Here's a summary of the themes expressed in the Hacker News discussion, along with direct quotes where appropriate:
Photo Booth Revival and East Asian Influence
A central theme is the resurgence of photo booths, particularly their popularity in East Asia and the adoption of this trend in Western cities. Users observed a significant boom in dedicated photo booth establishments, often featuring elaborate themes and props.
- "It’s booming again in East Asia." - feverzsj
- "Indeed. In the hip parts of Taipei entire storefronts have sprung up that are dedicated to photo booths. Inside, they have extravagant props like laundromat, elevator, etc. It’s weird but also fun I guess?" - eloisius
- "SF, NYC, and else where" - socalgal2, referencing articles about the trend in these cities.
- "I think this boom started here in Korea, I remember they were already growing quickly here back in 2018 (7 years ago, scary how time flies). They're now exporting them all over the world, I talked to someone who helps run one of the chains and there's a lot of demand from South-East Asia." - jjani
The Evolution and Definition of "Selfie"
The discussion also delved into the nomenclature and definition of "selfies," particularly concerning group photos and historical precedents.
- "That's by definition not a selfie since it's expected to be a group activity." - ekianjo
- "What additional requirements do selfies have, other than the photographer/camera operator being in the shot? Group selfies aren't a thing?" - goku12
- "Group selfie is definitely a thing" - eloisant
- "It’s an ussie" - eloisius
- "I call it a "bothie" or an "all-ee" depending on context. But I like "Ussie"! Ty." - schrectacular
- "Group selfies are a thing, but one-person selfies also are." - tomsmeding
- "it's all in the name." - ekianjo
Historical Context and Precursors to Modern Selfies
Several commenters pointed out that the concept of taking photos of oneself, including group photos, is not new and has historical roots predating the modern "selfie" phenomenon and even the widespread availability of front-facing cameras.
- "I used to love the basic photo booths in the Canadian malls in Canada as a kid." - Rendello
- "We had photo booths back when I was a kid, 50 years ago. There's plenty of evidence in my mom's family photos that selfies/group selfies aren't new." - mikewarot
- "There's a photo booth as part of the plot in one of my favorite movies, Amélie." - mikewarot
- "As far as I'm aware the first phone with a front-facing camera was the Kyocera VP-210, released in Japan in 1999." - mitthrowaway2
- "A lot of older cameras (and early phones too) would have a small mirror next to the lens, specifically for taking photos like that. The word selfie is kind of recent. The concept of taking a photo of yourself is probably as old as the invention of the camera." - Doxin
- "I'm pretty sure the success of Purikura in Japan was the inspiration behind the Game Boy Camera / Game Boy Printer." - ZenoArrow
Modern Selfie Trends and Technological Aspects
Commenters discussed current trends in selfie-taking, including the use of specific camera features and the technical evolution of phone cameras.
- "Gen Z takes selfies with the higher quality back-facing camera using 0.5x zoom. You can't see yourself while taking the photo, but that's part of the appeal." - yayitswei
- "I'm from the generation where that was the only option (and I still wasn't a kid then). I kind of liked the mystery, but overall I still prefer the front camera for selfies nowadays." - chuckadams
- "East Asian selfie culture and photo booths are notorious for extremely heavy filters, which reminds me of the early Myspace/Photoshop days" - Rendello
User Experience with Online Articles (Ads and Navigation)
A significant portion of the discussion revolved around the user experience of accessing the linked articles, particularly concerning intrusive advertisements and ad-blocker effectiveness within HN readers.
- "Way too many ads, won't read (uBlock doesn't work in the browser that's integrated in my HN reader app)" - Biganon
- "Yes, annoying. The article feels like it's building to a point and then they end with effectively: lots of people tried them, they're not so popular now. The End." - nmstoker
- "It seems after making it several times to the front page in HN the author has decided to give this (apart from the ads) really interesting blog a new try... I hope they find a less intrusive way to monetize it." - amadeoeoeo
- "I didn't see a single ad but I was on a desktop with UBO lite." - Mistletoe
Gamification and Enhanced Photo Booth Experiences
One user highlighted a modern approach to photo booths in arcades, where the experience is gamified with time limits and pose challenges, adding an interactive layer.
- "They still have modern versions of these machines at arcades in tokyo today, I just used some recently. The photo booth is gamified in the sense that you are timed throughout the process and are given some poses to try and replicate, and you only get two photos (which you choose) digitally, plus a selection of a few for the printed stickers. You can still get digital copies of the rest of the photos online for a fee. It's pretty fun! The small amount of gamification adds an additional layer of excitement to the photo booth." - voidhorse
Cultural Differences in Photo Booth Experiences
A user who experienced photo booths in Japan noted a distinct difference compared to Western versions, citing machines, capabilities, and the creativity of operators.
- "When I came to Japan in 2015 and was dating here, I was taken to purikuras in multiple occasions and let me tell you it's totally different experience from the Western photo booths. Both the machines, abilities and creativity of pros managing them made me very surprised in many ways." - franciscop
Pop Culture References to Selfies
The concept of the "selfie" was also touched upon through pop culture references.
- "I remember Sonny Onoo, Eric Bischoff's friend at WCW was taking credit for inventing the Selfie" - Whoppertime