Snapping selfies has gone from cultural faux pas to accepted norm over the last few years, as our constantly connected world shares every aspect of daily life. But there are moments when taking one simply isn't appropriate.
Here's a prime example: selfies uploaded to social media of Thursday's East Village explosion in New York City, which left at least 22 people injured (four of them critically) and resulted in two people missing.
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Friday night #eastvillage @evgrieve pic.twitter.com/8OpG1d6mPy— EventPhotosNYC (@Eventphotosnyc) March 28, 2015
Reporters and rubberneckers flocked to Second Avenue and East Seventh Street, where the seven-alarm fire eventually demolished three buildings. While many people expressed condolences for those affected by the blaze, others posed for selfies -- complete with smiles -- and some even used a selfie stick to capture just the right angle.
In response, some Twitter users condemned the selfie-takers:
@RTSNYC @Eventphotosnyc @evgrieve is that a selfie stick?! Just when you thought it couldn't get tackier...— Jeanette Scott (@MetsGal) March 28, 2015
Mashable reached out to Christina Freundlich, one of the women who reportedly took a selfie at the site of the explosion, but she did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Freundlich's social media profiles appear to have been set to private following the incident.
Update, March 29, 2015, 7:54 p.m. ET: Freundlich commented to the Des Moines Register, saying "It was inconsiderate to those hurt in the crash and to the city of New York. What happened last week in the East Village is not to be taken lightly and I regret my course of action."
Even journalists got in on the selfie action, including this unidentified Univision reporter, according to Newsday reporter Matthew Chayes:
Update, March 29, 2015, 6:24 p.m. ET: Univision contacted Mashable to clarify that the photo below of their reporter "was not taken in front of the explosion site, it was actually a block away where the mayor was holding the press conference and it was to show our audience that scene."
A reporter for @Univision snaps a selfie while covering East Village fire pic.twitter.com/ghuqyNPrEW— Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) March 26, 2015
Mashable asked Marian Albornoz, a Telemundo reporter in New York, if she thought an Instagram photo of herself and a cameraman wearing masks at the scene of the explosion could be perceived as insensitive.
"If you are making fun of the situation, yes you can think so," she responded. "But my cameraman took a picture to thanked [sic] the NYPD for the masks, it was too hard to breath there."
Some residents near the blast site publicly criticized "gawkers" who came to the scene. One posted a sign that read, "Gawkers: Please keep off our stoop. Gawk from the street," while another read, "This is a tragedy. Not a tourist attraction. Show some respect."
Update, March 30, 2015, 10:37 a.m. ET: A previous version of this article referenced a photograph from photojournalist Stefano Giovannini as a selfie. However the photograph was taken by Giovannini of a woman from the neighborhood covering her face with a towel.