Name: Shark selfies.<\/p>\n
Age: The phrase seems to have emerged in summer 2014<\/a> and will hopefully be retired as soon as possible.<\/p>\n Appearance: Idyllic ocean content creation opportunity turned video nasty.<\/p>\n \u2018Shark selfies\u2019 \u2013 please tell me you mean people are taking a picture of themselves standing in front of spacious tanks of very small, very well-treated captive sharks in an educational, ethical aquarium and nothing bad happens? No.<\/p>\n I feared as much. Tell me more. There have been a number of recent incidents<\/a> in which people taking footage of themselves swimming and diving with sharks have been bitten.<\/p>\n That\u2019s absolutely horrifying. Surely no amount of \u2018engagement\u2019 is worth risking that? Some \u201cfinfluencers\u201d don\u2019t seem to agree, posting footage of themselves touching sharks and even riding them. One 2020 study showed<\/a> \u201ca consistent theme of \u2018pushy\u2019 behaviour\u201d by photographers and influencers on swim-with-wildlife tours: they were the most likely to ignore safety instructions.<\/p>\n Hang on, though. I thought sharks weren\u2019t as dangerous as people make out? Well, unprovoked shark attacks remain exceptionally rare. The Florida Museum of Natural History\u2019s International Shark Attack File<\/a> (which claims to be the world\u2019s only scientifically documented database of known shark attacks) catalogued 65 last year, but the organisation told the BBC<\/a> it had seen an increase in the past three years of people being attacked while trying to capture footage.<\/p>\n So what\u2019s behind this increase? Content creators getting too close is bad news for sharks, basically. Close contact with humans causes them to release stress hormones<\/a> that can weaken their immune systems and may even increase the chance of death.<\/p>\n No wonder they\u2019re getting snappy. Yes, the sharks may be feeling threatened. Research<\/a> published last year on sharks in French Polynesia found around 5% of recorded bites appeared to be a result of self-defence because of close human contact. \u201cThese bites are simply a manifestation of survival instinct, and the responsibility for the incident needs to be reversed,\u201d said the study lead, Dr Eric Clua.<\/p>\n The whole scenario feels extremely lose-lose for all concerned. It\u2019s definitely not humanity\u2019s finest hour.<\/p>\n