If you’ve been to a museum or tourist attraction recently you’ll have likely seen the now ubiquitous “selfie stick” in action. Users say the sticks provide better perspective and help avoid the fish-eye view of the hand-held phone camera. You could even argue that it’s also more secure than handing your valuable camera or phone over to a stranger(although I don’t know that there is much from preventing someone dashing by and snatching your stick along with your smartphone).
However the backlash against selfie sticks has appeared almost as quickly as the trend itself.
Many museums and other institutions are now taking the matter into their own hands and banning selfie sticks. For example, the Forbidden City in China joined the Palace of Versailles and Britain’s National Gallery, which both announced bans this past week. London’s National Gallery said it outlawed the “Narcisstick” in order to “protect paintings, individual privacy and the overall visitor experience”.
Earlier this month in the U.S., the Smithsonian museums in Washington also banned selfie sticks. Cameras and pictures are still allowed, but selfie sticks, tripods and monopods are not.
In a statement, the Smithsonian said, “For the safety of our visitors and collections, the Smithsonian prohibits the use of tripods or monopods in our museums and gardens. Effective today, March 3, monopod selfie sticks are included in this policy.” You can see the full statement here.
Other U.S. museums that ban selfie sticks include the Art Institute of Chicago, and New York’s Museum of Modern Art. As do other international favorites such as the Uffizi in Florence and the Colosseum in Rome. A Collosseum spokesperson noted that the twirling around of hundreds of sticks can become unwittingly dangerous when “fully extended with outstretched arms, the devices take up over half the width of the monument’s interior corridors.”
Image courtesy of the BBC
In Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Pointe-à-Callière Archaeology Museum called the stick the “wand of narcissism” when it placed it on the do not enter list.
The consensus among critics is that selfie sticks are obnoxious and a danger as well as a privacy concern.
The additional field of view that makes the selfie stick such a boon to the photographer also increases the chances that unsuspecting passersby may get caught in the shot.
It’s a safe to say that if you’re traveling this spring or summer, it’s best to check to see what the policies are at the attractions you plan to visit before you consider taking a selfie stick along…
I personally have mixed feelings about selfie sticks. I’ve found them equal parts intrusive, (as I’ve tried to enjoy some art) and practical (as I’ve struggled to capture myself and friends in a unique moment).
For me it comes down to safety and privacy concerns. Crowded tourist attractions and exhibitions are enough of a ruckus without adding selfie sticks to the equation.