--- description: The moment refugees land safely ashore, smartphones appear and the taking of selfies begins title: See How Refugees Use Selfies to Document Their Journey image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dcfe7d69338c6b5/6988674a5f570fe1e9b1dc0a/refugee-crisis-patrick-witty-cellphones-001.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # See How Refugees Use Selfies to Document Their Journey by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 8, 2015 11:43 AM CUT  Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece.Patrick Witty for TIME by [Olivier Laurent](/author/olivier-laurent/) ## Olivier Laurent Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 8, 2015 11:43 AM CUT Refugees fleeing war-torn territory have come to rely on their phones to make a passage to a better life. They use messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and Line to communicate with loved ones back home. On the coast of Lesbos, Greece, the moment refugees land safely ashore, smartphones appear and the taking of selfies begins. “We want memories from the bad trip we had,” says Mehar Ahmed Aloussi, 30, from Damascus. “When I go and settle down in another country, I want to remember my way.” [Read the full story on how the smartphone is the refugee’s best friend.](http://time.com/4062120 "undefined") **_Patrick Witty_** _is a multimedia journalist and photo editor. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](https://twitter.com/patrickwitty "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](https://instagram.com/patrickwitty "undefined") _@patrickwitty_ **_Olivier Laurent_**_, who edited these photo essays, is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on_ [_Twitter_](http://twitter.com/olivierclaurent "undefined") _and_ [_Instagram_](http://instagram.com/olivierclaurent "undefined")[_@olivierclaurent_](https://time.com/mentions/olivierclaurent/ "undefined")  Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take photos on their cellphones after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take a selfie after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take photos on their cellphones after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take photos on their cellphones after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  A cellphone protected by plastic. Lesbos, Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Refugees take photos and send messages on their cellphones after arriving on the island of Lesbos in Greece. Patrick Witty for TIME  Patrick Witty for TIME ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4064988/refugee-crisis-selfies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4064988/refugee-crisis-selfies/"},"headline":"See How Refugees Use Selfies to Document Their Journey","datePublished":"2015-10-08T11:43:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:40:06.130Z","description":"The moment refugees land safely ashore, smartphones appear and the taking of selfies begins","url":"https://time.com/4064988/refugee-crisis-selfies/","keywords":["LightBox","europe","Refugees","iPhone","photography","Greece","selfie","portfolio","smartphone","cellphone","Refugee crisis"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dcfe7d69338c6b5/6988674a5f570fe1e9b1dc0a/refugee-crisis-patrick-witty-cellphones-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivier Laurent","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/olivier-laurent/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dcfe7d69338c6b5/6988674a5f570fe1e9b1dc0a/refugee-crisis-patrick-witty-cellphones-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"refugee-crisis-patrick-witty-cellphones-001","caption":"refugee-crisis-patrick-witty-cellphones","creditText":"Patrick Witty for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4064988/refugee-crisis-selfies/","name":"See How Refugees Use Selfies to Document Their Journey"}}]}] ```