Selfies have been getting a lot of attention these days. So much so that the term was named word of the year for 2013 by the Oxford Dictionary, defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

Last week US President Obama made headlines as he was photographed taking a selfie with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt during Nelson Mandela’s memorial service. And earlier this month, a women posted a selfie with a suicidal man being talked out of jumping off a bridge in Brooklyn.

Have we become a self-obsessed country? It seems that we love to snap quick photos of ourselves and share them with our friends – because there is no way they’re tired of looking at us right? Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have contributed to the growing narcissism that has taken over the Internet. These social sharing sites are now infamous for being hubs of egotism and self-promotion, acting as the perfect means for advertising ourselves to those around us.

I’m certainly not suggesting that I have never shared a selfie. But in a time where selfies are seemingly getting out of control, I’d say it’s time for a little selfie etiquette:

• If you get the sudden urge to snap a selfie, don’t be oblivious to your surroundings because everything in your photo is being scrutinized.
• It is not acceptable to snap a selfie in the midst of another person’s tragedy. Not. Ever.
  This means funerals, car accidents, suicides or anything else that has devastated another person’s life.
• Do snap a selfie to mock yourself… we’d all love to laugh at, er I mean with, you.
• Do take a selfie to share you happiest moments with your friends who live far away.
• Only post the best one out of the bunch.  Nobody wants to imagine you posing a million times to get that one shot.  Let us believe that you got it effortlessly on the first try.