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Derek Smith, Renton (Wash.) High School. MS Paint to Photoshop: “You’re too expensive.” Photoshop to MS Paint: “You’re free and easy.” | Ellen Austin, MJE, The Harker School (San Jose, Calif.). At AEJMC and just got a photo with First Amendment legend Mary Beth Tinker and First Amendment warrior Frank LoMonte. | Stacy Short, Argyle (Texas) High School. “It was 34 degrees Friday night at our playoff football game. We were in the midst of winning the area championship against the Melissa Cardinals. We really didn’t care at that moment because we were all really, really cold. So I posed with the cheerleaders just for fun. I think they think I’m crazy.” | Leland Mallett and Rachel Dearinger, CJE, Legacy High School (Mansfield, Texas) on the first day of school.

SELFIE With a fanfare and a drum roll, it’s time to announce the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year. The votes have been counted and verified. The winner is ….

A picture can paint a thousand words.

According to the Web announcement Nov. 18, 2013, “the decision was unanimous this year, with little if any argument. This is a little unusual. Normally there will be some good-natured debate as one person might champion a particular choice over someone else’s. But this time, everyone seemed to be in agreement almost from the start.”

It really wasn’t a surprise — despite competing with words such as trolley dash, squee and omnishambles — that selfie was the runaway winner.

“Language research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors reveals that the frequency of the word selfie in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent since this time last year,” Oxford wrote in justifying its choice.

New York Times columnist Daniel Menaker weighed in.

“It seems like an embarrassing word to me, on the baby-talk side of talk, and destined for the etymological trash basket that is already brimming with ‘jeggings,’ ‘man cave,’ ‘chillax,’ ‘locovore,’ etc.,” he said in his Nov. 23 column.

Parade magazine reported on how to take a “spectacular” selfie in a Nov. 6 article.

“Love them or hate them, it’s time to face

the facts: Selfies are here to stay,” Janene Mascarella said in the article. “They may not be all as out there as Kim Kardashian’s instantly shocking swimsuit selfie, but if you’re going to post them, you might as well do it right!”

Overseas, the London Telegraph reported that men take more selfies than women.

In a OnePoll survey of 2,000 people on behalf of Samsung Electronics, 17 percent of men admitted to taking selfies compared to 10 percent of women, the paper reported in a Nov. 30 article by Sophie Curtis. Even the Pew Research Center looked into the trend.

In the spring of 2013, Pew researchers Mary Madden, Amanda Lenhart, Sandra continued on page 13

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Margaret Sorrows, CJE, Bryant (Ark.) High School, and Lori Oglesbee, MJE, McKinney (Texas) High School — ­ on vacation. | John Wells, Reitz High School (Evansville, Ind.). “I just got a smartphone this summer so I never really took SELFIES until then. So on the first day, I took a selfie just to say that I did. It was a spur-of-the-moment (decision), but I decided that I would do it each school day. The kids love it. They want to be in my selfie, and they comment on them. The mashed potato is their favorite one so far.” | Sarah Nichols, MJE, Whitney High School (Rocklin, Calif.). “A true SELFIE (simply me capturing me) isn’t for the people who see it on a social media site — it’s for me. It’s an affirmation of sorts. I take only three or four per year but always at a moment I want to remember. This one is at JEA’s Advisers Institute in Las Vegas. My head was spinning with ideas I wanted to share. I wanted to remember how great I felt in that moment because of the opportunity to do something I love with people invested in our profession. When I come across this photo, I’m back in that moment.”

From Oxford Dictionary SELFIE (also: selfy) Pronunciation: 'selfē a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website Origin: early 21st century: from SELF + -IE

SELFIES EVOLVE. JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide takes a SELFIE during Expedition 32 in September 2012. “Visible in this outworldly assemblage is the Sun, the Earth, two portions of a robotic arm, an astronaut’s spacesuit, the deep darkness of space and the unusual camera taking the picture,” NASA wrote. Photo courtesy NASA. | According to Instagram, this Instagram by Jennifer Lee was the first photo tagged #SELFIE in the photo-sharing network, uploaded on Jan. 16, 2011. | And this SELFIE posted on Sept. 3 by Justin Bieber has been liked more than 1.07 million times.

