Inside the trillion-dollar selfie industrial complex
A decade ago, I witnessed a glorious sunset over the Mediterranean from the unique vantage point of a cliff on the edge of Oia, a beautiful village on the Greek island of Santorini -- me, my wife and a few dozen other visitors. Everyone was facing the setting sun with all cameras pointed out over the water.
Fast-forward to this week: The rooftop restaurant overlooking Marrakech's Jemaa el-Fnaa square at sunset was crowded with tourists taking pictures. But they weren't facing the setting sun -- they had their backs to the sunset and were taking selfies.
My wife and I chuckled and shook our heads at these ridiculous tourists making duck faces and shamelessly posing for the cameras and smartphones they held (before turning to take a few dozen selfies of our own.) This change in behavior -- the taking of selfies and other photographs inspired and driven in part by social sharing -- is the key to the future of business, marketing and the artificial intelligence age.
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