Selfie Culture and Front Cameras

““Selfie” was Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year in 2013.  And selfies are powerful business.” –Molly Wood

         The article “The Narcissist’s Dream: A Selfie-Friendly Smartphone,” by Molly Wood, focuses on the topic of the front-facing cameras on smartphones.  These are most commonly used to take “selfies.”  The selfie is growing more and more popular, as many people have front cameras on their phones.  However, problems have risen with these cameras.  The big issue is that these cameras take poorly lit, low quality photographs.  The reason for this is the technology to make a better camera.  Consumers want slimmer, sleeker phones, while high quality cameras need more space.  Also, the front cameras pale in comparison to the back ones.  Camera quality is measured in megapixels, the more the better.  There is often a huge difference between the front and back cameras.  For example, on the Nokia Lumia 1020 has a back camera with 41 megapixels, while the front has only 1.2.  With the demand for higher quality selfies growing, phone companies face a problem.

         Wood, the author of this text, claims that better front cameras are needed if phone companies want to keep up with the times.  This claim is supported in several ways.  One way is the reference to selfies.  Since it was the word of the year, the reader is informed that it is a very popular trend.  Everyone takes selfies on their phones, most often by using the front camera.  This reference to an important item in pop culture gives the reader insight into why this issue is significant.  The topic of selfies supports the author’s claim by giving reason for what Wood says is needed.  Another way this claim is supported is through the examples of back cameras on popular phones.  Since the author displays how much better back cameras are, the reader realizes the problem.  The drastic differences prove the author’s point, especially when she names specific phones.  The phones mentioned are models the reader could have, so the problem relates directly to them.  The author’s claim is supported in a third way.  Wood performs a test of her own on the iPhone 5S, the Nokia Lumia 1020, the Samsung Galaxy S4, and the HTC One.  In her tests, the front cameras’ flaws are put on display, as the pictures come out poorly.  The author supports her claim in several ways.

         Molly Wood uses many craft moves to prove her point in an engaging way.  One example is her tone.  She “speaks” in an informed, conversational way.  This is the perfect choice, as the topic is very modern and current.  She also references consumers’ problems with front cameras in her own words (“I swear, I have a normal sized nose!”)  The author’s tone has a big affect on the way the reader views the story.  Another craft move Wood uses are very current examples of this issue, like selfies and their prominence on Instagram.  This shows the reader how this relates to the real world, which is always important in any type of article.  This article can relate to me because I am growing up in the midst of “selfie culture.”  The current topic of this article is relevant at this time, so I can relate to what Molly Wood is saying.  This article gave clever and relatable insight on an important