Its been a bad year for selfies in the news. There was that recent study which determined that people who take lots of selfies overestimate their attractiveness and exhibit psychopathic traits. And people dying while taking selfies has become such a common occurrence that they outnumber the amount of people killed by sharks per year. Their deaths barely make headlines any more! So it’s nice to hear about a selfie that actually saved lives.
A young couple trapped on a cliff near the top of Winnats Pass in Derbyshire England were rescued after sending a selfie including their location to the Edale Mountain Rescue group searching for them. Winnats Pass is known for its steep banks and numerous caves. The couple became stuck after climbing one of those banks and getting stuck at the top. Rescuers used a rope system to get them back down to the ground safely.
“They had described the location very well, and then one said: ‘I’ve got an idea, I’ll send you a picture, as well’, saying they were in a shadow cave in the background of the picture,” rescue head Steve Rowe recounted. “They’ve used modern technology. Quite a lot of people get into trouble because they rely on technology, but this couple were able to use their mobile phone and photos for their benefit, so it was a good result.”
What’s the appropriate selfie-face for such a moment? As of now, we’re not sure, but you can’t go wrong with a little “Blue Steel” to sell the gravity of the moment.
