Selfie

[pat]

I did actually suggest that this word be made common back in July 2015 but it was in the middle of a non-related thread. The narcissistic activity of photographing oneself is as prevalent as ever and I can't imagine that anyone in the so-called civilized world hasn't heard of selfies, so I think it warrants a change in status.

[mkenuk]

Agreed.

[TRex]

The narcissistic activity of photographing oneself is as prevalent as ever ...

Unfortunately.

[Jacki]

Yes I agree and I played it. I was disappointed it wasn't common, but not surprised. However I do think it is a strong candidate to be a common word.

[pat]

It seems I've twice suggested a promotion to common for this word - third time lucky perhaps.

As an example of how prevalent (and ridiculous) it is, here's a photo from Lake Victoria in Kenya. Abundant wildlife (including a couple of grazing rhinos), beautiful scenery and this...

[Calilasseia]

It wasn't that long ago, that taking a self-portrait with a camera required planning and effort. Usually involving a tripod and a timer on the camera. A process that I and many others only bothered with, either for experimental purposes while learning to use an SLR (ah, fond memories of the venerable OM30!) or because we needed passport photos.

Usually, those of us who exerted the effort to master SLR usage, had other subjects in mind - landscapes, architecture, wildlife, etc.

Quite simply, I've never felt the urge to exhibit my face photographically, unless there's been a reason for my face being in the photo, such as the time I was photographed with a South American swallowtail butterfly sitting on my hand, and I assumed that most people would be more interested in the swallowtail butterfly than me.

I might be a little unusual in this respect, but the photos of me on my hard drive over the past decade or so number fewer than 20, while I have 60,000 photos of insects.

As for a visit to Kenya, I'd use up several gigabytes of storage on the local butterflies alone, before I moved on to the other insects, and probably erase odd photos of me to make room for more entomology images

[Alan W]

This year's selfies are a bit different.



Despite some initial uncertainty about the durability of the selfie phenomenon and word, it continued to surge in popularity after we accepted the word in 2013:







When ilandrah suggested in 2013 that the word should be common, not rare, I doubted if she was serious. But there's no doubt now that it has become a common word, so I'll change its classification for future puzzles.

[pat]

This year's selfies are a bit different.

That may be true for some people, Alan, but unfortunately for many it's business as usual. It amuses me when people post a photo of, say, their cat, and proudly announce that the cat let them take a selfie. 

Thanks for changing its status but what a pity.

[Jacki]

Well this is how we get language and new words evolving - generally from a root word and then it takes a life if it's own and becomes popular.
It's the way of things.
Selfie should be common and good call I say Alan.

[pat]

It's not the word becoming common that I regret - I requested it - it's the practice itself. Some people have been so self-obsessed that they've even managed to kill themselves trying to take a selfie. And of course its popularity has resulted in such things as phone manufacturers fitting their devices with two cameras, one dedicated to self love. You probably can't even get a phone with only one camera so we have to pay for two whether we want them or not.

[Alan W]

This is a picture I took last year in Tienanmen Square (with my Huawei phone).

[lilys field]

See https://youtu.be/K3ROqhIv17Q

[pat]

Here's one I took in an airport in Malaysia. This bloke spent ages with his selfie stick trying to get the 'perfect' shot of himself and his entourage, completely oblivious to the people crowding round them and trying to get through.