( CNN ) Some of the world 's most important museums are confirming what we 've suspected all along but did n't dare say : selfie sticks are stupid . If ever there was a product that preyed so heavily on our fear of insignificance , it 's the selfie stick , or as I like to call it , the narcisstick . But wait , there 's already a selfie stick company called exactly that , because it 's witty and ironic , right ? And not painfully honest . More and more museums in New York are announcing bans on the selfie stick . The Museum of Modern of Art ( MoMA ) has long removed the sticks from their exhibition halls to prevent damage to the artwork . If you 've ever set foot in MoMA you 'll know what a difficult experience it can be . Not because it is n't an exceptional art institution that 's given the world some of its most mind-expanding exhibitions . But because of other people . The MoMA is one of the world 's busiest museums -- add selfie sticks among the crowds and you 've got a recipe for disaster . The same situation can be found at many famous tourist landmarks . The Forbidden City in Beijing received 15 million visitors last year , more than any other museum in the world . I used to enjoy walking the palace grounds every time I passed through the capital city -- now that everyone 's got a selfie stick , I fear for my life . Am I being melodramatic ? Let 's just say , like seat belts and extramarital affairs , the selfie stick problem does n't hit home until someone gets hurt . An increasing number of sites have seen the potential hazard and put a stop to things before a `` tragedy '' occurs . The Australian Open has banned selfie sticks , outside of designated selfie zones . Use of unauthorized selfie sticks in South Korea could get you fined . Sports and music stadiums around London have banned the stick , as well . Yet the real issue behind the selfie stick is the selfie itself . It 's somehow become socially acceptable for us to take the narcissism of adolescence and extend it thorough adulthood , manifested in selfies . I know I sound like a tired curmudgeon who probably does n't even know what Instagram is and hates Facebook . I 'm none of those things and , yes , I do enjoy the occasional guilty pleasure of a selfie , so I ca n't and wo n't be a hypocrite about it . ( The gallery above should prove that I understand . ) When it comes to traveling , though , when it comes to once-in-a-lifetime visits to sacred landmarks and world-class museums or wandering side streets in strange cities , I 'd hope that we could all turn the lens away from ourselves . Or simply put the camera away . Travel writer Paul Theroux once told his readers : `` I never bring a camera -- because taking pictures , I 've found , makes me less observant and interferes with my memory . '' How much do we rely on photographs to remember our vacations ? Does it really matter that we have a formal permanent documentation of every moment of our travels ? What if we entirely let go of documenting and just simply experienced ? I tried it for a day . It is what I imagine skydiving would be like : terrifying at first , then exhilarating and finally , when I got my mind to stop subconsciously framing every street scene , I became more present than I 've ever been on a trip . In any case , selfies are a cliche that have always reminded me of Rowan Atkinson as that sad old buffoon , Mr. Bean , taking self-portraits with his teddy bear in front of Buckingham Palace . Instead of waving a glorified tree branch to take a slightly better version of a cliched shot , let 's just move on . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Zoe Li . Hong Kong-based freelancer Zoe Li writes regularly on Chinese art , culture , food and travel .
Museums in New York are imposing a ban on selfie sticks . Selfie sticks are being prohibited in more and more places due to safety concerns . The real issue behind the selfie stick may be the selfie itself .