According to Oxford Dictionaries, a selfie is “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

 

It’s simple. Raise your phone at a slightly higher angle and hover your finger over the button. Tilt your head to your best side. Click. Paste an artsy filter over it. Post.

 

To selfie enthusiasts, like sophomore, Amy Reyes, it’s a boost of confidence and something fun to do.

 

“It’s nice when people comment or like my pictures. It makes me feel good about myself. It’s a fun way of communicating too,” she said.

 

Social media is about being social. If people feel good about themselves in that particular moment and want to post plenty of selfies, then let them be. People don’t need a reason to post. It can simply be because it’s a fun way to document favorite moments, slices of life.

 

Posting selfies can also be known as a way to gather attention. Likes and comments on a photo can boost one’s confidence and ego. It’s part of human nature to show-off achievements and successes. A quick selfie can document that.

 

Instead for attention purposes, selfies can arguably be said for self-identification and self-expression purposes. It’s a method for people to announce who they are to the world. Each selfie is meant to reveal a mood and how they want to be perceived.

 

Senior, Jessa Li, said, “If it makes you happy, it’s fine to take as many selfies you want, as long as it doesn’t become unhealthy, for example, only taking them for the approval of others.”

 

Wanting validation once in a while is fine, but once it becomes an addiction of always wanting the approval of others, it can become harmful. Don’t build your identity on how others perceive you based on selfies.

 

The word, selfie, is used frequently in everyday speech. We see them online. There’s no doubt why selfie is framed as the word of the year for 2013 by Oxford Dictionaries.

 

Selfies can be fun to post, but try to mix things up if not already. Recently, cat pictures have been on the rise. Post a picture of your cat next time to spice up your Instagram feed.