'Selfie' is 'word of the year'

MANILA, Philippines - The term "selfie" was declared word of the year at the recently held Sawikaan 2014.

 

The word "selfie" means a self-portrait photograph taken by one's self and is usually uploaded on social media. Noel Ferrer and Director Jose Javier Reyes presented the meaning and context of the word last Friday.

 

"Selfie" bested 12 other words shortlisted to be chosen word of the year. The words "endo" and "Filipinas" were in second and third place, respectively.

 

The words were chosen for having influenced and prevailed Filipino discourse through gaming and technology, television, social media, news and current events.

 

Ferrer and Reyes also won the Best Presentation award as voted upon by the audience.

 

Because of smartphones with front-facing camera features, selfies have become more popular, Ferrer said during his presentation. He also noted that selfies promote a culture of narcissism and mentioned the case of a high school student who fell off the stairs and died while taking a selfie.

 

READ: ‘Selfie’ leads to student’s death in Pasig

 

Reyes noted while selfies is being used as a tool for consumerism, it can also be used as a medium in reporting current events. The director ended his talk with the statement, "Ang selfie ay isang Pilipino."

 

The words that have been chosen before as word of the year were canvass (2004), jueteng/huweteng (2005), lobat (2006), miskol (2007), jejemon (2010) and wangwang (2012).

 

"Selfie" was also declared word of the year for 2013 by Britain's Oxford University Press.

 

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