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Cortesi, Urs Gasser, Maeve Duggan, Aaron Smith and Meredith Beaton reported in their study, “Teens, Social Media and Privacy,” that 91 percent of teens post a photo of themselves, up from 79 percent in 2006.

According to Oxford, the term officially dates as far back as 2002 when it was used, fittingly, in an online forum, an Australian Internet forum to be precise.

The Sept. 13, 2002, ABC Online forum posting said, “Um, drunk at a mate’s 21st, I tripped ofer [sic] and landed lip first (with front teeth coming a very close second) on a set of steps. I had a hole about 1 cm long right through my bottom lip. And sorry about the focus. It was a selfie.”

But now the word has evolved to include the helfie, a picture of one’s hair, and welfie, a workout selfie.

Teen Vogue magazine reported that 31 million Instagram photos have been hashtagged #selfie.

“Celebrities (such as) Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Justin Bieber are perpetual selfie posters, as you’ve likely noticed,” Melissa Walker reported. “When even the Mars rover is programmed to be able to take photos of itself, you know selfies are more than just a trend.

They’re here to stay.”

Clearly. A search for the term “selfie” returns almost 13 million hits.

CNN joined the discussion too.

Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, a political comedian and a frequent commentator, said in a Nov. 30 CNN column, “Selfies are but the tip of the iceberg for my ‘selfie-centered’ generation. We have already seen how Twitter has allowed so many, including myself, to

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Advisers Bailey McBride from Tulsa, Okla., and Jill Burns from Tampa, Fla., after the High School Journalism Night with the Celtics in Boston. | For Jordan Moore, “SELFIES have two main elements — the photographer with a big, stupid face and a situation where they are documenting their presence by putting themselves in frame. You can do them when you would not normally be included in a photo or if you would just like to show you were somewhere/with someone. In short, they’re fun and silly.” | Madyson Gabriel and Makayla Wagner in Boston at Roxy’s Grilled Cheese food truck. They said they take SELFIES to catalog and to track their vacation and to look back on the moments of life. | Robann Brown working in the haunted house at Halloween.

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“Selfies” Prevail Over Social Media “Selfie”, the modern day self-portrait, becomes fierce habit of students and teens.

Senior Chris Henry

From Urban Dictionary SELFIE

Sophomore Cody Fortner

Sophomore Rebecca jarratt

word of the day: Oct. 12, 2012 A picture taken of yourself that is planned to be uploaded to Facebook, Myspace or any other sort of social networking website. You can usually see the person’s arm holding out the camera, in which case you can clearly tell that this person does not have any friends to take pictures of them so they resort to Myspace to find Internet friends and post pictures of themselves, taken by themselves. A selfie is usually accompanied by a kissy face or the individual looking in a direction that is not toward the camera.

Senior daja edwards

Sophomore Alexandra wood

Sophomore Ashuani Trapp

I

Lindsay Pugh trn writer

t is a testament to the popularity of the selfie that a Google Image search brings up 17, 700,000 images when a user types in the single search term “selfie.” What began as an online trend, in the long-gone days of MySpace, has become a commonplace around the world and in Prince George county.

A selfie is a picture of the subject taken by the subject, usually in a mirror or with a front facing camera on a cell phone. Selfies have been made famous by celebrities like Justin Bieber and Rihanna. The selfie has even made its debut in space, when Japanese astronaut, Akihiko Hoshide, took a shot of himself floating in his space suit.

Selfies are likely to show up in any typical teenager’s Instagram or Twitter feed. Most people have taken selfies of themselves to use as a profile or cover image. Some even have entire Facebook albums of self-portraits. A popular form of the selfie is the #ootd or “outfit of the day”, which can be seen on

all major social networks and has inspired many “outfit of the day” blogs.

A popular angle to take a selfie is from above, with the subject looking up at the camera, which has a slimming effect on the face.

Often seen in selfies are the duck face and peace signs.

Sophomore Rebecca Jarratt takes selfies on a regular basis and posts them on Instagram and occasionally Facebook if she wants a new profile picture.

