What's Behind Our Obsession With Selfies?

12:03

April 13, 2017

Caitlin O'Keefe, Meghna Chakrabarti

David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, Marina Varano and Jamie Foxx attend the STRIP by Strega Opening Party at the newly renovated Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Friday, April 17, 2015 in Boston. (Photo by Marc Andrew Deley/Invision/AP Images)

If there's one thing that it's almost impossible to escape, it's the selfie. The tourist selfie, the bathroom selfie, the I-woke-up-like-this selfie, the beach-feet-brag selfie, the gym selfie, the selfie with celebrities, the duckface selfie...and on, and on, and on.

And it's hard not to wonder...what's behind the selfie phenomenon?

Well, Ilan Stavans wonders the exact same thing, and has written a book about it, called "I <3 My Selfie."

Guest

Ilan Stavans, professor of Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst College. His new book is "I <3 My Selfie." He tweets @IlanStavans.

This segment aired on April 13, 2017.