From electrocution while trying to get the perfect background, to accidentally shooting oneself while posing with a pistol, Russian selfies seem to be pretty dangerous things — with more than 100 leading to serious injuries in the country in the pas year alone.
With that kind of track record, it’s no wonder that Russia’s police force wants to do something about it — which they’ve apparently done by issuing a brochure packed with handy graphics showing how to take selfies without risking potentially fatal injuries.
“We have noted recently that the number of accidents caused by lovers of self-photography is constantly increasing,” a government representative said. “Before taking a selfie, everyone should think about the fact that racing after a high number of ‘likes’ could lead him on a journey to death and his last extreme photo could turn out to be posthumous.”
Russian police officers will hand the brochures out to young people in public places, while the interior ministry will also promote the guidelines on social media.
Maybe Apple was right to ban selfie sticks at WWDC, after all!
Via: Quartz
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
One response to “Russia wants to stop your next selfie being your last”
I’m fedexing your Yacov Smirnov award for the caption.