Former US president advises millennials on selfies

Always the man who is concerned for the youth, Obama has spoken about why millennials should think twice about documenting a lot of their lives on social media.

Speaking at the University of Chicago last month, Barack Obama said "In terms of how to deal with the fact that as you grow up you’re going to learn and change and evolve in all kinds of ways ... the problem now with the Internet is that that past is always there. One way to think about it is just to own it.

"If we had pictures of everything I’ve done when I was in high school I probably wouldn't have been President of the United States...so I would advise all of you to be a little more circumspect about your selfies and what you take pictures of."

Barack Obama does have a solid point about social media. These are the days of our lives and we want to document all the shenanigans we are up to. We want to share photos of the latest turn up, getting lit and rolling with or squad or tribe.

It's the phase of life when you are wild, free and don't care about what the society says. You just want to be you and do the first thing that pops up in your head.

Sharing a photo of a blunt on Instagram or putting out a lot of reckless things on Twitter might make you look cool. It might get you likes and followers but somehow these things have a life of their own and could come back to bite you when you least expect.

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You might find it really hard to explain to your board of directors why there is a video of you drinking codeine on Instagram when you were 19.

Melania Trump might be an exception but I don't think it is a cool look if the first lady of Nigeria has her thirst trap photos plastered all over the dailies.

Turning up is cool but thinking about your future is way cooler. The Internet never forgets, 'cos you deleted doesn't mean someone else does not have it.

And for real, the coolest kids don't tweet, 'gram or snap every aspect of their lives. They know what to put out there and what to hold back. You don't see Beyonce acting regular on social media.

The craze to document all the days of your youth robs you of valuable time to do something meaningful. The people who influence culture and push it forward are not on social media all day. They are busy creating a legacy.

Being all social media all day robs you of the urgency to do something impactful and meaningful sometimes. Having a camera on your face is cool but plotting your life is cooler.

Selfies are dope but not all of you should be out there.