- Between 2008 and 2021, at least 379 deaths were reported at the time of taking a selfie.
- From drowning to falls from great heights are some of the most common causes of death from this activity.
- The most dangerous places to take pictures of this kind are Niagara Falls on the US-Canada border, the Ural Mountains in Russia, and the Taj Mahal in India.
Technology has the main purpose of making people’s lives easier. In most cases it complies but there are always risks that must be met. In this case, even seemingly ordinary situations can have a tragic outcome. It all stems from the fact that taking a photograph has caused some deaths, But do you know what the most common causes of death have been?
The basis of this situation is an activity that has become popular with the development of cell phones. It is about taking a self-portrait, also known as a selfie. The maximum motivation is to share a fragment of life through social networks.
In this sense, the greatest beneficiary is Instagram because thanks to its characteristics it is perfect for sharing photos. To date, it has more than two billion users, making it one of the most popular in the world.
Now, although taking a photograph seems simple, in some cases it is not so because it has even cost lives. In fact, at least 379 people died while taking selfies between January 2008 and July 2021according to a study by the Madrid iO Foundation (specialized in travel medicine).
Taking a selfie, most common causes of death?
The main cause of these deaths is falls from high places, drowning and accidents related to different means of transport. In order for the images to have a greater impact, high-impact locations are sought, but adequate security measures are not always taken.
This report, carried out by a group of Spanish scientists and replicated in Statista, indicates that fatal accidents are more frequent among adolescents up to 19 years of age (41% of the total) and twenty-somethings (37%). On average, the age of the deceased does not exceed 24 years.
In recent years, the news of these incidents has been more and more common, especially when the victims are influencers. Although the data for 2022 is not yet available, Manuel Linares Rufo, CEO of the iO Foundation, told the Argentine media La Nación that preliminary data indicates that the number of fatalities continues to rise: in 2021 there were 40 deaths, and in 2022, almost 100.
The most dangerous places
The study also identified the most dangerous tourist sites based on the number of deaths from these “extreme selfies” to include Niagara Falls on the US-Canada border, the Ural Mountains in Russia and the Taj Mahal in India. .
The study authors admitted that the scope of their work was limited as news and publication data was collected in a selection of languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian), so the actual figure could be higher. if facts not published or reported in other languages were taken into account.
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