OH, SNAP!

WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA, AUSTIN’S STUCK ON ITSELF(IE).

I’m in Austin, and you’re not.

That’s the message behind all of those smug selfies—let’s call them smuggies—on Facebook and Instagram, the photos in front of the “I Love You So Much” mural on the side of Jo’s Coffee on South Congress, Daniel Johnston’s “Hi, How Are You?” frog on the Drag, and the oversized Austin postcard on the side of the Roadhouse Relics neon shop on South First Street. No sooner did a mural of a Dazed and Confused Matthew McConaughey spouting “Alright, alright, alright” appear on South First than everyone began lining up to take swooning selfies there.

Never mind live music capital of the world. Austin’s surely the selfgrinification capital, and never more so than during South by Southwest, when simply being in Austin is almost as important as the music or films or interactive panels everybody paid the big bucks to attend.

Coincidentally, early spring’s the best time to snap an Austin selfie because it’s coolish outside, and your face isn’t all sweaty. So, go ahead. Take that selfie while you’re waiting in line at Franklin Barbecue. It’ll help pass the time. Just don’t use a selfie stick. That is not alright, alright, alright.

Is it uncool for us locals to engage in the smuggie practice? Far from it. The best spot is on the boardwalk portion of the hike-and-bike trail, facing north, the skyline reflected in Lady Bird Lake as a light breeze lifts our hair on a blue, blue day and we think: We’re in Austin full time. And you’re not.