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Which one is more preferred by our cricket super stars: Autograph or Selfies? With digital media taking over the age-old practice of collecting autographs, the fans only want to click a selfie with their favorite cricketers. Gone are the days when pin-up boys from different countries used to capture the Indian walls and even autographs have gone out of fashion so much so one is satisfied without a selfie being taken.
Be it inside the hotel, at the stadium, or in transit, cricketers are exposed to this ‘selfies’ culture so much that the fans and onlookers are often taken as threats to their security. Thanks to the stringent security measures, some of the top stars can breathe easy most of the time. Then, there is a rich team like the Royals Challengers Bangalore, who take chattered flights for hopping from one venue to the other, to avoid being mobbed.
This selfie culture has caught up with the Indian crowd so much that even journalists today take pride in posing with cricketers as fans. That has become the ultimate way to announce to the world that a certain number of stars are known to them. So much so those doctrines of journalists not posing as fans or behaving like fans have gone out the window. It is a matter of pride if you can click a selfie with a star Indian cricketer and then the regular well-done message follows. This cricket world is changing.
But most of the cricketers are just irritated with this selfie culture. Not that they are complaining but an over-dose of it can be annoying. Selfies are all good if two people decide to capture them and make it memorable. What selfies with cricketers mean is that it is a memory for only one person while the cricketers give a damn about it.
At times, some women and children insist on selfies, almost unavoidable, and inevitably, it becomes a curriculum for the cricketers. At least, the autograph generation was better because not everyone carried a pen and paper but the selfie generation always has a cellphone. It has almost become a habit to take out the smart mobile set from the pocket and start recording the moments rather than registering them inside our minds.
This selfie menace has become so irritating that even a legend like MS Dhoni often tells young cricketers to stay away from mobile phones. He lists it as a distraction and anything that is distracting you from being yourself should be kept away. Only take it out when you call someone to take a selfie!
