Russia issues official guide for safe selfies
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Loading... - Cristian Castillo
- 09 Jul 2020
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Taking the perfect selfie is a dangerous game. Don't believe us? Just ask Russia, where a string of narcissism-related injuries and even deaths has prompted the government to issue an official safety guide for the art of self-portraiture.
After tragic deaths including a 21-year-old woman in Moscow falling from a bridge and a 17-year-old being electrocuted by rail wires, Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has taken the unusual step of educating the public on the risks of selfies. Elena Alekseeva, Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs and Lieutenant Colonel of Police, held a press conference to announce a formal document that will be handed out to citizens.
Ministry of Internal Affairs RF
"Along with all the advantages of the modern world there appear new threats. We would like to remind the citizens that the chase for 'likes' in social networks can lead to the road of death," said Alekseeva. "The accident reports periodically present information about sad accidents with lovers of selfies"
Alekseeva then demonstrated correct selfie etiquette by posing for several with members of the media.
DON'T MISS
The guide will be distributed by police at public events, and given to students in social classes. Workers may also be handed copies by their employers during "departmental summer actions".
Some of the tips laid out seem like common sense, such as not standing in traffic or leaning out of a moving vehicle to take a snap, while others warn of unpredictable situations that could quickly go wrong, such as using a selfie stick on train platforms. A warning not to pose with weapons seems directly in response to the case of a woman accidentally shooting herself in the headafter posing with a security guard's handgun.
Anyone fluent in Russian can read the full guidelines here, though they don't yet appear to be available on the English language version of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' site. The basic idea is summed up by the headline though: "Your health and your life are worth more than a million likes on social networks!"
