead in the middle of Times Square 42nd Street to take a picture. Given the amount of traffic in that area I suppose one day some idiot will be killed or badly injured all in pursuit of the “perfect selfie-stick photo.”

    • jon April 2, 2016, 5:46 pm

      I’m sure these selfie sticks will give us many Darwin Award winners – be careful, they’re popping up everywhere!

  • the only deadhead in the hameau April 2, 2016, 3:04 pm Reply

    You are spot on. The only sensible use for a selfie stick is a colonoscopy.

    • jon April 2, 2016, 3:27 pm

      Haha! Great point!

  • aslin kirkpatrick April 1, 2016, 11:18 pm Reply

    I, for one secretly added selfie stick to my Christmas list. Lucky for me, my husband refuse to get me one! 😛 Great post!

    • jon April 2, 2016, 12:47 am

      Wise man – just ask him to take photos of you! No selfie stick needed! ?

  • weneedtochat March 31, 2016, 4:10 pm Reply

    Great post, Jon! On point.

    • jon April 2, 2016, 12:48 am

      Thanks so much!

  • Neil W. March 29, 2016, 10:49 pm Reply

    I would be more concerned about how unsocial VR headsets are over any “damage” a selfie stick can do. In reality a selfie stick is just another version of a monopod and in the hands of a sensible person or a photog with some creative shooting ideas a selfie stick can create golden results. Remind me one day to show you the great shots I was able to get of a bird feeding her young because a selfie stick made access to the nest easy and less intrusive then using a giant camera on a monopod. Yes selfie sticks are annoying used in its traditional manner but in the right hands it has merit and is just another tool in the photographers toolkit…

    • Jon March 30, 2016, 9:28 am

      The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was seeing hordes of tourists snapping selfies with selfie sticks at the 9/11 memorial in NYC. Why would anyone need a “duck face” selfie next to the 9/11 memorial??

      But to your point, yes, they can come in handy from time to time 🙂

      • Neil W. March 31, 2016, 12:09 pm

        Well people do strange things, if it was not a selfie stick it would be something else that is not appropriate. I would not blame the tool as much as the users of in that case… 🙂

  • retirement195 March 29, 2016, 7:45 pm Reply

    Lucky me — I don’t have to throw away my selfie stick, I just don’t have to buy one! Thanks.

  • thatswhatmonsaid March 26, 2016, 4:15 pm Reply

    All of this, just yes! You may need to start a whole new blog of MacInDoen’ts, starting with this post right here. Ha see what I did there? (That was terrible, I’m sorry. Speaking monosyllabic English in Rome is starting to take a toll)

    • jon March 26, 2016, 5:24 pm

      Oh trust me, I’ll be reporting on lots of other “dont’s” very soon!

  • SnowSomewhere March 26, 2016, 6:34 am Reply

    I’m a bit worried for the future…!!! People these days- yikes

    • jon March 26, 2016, 10:45 am

      As least the future will be well documented… with selfies.

      • SnowSomewhere March 26, 2016, 11:31 am

        Haha! Badly aimed parts of the future, at least! (I suddenly got this vivid image of a future history book, all full of selfies..!)

  • Robin floyd March 25, 2016, 8:41 pm Reply

    I agree Jon,I was almost stabbed by one of these things today! The person was walking and holding the selfie stick in front of them.Should change the name to selfish stick!

    • jon March 25, 2016, 8:51 pm

      Good idea!

    • jon March 26, 2016, 10:44 am

      Stay safe out there Robin! Those selfie stick wielding tourists can be dangerous!

  • Mario March 25, 2016, 5:10 pm Reply

    Another great blog Jon. I agree completely. I’ve never been a fan of selfie sticks and I’m quite pleased they are being banned in many museums and theme parks. Someone should tell the street vendors in Rome because when we were there we were constantly be approached by vendors trying to sell selfie sticks and light sabres!!

  • donnapapacosta March 25, 2016, 4:27 pm Reply

    I love this! Great advice. And the video at the end was the icing on the cake.

    • Jon March 26, 2016, 10:42 am

      Thanks Donna!

  • Sarah March 25, 2016, 3:29 pm Reply

    You took the words right out of my mouth! Even when traveling alone I prefer to ask someone to take my photo. As is stands, I already accidentally whack strangers when I’m holding my umbrella. I’d be dangerous walking around with this weapon!

    • Jon March 26, 2016, 10:40 am

      Thanks Sarah! I’m usually your personal photographer, so no selfie sticks are needed on our trips 🙂

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