Sunday, February 23, 2014

Pet Peeve: Selfies

Okay, leaving aside for the moment that 'seflie' is itself an abomination of a term, and yet another sign of the degeneracy of modern society, the thing that really annoys me even more about it is misuse of the term.

A 'selfie' is a photograph that you take of yourself - either directly, or in a mirror. Other people and other things can appear in a selfie, but those two rules apply - you must appear in the photo, and you must take the photo yourself. (I'm sure there's a clue there in the name, but I'm not entirely sure what it is...)

If someone else takes a photo of you, that is not a selfie - that is a photograph. I know it's a shocking concept, but there it is. Likewise, the only way to get a "food selfie" is if you're a cannibal and your food is really underdone. Otherwise, it's just you taking a photo of your food - which may or may not be an horrible and pretentious habit, but it's not a selfie.

Gah!

#8: "The Dagger of Trust", by Chris Willrich

2 comments:

Kezzie said...

I'd not really thought about it. Don't think I've actually ever used the term Oh dear, what must you think of me though! My blog does several of the abominable things mentioned (which I do get wrackings of conscience about!)

Steph/ven said...

Oh, I have no issue whatsoever with people taking pictures of themselves. It's the word I don't like.