A selfie (/ˈsɛlfi/) is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a smartphone or camera, and shared via social media. A selfie taken in front of a mirror may also be called a “mirror selfie”. Selfies are often casual in nature (captioned with things like “I’m bored” or “just woke up”), but can also be used to document important events, such as vacations, graduations, births, and weddings.
The word “selfie” was first used in an Australian forum post in 2002; however, the term didn’t become widely used until years later when it exploded in popularity along with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Selfies have become so popular that they have even spawned their own subculture and art movement. The Oxford English Dictionary named “selfie” as its Word of the Year for 2013. Time magazine named selfies one of the “10 Things That Mattered Most in 2013”, while The Guardian placed them among the year’s biggest trends. In 2014, selfies were declared by Business Insider to be one of the worst things about modern culture. However, not everyone is a fan – some see taking and sharing selfies as vain and attention-seeking behavior.