Selfie
From Early Online Usage to Word of the Year
Forgotten Trends · 2002–2013
Archived on
Associated With
Unknown - associated person or organisation not established
Defining Feature
A photograph taken of oneself, typically for digital sharing
Status
Ongoing - Selected by Oxford Dictionaries as its 2013 Word of the Year
Overview
The word selfie gave a casual name to taking a photograph of yourself and sharing it digitally.
Oxford defined it as a self-taken image, typically made with a smartphone or webcam and shared through social media. One of its earliest known appearances came in an Australian online forum post dated 13 September 2002.
By 2013, its growth was large enough for Oxford Dictionaries to select selfie as its Word of the Year. The decision concerned the word’s rise, not the invention of self-portraiture.
Why It Mattered
The practice was older than the word, but “selfie” made it easy to describe, repeat and recognise as part of online life. Its rise reflected the meeting of camera phones, social platforms and a new habit of placing the photographer inside the moment being shared.
Recorded Meaning
- Oxford defined a selfie as a photograph taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and shared through social media.
- The earliest recorded usage was informal Australian online language.
Early Online Citation
- ABC dates the forum post to 13 September 2002.
- The post used selfie for a photograph taken after a fall.
Dictionary Recognition
- Oxford Dictionaries selected selfie as its 2013 Word of the Year.
- Oxford’s decision concerned the word’s documented growth in use, not the invention of self-portraiture.
Sources & Records
- ABC News — Selfie Named Oxford’s 2013 Word of the Year — Reproduces the September 2002 forum usage and reports Oxford’s selection of the word.
- Oxford University Press — Scholarly Reflections on the Selfie — Confirms the Word of the Year choice and discusses digital self-portraiture and social sharing.
- Australian National Dictionary Centre — Ozwords, April 2014 — Corroborates the word’s Australian forum origins in 2002 and Oxford’s 2013 Word of the Year selection.
Gallery
Credit
Connect Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Caption
The group selfie makes the photographer part of the picture, illustrating how front-facing smartphone cameras changed the way friends recorded and shared time together.