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A grinning British hostage who posed for a photograph with the EgyptAir hijacker has been described as the latest victim of “narcissistic” social media culture.
Ben Innes, 26, spoke on Tuesday night about his motives for walking up to the front of the hijacked plane after it landed in Cyprus and asking for a photo with the apparent suicide bomber, admitting he’s “not sure why I did it”.
The photo had begun circulating on social media before the hostage situation was over, suggesting Mr Innes began sharing it before he was even off the plane.And the image, in which the
hijacker’s fake bomb vest is clearly visible, has sparked a mix of reactions ranging from amusement to condemnation.
Asking what drove Mr Innes to do it, Cambridge University psychology lecturer Dr Terry Apter suggested it may have
been the result of “pure narcissism”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme on Wednesday, Dr Apter said in modern culture people go into “auto mode” when a camera is pointed at them and “you are expected to smile” – even when marking something terrifying or disturbing.
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