The world ‘selfie’, and the act itself, has garnered a lot of attention this year – being inducted into the dictionary, as well as being one of the single most reliable sources of social media attention. Props to you selfie, you’ve put in work.

We’re all guilty of the selfie, scroll through any of your social media feeds, they’re full of them. As if social media itself wasn’t a curated version of our lives made public, the selfie is an even more intensified and personal iteration of that – “This is what I look like right now, doing this thing in this place. Aren’t I awesome?” Yeah, it’s a little narcissistic and definitely an attention seeking ploy but according to James Franco, it’s not always about vanity.

In an article for The New York Times, the actor/director/writer/selfie king explores how important the selfie can actually be in this time when social media reigns supreme and everyone has an Instagram addiction, including himself.

“But a well-stocked collection of selfies seems to get attention. And attention seems to be the name of the game when it comes to social networking. In this age of too much information at a click of a button, the power to attract viewers amid the sea of things to read and watch is power indeed. It’s what the movie studios want for their products, it’s what professional writers want for their work, it’s what newspapers want – hell, it’s what everyone wants: attention. Attention is power.”

So next time you hold that front-facing camera up in front of you, try not to think about the potential comments of “Get over yourself” or “Self-obsessed much?” James Franco understands and thinks you’re doing the right thing…for the most part.

Check out some of my favourite Franco selfies in our gallery above (via his Instagram) and read the full article here.