Selfies. I kind of get it. Rather than bothering someone and having that awkward conversation where you ask them to take a picture of you and your companions, all the while hoping they make a decent job and don’t steal your camera, you go DIY with your phone.
Perfect, except for when they morph into a slightly cynical way of politicians promoting themselves.
I remember being impressed and taken aback during the independence referendum when Alex Salmond walked through Dundee city centre.
What should have taken the then First Minister five minutes ended up being a three-quarters-of-an-hour stroll due to the sheer number of people wanting to grab him and have their picture taken with him.
It was genuinely incredible. It also looked entirely genuine, organic and spontaneous.
“Scenes,” is how I believe the kids would describe it.
A chat with someone with a much more perceptive mind than mine came up with a good theory on this.
Selfies are the new autographs.
We all remember collecting those as children, right?
Handing in a little leather bound book to the reception at Tannadice Park then excitedly picking it up to see which of your favourite players had signed it?
Or hanging about outside Westview Park because St Johnstone reserves were playing Kirrie Thistle?
Not quite? Well, anyway, there is nothing wrong with people updating how they feel like they have connected with their heroes.
And it is fantastic that people feel connected to politicians in an organic way which has not been contrived or engineered.
Except, ever eager to grab an opportunity to appear normal, said politicians are now organising selfies.
The agenda for a recent event with Nicola Sturgeon scheduled a specific slot for such shenanigans.
The agenda laid out a clear timetable, including: “10.55am – Selfies with the First Minister.”
At the event, which took place in Ayr in March, the SNP leader posed for numerous photos with students and used a phone herself to take shots which were then posted on the Scottish Government’s website.
Almost as bizarre is an email sent to Scottish Labour members.
There principle odd quirk is that is from a regional organiser for the Jeremy for Labour campaign who runs and organises “phone banks and amazing rallies across London”.
They’re asking for money, of course, which has gone down about as well as you would expect amongst those non-Corbyn backers up here.
It’s probably all worth it, though, when you think of where the cash is going.
The email explains: “I help to organise stewards for rallies, manage selfie queues and set up Facebook livestreams.”
Manage selfie queues? What could be more contrived and ridiculous than a “selfie queue”?
Perhaps it’s because grabbing a selfie with someone makes them feel listened to even when they are not being conversed with or listened to.
Maybe it is just easier than being challenged on policy and it makes controlling any potentially embarrassing output that little bit easier.
Of course, it could be that I’m simply being grumpy and using the latest craze to make people feel good is a genuinely great way to get them hooked onto politics.
And, as we have seen, it obviously now keeps people in political parties in jobs. This will please Jeremy Corbyn in particular.
Why? Think of what Marx (almost) said in the Communist Manifesto.
“Selfie queue managers of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your phone battery!”
