The latest news which seems to be incredulous is the fact that selfies are killing more people per year than sharks are.

So far this year, there have been 12 recorded deaths during selfies, compared to eight deaths caused by shark attacks. Malta is not immune to this phenomenon. Earlier this year, images of youths atop the Valletta lift went viral. The photo was taken with a selfie stick as the teenager in questioned dangled himself by one arm from atop the lift.

While many recoiled in shock, his peers on instagram seemed to be quite impressed by the youngster’s antics.

But let us put all this into perspective. Selfies are photographs taken by one’s self of one’s self and/or others. Sometimes they can be just harmless poses and pouts. But other times, they trend on the internet if they feature something shocking, such as a person taking a selfie at an accident site, or during a suicide attempt.

It is unbelievable to think that this is actually happening, but it is. Worse still is the crazy acts of bravado that people carry out, just to get the ‘ultimate’ self portrait. People dangling off cliffs, balancing on bridges, climbing towers, jumping in front of buses are to name but just a few.

The epidemic has become so bad that some countries – Russia for example – have issued a guide about how to take selfies without getting killed. This is not a joke. Another facet to the problem is that most young children and teenagers have smartphones which double up as cameras. Younger people do not have the same judgment as adults, and can therefore put themselves in even more dangerous situations. Not that the ‘adults’ have much to show for their supposed wiser judgment. The most incredulous thing about this phenomenon is that it’s all over the internet. People know of the risks that are taken, yet they continue to partake in risky behaviour themselves. Not only, but now those people that actually end up dying become internet sensations themselves as their antics become the material for more stories on the subject.

Malta is as plugged in to smartphone technology as any other European country. In fact, we are obsessed with social media and the sheer volume of presence of Maltese on forums such as Facebook and Instagram speaks for itself. The process of logic dictates that as a result, our youngsters, more than anyone, are going to be clued up on the latest trends. The latest one seems to be people taking video selfies of themselves taking cocaine and then nominating someone to do the same. One would hope that the police will monitor for such activity. It seems inconceivable to write, but it is like teaching a person to cross the road. Look left, look right and cross safely. Except in this case, at least according to the Russians, look for stable ground, don’t use explosives, don’t approach wild animals, keep clear of moving traffic. The basic idea is summed up by the headline though: "Your health and your life are worth more than a million likes on social networks!"