Selfie sticks

Only about a few years ago if you wanted to have your photo in front of a famous building, you’d stand in front of it and as a passer by to take your photo. Tourists even took turns taking each others’ photos. Or you’d turn your phones camera to yourself and take a photo not knowing how it looks. Nowadays all you need is a selfie stick.

Selfie sticks make it easy to take your own self-portraits or group shots. You can simply expand the rod, so that you can hold your cellphone a few feet away. You simply don’t need to bother other people to take your photos. Simpler versions are $5, sticks that can grip the camera. If you want a more improved version, it can cost up to $50. Some selfie sticks even use Bluetooth technology or have built-in buttons to trigger the shot.

Even though it is a very useful gadget it recently has been banned at several famous tourist destinations around the world and others are considering the same. Some places consider safety and security concerns; others say that the device is annoying. They say if you can’t photograph something, you most certainly can’t bring a selfie stick near it.

What do you think is the happiest place on Earth to be with your family? Disneyland! Disney parks around the world are not OK with your sticks. The ban went into effect in 2015 and visitors are still not allowed to use them at Disneyland in California, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, DisneyWorld parks, Disney Quest, Disney Sea, and all Disney water parks.

The ancient Colosseum is a selfie hotspot, but several years ago the historic site banned sticks. Visitors who in recent days posted selfies and pictures of the place said the ban was still in effect and they didn’t see anyone using sticks around.

In London, numerous museums, sites, and galleries banned the use of selfie sticks, too. Some of them are Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London, the National Gallery, inside Buckingham Palace, the Roundhouse, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Royal Opera House.

Many visitors think that banning selfie sticks is not right. “I don’t get a chance to travel very often and when I do I would like to have my photo in front an artwork that I like or the Mona Lisa. I don’t understand why they are trying to take away our right” says Michael Green. He was visiting New York’s Museum of Modern Art when he was told that he needed to leave his selfie stick at the cloakroom. Some others on the other hand, believe that people should stop worrying about taking photos but start enjoying what they are looking at.