Selfie
Forgotten Trends · 2002–2013
Published
The word selfie gave a casual name to the act of taking a photograph of yourself for digital sharing. One of its earliest known appearances came in an Australian online forum post from September 2002, where it accompanied a self-taken photograph after a fall. By 2013, its growth was large enough for Oxford Dictionaries to select it as Word of the Year.
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 retained earliest usage was informal Australian online language.
Earliest retained citation
- ABC dates the forum post to 13 September 2002.
- The post used selfie for a photograph taken after a fall.
Dictionary record
- 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.
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
Primary Records
Image Sources
- **Friends taking selfie with smartphone — Alamy PD30X4**
- **Credit:** Connect Images / Alamy Stock Photo. **Photographer:** Aleksander Rubtsov.
- **Photograph date:** 9 July 2018. Used as an illustrative image.
- **Licence:** Purchased Alamy Individual licence. Licence terms.
Rights Notice
The photograph is used under a purchased Alamy licence. Forgotten Archive's licence does not grant permission for third-party reuse.
Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.
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.