The OP had a specific complaint about cameras not having an IR receiver at the back, i.e., for non-selfies. Remotes are useful for bulb shots, for reducing camera shake, and many other things.
Depending on exact location, the accepted angles should be slightly less than 180 degrees in front of the camera—you don't need to be anywhere near the subject, unless you got a fisheye mounted.
It's just a bit silly that the default approach wasn't RF, rather than optical, even if they put receivers on all sides of the camera. Some new cameras have BLE though, which is nice and solves most problems (although I prefer physical remotes to poorly written apps).
Sorry if the majority of people buy DSLR without using it correctly. It's like owning a Apple, or a Gaming computer but don't understand nothing at all or do it by trends. Same apply with camera where everybody know everything.
Majority of people in the street have DSLR and take selfie by hand. You know now why it sucks.