Don't think I've ever witnessed more selfies in a single day #BangkokShutdown pic.twitter.com/EwPneRhMak
— Charlie Campbell (@CharlieCamp6ell) January 13, 2014Thailand is in the midst of an anti-government protest, which began in October 2013 and has disrupted the usually peaceful capital of Bangkok. The protest was triggered by, amongst other things, a bill that would pardon Thai business tycoon and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of murder charges.
But in the middle of all that protests, young Thais are also busy taking selfies and posting them online. And that may spell trouble for the country's future generation.
According to psychiatrist Panpimol Wipulakorn of Thailand's Department of Mental Health, these young people who posted selfies often do not get positive feedback on social media. That, in turn, cause emotional distress that in the long term could stunt their emotional development:
“If they feel they don’t get enough Likes for their selfie as expected, they decide to post another, but still do not receive a good response,” she said in a statement, according to the Bangkok Post. “This could affect their thoughts. They can lose self-confidence and have a negative attitude toward themselves, such as feeling dissatisfied with themselves or their body.”
She added: “This could affect the development of the country in the future as the number of new-generation leaders will fall short. It will hinder the country’s creativity and innovation.”
Charlie Campbell of TIME has more on Thailand's national security issue of unloved selfies.