As our generation grows up we are faced with making some big decisions in our nation. The biggest one we are tasked with answering right now is: If you go somewhere and you didn’t post a picture on Instagram, did you ever really go there?

It’s not uncommon to be bombarded with photos of your friends on Instagram and Facebook. Whether it’s “Transformation Tuesday” or “Selfie Sunday”, one never is without excuse to post a photo on ‘The Gram’ and wait for the “likes” to accumulate.

Hardcore selfie-takers wait for exactly the right time to post their photos, or “prime time” when everyone is sure to be refreshing their feed. More viewers means more likes, but what exactly does more likes mean? Is it a heightened sense of self-worth? Is it popularity? Or is it merely just a way for one to get positive feedback for his/her photograph? If your answer is for popularity, then there may be a problem. If you answered the latter, you’re a liar. Either way, there is a problem.

Our generation is often described as being plagued with vain, narcissist monsters who desperately crave the approval of our peers. This is an unfair judgment. We have merely fallen victim to the social media age where there are far more ways to impress someone-or be judged by the masses- than ever before. However, while nobody is posting selfies with malicious intent, posting can be addicting.

Regardless of what it means, selfies are sweeping the nation. There is entire tumblr page dedicated to inappropriate selfies taken at serious places. Some of the funny ones include duck faces at the Berlin Wall while the more offensive ones are taken with caskets in the background at funerals. Keep in mind that there are also different types of selfies. There is the duck face, the mirror pic, the peace sign, the solemn expression, the exposed tongue and my personal favorite, the pout.

No matter what one’s preferred selfie pose is, a self-photo is a type of self-expression. While there is no inherent problem with selfies, there is a problem when the likes one gets on a photo determines self-worth. Stop worrying about the likes, and post simply to share with your friends. Enjoy selfies for what they are, not what others want them to be.