OXFORD Dictionaries found that usage of the word ‘selfie’ increased a staggering 17,000% in the last 12 months.
All photos via J Conroy
‘Selfie’ is defined as: ‘A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with
a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.’
The world ‘selfie’ is only listed in the online version of The Oxford English
Dictionary. It is currently on the list of words being considered for inclusion in the print edition.
Other words included in this year’s shortlist were ‘binge-watch’: compulsively
watching a TV series, and ‘twerk’, which presumably made a late spurt since
Miley Cyrus’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.
The word of the year is generally seen as a reflection of a given year. The phrase
‘squeezed-middle’ was selected in 2011, ‘unfriend’ in 2009 and ‘carbon neutral’
in 2006.
Is the selfie a fair legacy for 2013? Are we that self-involved?
Let us know in the comment section below!
Joseph Conroy
News Anois 