Selfie named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries

Selfie has been named as word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries.

The term refers to a self-portrait photograph, usually captured on a tablet or smartphone, with either the aid of a mirror or a device’s front-facing camera.

Although the word was not coined in 2013, its usage is said to have increased by 17,000% over the past 12 months.

“Social media sites helped to popularise the term, with the hashtag #selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flickr as early as 2004, but usage wasn’t widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources,” said Oxford Dictionary editorial director Judy Pearsall.

Other words shortlisted for 2013 word of the year include ‘twerk’, a raunchy dance move popularised by Miley Cyrus, and ‘binge-watch’, a term for describing marathon TV sessions.

‘Selfie’ is currently under consideration for inclusion in the print edition of the Oxford Dictionary, having been inducted online in August.