“If you take a picture yourself, you can look at it afterwards,” Jarratt said. “If other people take it, you’re not sure if it turned out right.”

Junior Bradley Smithson feels the same.

“Selfies are easy to take[ by yourself]. It can be awkward to ask someone else to take a picture of you, especially if takes fifty times to get the right one,”Smithson said.

Jarratt believes technology has led to the rise of the selfie.

“Now there’s front-facing cameras [on smart phones] that make selfies really easy to take,” Jarratt said. “Social networking has also led to more selfies, because we all want people to see what are friends are doing.”

Photography teacher Kendell Weston also believes that technology is involved behind the evolution of the selfie. “[This] generation is born and bred through social media. It’s Instagram, it’s Facebook, it used to be MySpace. They can pop a picture and post it in a matter of seconds. That ties in with the popularity of selfies,” Weston said. “If it weren’t for the phones with good quality cameras and social media, selfies wouldn’t exist.”

Self image is another factor in taking a selfie. Taking a self-portrait allows the subject to control how others perceive them online.

“It seems that the people who take more selfies have a high opinion of themselves or put more emphasis on other’s opinions,” Weston said. “Any appearance [you present] can sway others’ opinion of you. If you’re always posting creepy pictures, people are going to think you’re creepy.”

Although the idea of the “selfie” seems to be an expression of individuality, it actually can be traced back psychological and sociological idea of oneself. Charles Horton Cooley is credited with the concept of “the looking glass self.” He believed that, “we imagine

how we appear to others, imagine the judgement of that appearance, and develop ourself though the judgments of other.” Therefore, people are very interested in making their “selfies” look as presentable as possible.

While for some a selfie requires an outfit change, make-up, and elaborate hair, Jarratt has a simpler process.

“I prepare for a selfie by fixing my hair and my makeup, if I’m already wearing some,” Jarratt said. “If I’m not, I don’t bother.”

Smithson has a similar mentality.

“I don’t prepare to take a selfie. I just take it,” he said.

Smithson posts a few selfies a week on Facebook and Twitter.

Almost as frequent as regular selfies there are intentionally unflattering selfies, usually accompanied by ridiculous facial expressions and captioned with hashtags like, #prettygirlsuglyfaces, #handsomeguysuglyfaces, and/or #uglyselfie.

“If you’re smiling in every picture, it’s boring,” Jarratt said. “I make other faces to mix it up.”

Logging onto Facebook? A selfie is sure to pop up and greet you.

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BY THE NUMBerS

18%

take more than one selfie a day

76%

of students have a cell phone with a front facing camera

58%

use Instagram for posting their selfies

84% of

students surveyed take a selfie Sophomore jerron Ramsey

junior Angelina Smith

Sophomore Alex Yam

Sophomore nick Adair

junior Bradley Smithson

Sophomore Azaria jones

junior Stephen Garrett

Surveyed 100 students with a return of 79

The Royal News of Prince George (Va.) High School (Chris Waugaman, MJE, adviser) ran a spread on SELFIES in April 2013.

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tweet their most inane thoughts: a shared delusion that everything we say is so interesting/ compelling/funny that it must be immediately offered to the world. Of course, Facebook, the granddaddy of social media, is a great way to share every mundane event in your life.”

But he also challenged the selfie generation to use social media to share information on issues.

“The legacy of our ‘selfie generation’ must be more than photobombing a friend’s picture or gloating when one of our tweets is retweeted to infinity. Our generation has an opportunity with these social media platforms to raise awareness about issues we personally believe need to be addressed,” Obeidallah said.

Indeed, in a Nov. 21 article, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer promoted the “unselfie” developed to

spur people to action by being selfless.

Not to be left out, the published a Nov. 4, 2013 article by Renee Jacques: “The 8 Selfies You Must Absolutely, Positively Never Take.”

“Selfies have come a long way … and, for better or worse (but mainly worse), nobody seems to think twice about taking them anymore. Ever since Myspace and the growth of the front-facing smartphone camera, people have been snapping selfies pretty much everywhere.”

For Jacques, the funeral selfie, the driving selfie, the selfie in front of someone else’s car accident, the bloody selfie, the hallowedground selfie among others are out. Tasteless.

