Selfie power: Much more than a click

A cutie pout, an open mouth scream or a naughty wink, the tech-savvy population doesn’t let go of even the silliest of emotions. With that smart gizmo held at an arm’s length, they would freeze the many moments in life in an adorable selfie. Truth is, the much maligned ‘behavioural defect’ has been there well before the coinage of the term when people started enjoying their funny side in their camera embedded mobile phones. And, there is no sign of the selfie mania ceasing to be a rage any time soon. Hearteningly however, beyond the blink and miss part, selfies are pushing the envelope to claim a position as an agent of change.

Two massive campaigns in the state prove this point. The techie zone Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram is on a month-long selfie video campaign to raise their demand for more trains in the nearest Kazhakkoottam railway station. In another instance, the BJP candidate of Vattiyoorkavu in Thiruvananthapuram in the last assembly polls, Kummanam Rajasekharan kicked off a selfie campaign in his constituency that was later replicated by others in their attempt to woo voters.

Kummanam poses for a selfie during his campaign.

CHUG CHUG GO!
Even though it seems natural for techies to blow the bugle of battle in a technological way, the stupendous response the selfie video campaign has amassed so far shows there is much more to it. Spearheaded by Prathidhwani, the socio-cultural organisation of Technopark, the selfie campaign is still gathering steam. “Instead of arranging talks with the railway authorities, this method gives a privilege to techie travellers to air their concerns on their own. They themselves are their spokespersons. To date, we have received 100 selfie videos from techies in various companies of Technopark. Once our campaign gathered momentum, other working class travellers near the Kazhakkoottam railway station including the staffers of KSEB and VSSC have joined us,” says Rajeev Krishnan, secretary of Prathidhwani.

Prathidhwani has opened a dedicated Facebook page ‘Prathidhwani Campaign — Stop more trains at Kazhakoottam’ that chronicles the selfie videos of techies. Not just the stoppage for trains, the godforsaken station premises also are in dire need of a facelift. The incessant knocks on the doors provided them with stoppage for a few number of trains in 2014 without any follow up further. “In our observation, the selfie campaign is effective. The railway officials have updated us that they are following our posts and have taken up the matter with the Chennai headquarters,” Rajeev adds. The techies simultaneously run a hashtag campaign highlighting their demand. The campaign is scheduled to have a grand culmination on Independence Day.

FOR THE PEOPLE
One fine morning, the then BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan walked into the home of actor Praveena marking the beginning of a poll-related selfie campaign fondly called Koottukoodam Kummanathodoppam in the Assembly polls. What he kicked off was appreciated and emulated by certain other candidates in the elections. “Even if the selfie campaign was part of my electioneering, it helped me forge a bond with people. A guest other than their friends or family is uncommon in many homes. So when such a guest comes visiting, they would like to cherish such a moment forever in a photograph. The conventional way of standing together and clicking a photo is uncomfortable for many, but before a selfie all were in their comfort zones,” feels Kummanam.

In his special Facebook page for campaigning, Kummanam4Vattiyoorkavu those selfies were uploaded during the campaigning phase. “Those memories linger. Looking back, it evokes nostalgia and the warmth of friendliness with people. Those days the selfies were shared by those who posed with me as a token of expressing their joy,” rewinds the BJP chief who put up a good fight in his constituency.