Why shoot a selfie with a murderer?
Serial killer Atalay Filiz and the story of how he was caught are at the center of our lives these days. Since the day he was caught, we have been curiously monitoring the related new developments.
What he did where, how he survived, how he was tipped off and what kind of a relationship he had with his victims were all in media reports. Then, we came across an unexpected incident: The selfies that police and other security officers took with the self-confessed murderer…
Then there were famous singer and actor Özcan Deniz’s photos on social media, taken with a look-alike of the murderer…
This is one of our major problems related to this era… Any kind of topic that should never be made fun of can transform into a tool for entertainment in an off-center manner.
Unfortunately there are no limits, boundaries, adjustments or balances in the era of social media.
Selfie madness is a huge portion of this. Those who post their lovely faces and heads from several angles without taking a breath in between are evaluated within the framework of narcissism.
But if push comes to shove when it comes to taking selfies during situations where this is a risk of death, in other words in an ambulance, in an emergency room, at a funeral or with a criminal, the situation changes.
When the issue is a selfie this time, then it is impossible to leave out the option of narcissism.
At times, this narcissism I mentioned above shows itself blatantly, at other times it is barely seen, quietly standing in the corner of the photo. As a matter of fact, selfie means “I am the most important component of this photograph.” Note this.
When picturing an emergency room, a funeral and a near-death experience, what is added to the “I am the most important factor in this photograph” type of narcissism is the feeling of relief that “I survived,” or the expectation of attention and compassion. Maybe also the approval of “how we escaped danger” by taking a selfie and sharing it…
Well, then what is the psychology behind smiling and having a photo taken with a serial killer? You can call it the peak of having no boundaries, which, when we come to think that this was done by a police officer, is truly so. It is not an acceptable situation.
The police should not take a smiling selfie, appear in a devil-may-care manner or pose as to create a perception that he is “friends with the killer.”
Meanwhile, a selfie with a killer also includes other notes of fundamental human psychology in it.
A situation which could have been fatal in other circumstances changes because the context has changed.
The photograph is saying, “Now, I have the control; I am even making fun of it.”
Totally wrong
Imagine that the selfie-taking person comes across the killer in a quiet apartment. Of course, in such a case, at that moment, he or she would not say, “One moment, before you kill me, I want to shoot a selfie and get my number of likes.” He or she would seek ways to get out of there and try not to get killed. That would be their only concern, their only thought.
But now, in a moment when the killer is totally defenseless and harmless, they shoot a “I have the control” photograph and make it a matter of pride, even making fun of it.
Is this correct? Of course not; it is totally wrong.
This photograph is not compatible with any ethical rule or conscience.
Smart phones have changed humankind’s reaction to danger.
Getting so many “likes” seems to be meeting many needs. They are being liked, being approved, saying “I am here,” even if you are isolated in a room all alone, by keeping this communication state, surviving. To show that “I have survived,” to document your life, to show that you are able to escape danger…
Aristotle said, “Man is by nature a social animal.”
The selfie madness today associated with social media looks as if it satisfies the need of the person to be social from all aspects but as these needs are met, for instance while shooting a selfie at a funeral or while posing with a criminal in the same frame smiling like a baboon, we have to think beforehand..
One has to analyze the situation he is in, filter it through conscience, in short, think for a while, ponder…
Maybe Aristotle’s quote could be elaborated such as, “Yes, man is by nature a social animal but a social animal with a mind.”
Since we have a mind, we should use it.