Even as they continue to evolve, as Menaker said, “Soon enough ‘selfies’ will be history, and we’ll be on to something more absurd.” n

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Jim Jordan of Del Campo High School, Sacramento, Calif.: “I first heard the word SELFIE during the spring of 2013 and didn’t think much about it, but in the summer as I taught workshops around the country I began to hear it everywhere. I thought ‘what a crazy, silly little word.’ What an absurd idea that we are all so obsessed with pictures of ourselves. Then it hit me. Why not make it fun and make fun of it and really overdo it by attempting to take a ‘selfie a day.’ Hence the birth of the selfie project. Here is what I wrote with Selfie 1 taken on the first day of school. ‘The Selfie Project 2013-2014. Just for fun I plan to post a selfie a day. Smile. Enjoy. Have fun with it.’

As it has developed, I have actually tried to make it a story of the life of a teacher during one school year. From deadlines, to birthdays, to haircuts and medical procedures, it’s been life – one selfie at a time. It has been so much fun.” | Gary Lindsay, MJE, retired adviser in Cedar Rapids, Iowa: “I took this SELFIE on the way up on the mountain coaster at Park City, Utah. I considered taking one on the way down, but wisely reconsidered. The descent needed both hands on the brake and my full attention.” | Blair Hamilton of Dorman High School Freshman Campus (Roebuck, S.C.): “After taking their first test, I took a whole class SELFIE of my Broadcast Journalism I class. We thought it was awesome that we fit all nine of us in one frame. They also thought I had the longest arms ever.”

THE MATT STAMEY SELFIE

I’m not quite sure why I started taking self portraits, but it’s just something I’ve done since becoming a photographer. Being a photojournalist has put me in some pretty awesome places, and I want to remember myself being there, and not just with the photos I take for the assignment. So whenever I find myself in a unique situation or location, I always turn the camera on myself.

One of these days I’ll put together a book for my parents.

From the Super Bowl to riding a horse at a small farm, I’ve made selfportraits pretty much everywhere. One of my favorites was in college when I jumped off the back of a truck and crowd surfed. The crowed started chanting, “Photographer should jump!” So I did.

But these photos usually turn into some of the most memorable from any trip or experience. The group shots with the photo staff from college on the rainy beach or along Lake Michigan always bring back great memories.

Those images have bounced from computer to computer that I’ve owned.

SELFIE Matt Stamey is a staff photographer at The Gainesville (Fla.) Sun

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Thomas Kaup, MJE, of Auburn (Wash.) High School: “One of the many Fern Valentine JEA trophies in my classroom fell over and broke. I decided to recognize my own achievements. I am wearing a trophy cup on my shoulder and a Victory wreath on my Oregon keychain. I am now officially a blinged out JEA award winner.” | Brittany Valencic, freshman, University of Florida | Steve Johnson, visual coordinator and adjunct lecturer at University of Florida: “Here is one of my favorite SELFIES. I took it while exploring Paris for the first time. I’m wearing my backpack that I lecture about so often. It was the clearest night that I was in the city of lights.

Definitely a special day. I take selfies for a variety of reasons. One, to send back home to my family. I am gone a lot and this is a nice way to let them know that I’m alive. Two, when put together (https://vimeo.com/34400567) like I did in 2011, they can tell a great story.”

NAME___________________________

SELFIE EXERCISE Joe Humphrey, MJE, the media adviser at Hillsborough High School (Tampa, Fla.) said one of his former students, Brittany Valencic, now a freshman at the University of Florida, was “infamous for leaving selfies on peoples’ phones,” including his. Valencic shares tips based on her experiences.

• Make sure your face is the main focal point. No one wants to see your arm or other limbs.

• A clear background ensures your face is the center of attention.

• Lighting is everything.

• Be still. Blurry selfies are no fun for anyone.

• Make a goofy face. Regular smiling photos taken by yourself are sometimes awkward.

• The more selfies you can take before the actual phone owner returns, the better.

DIRECTIONS: Your assignment is to write five more tips for shooting selfies in the space below. Be specific. Use appropriate websites to do background research (and be sure to attribute your sources if necessary).

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