The rising popularity of the selfie stick seems to have reached its peak during this year, and now is slightly fading.
Nevertheless, there are interesting things you did not know about this device that we are going to present you in the following paragraphs, such as its origins and inventor(s), etymology of the word, and a gallery of the funniest photos you simply have to see.
Foreword: the origins
Even though it sounds as if it was discovered a few years ago due to its frequent usage, the stick has been around for almost thirty-something years now. Apparently, it was invented back in 1983 by Hiroshi Ueda who tried to find a solution to the problem of not having a photographer taking pictures of him and his wife during a European holiday (he feared passers-by would steal the camera). He called it an ‘extender stick’ and used it with his small camera and a mirror in front of the camera so that he could see what he was doing.
Oddly enough, selfie stick was invented once more in the 2000s, by its other (re)inventor called Wayne Fromm, who was unaware of his Japanese colleague’s work. What both inventors have in common – besides the invention, obviously – is that they both got the idea during a European holiday trip. Fromm called it the Quick Pod, and tried to popularize it, but in vain. The stick waited for about ten years to be discovered by the masses, and it has reached its zenith last year.
Etymology
Selfie stick is a compound consisting of two words: selfie + stick. In 2013, the Oxford Dictionary declared selfie the word of the year, and defined it as
a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.
The word selfie has Australian origin, and its first documented use dates back to 2002. Its Australian origin is also indicated by the suffix –ie, which is a suffix of the same meaning as –y, but older than it. (This means that you can also spell it as selfy.) Aussies seem to like the former suffix, which we can see in their frequent coining and usage of words such as barbie for barbecue and firie for a firefighter.
Selfie also has its equivalents in languages around the world:
Beware: the selfie stick
Even though it was declared as one of the best 25 inventions in 2014 by Time magazine, selfie stick was banned from many public institutions and public gatherings, such as Wimbledon grand slam tournament, the National Gallery in London, the Museum of Versailles in Paris, the Roman Colosseum, the US Smithsonian, Disneyland, Tottenham Hotspur football club stadium, and many more.
The Russian Federation has even made a Rulebook on safe use of the stick, which you can see here (and its English translation here).
The gallery
Since many funny situations can arise from using a selfie stick, we have made a compendium of the funniest selfie stick photos which were made during this year:
DIY bamboo stick
We all have that naked uncle showing up at family gatherings
Points for the creativity
Butt bombing
Redneck stick
When your dad starts using it, it’s over
When at arm’s length – you don’t really need it
Garfield is so gangsta
Nice job, girl
Absolutely, you aren’t
Whoa, I’m having dinner alone!
Third wheels no longer need to go out
Wrong positioning
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the WHAT
Fake it till you make it
This one’s okay actually
This zone we approve of
Photoshopped a bit?
Please, have mercy!
Shouldn’t you be taking a photo of yourself, not your food?
What about you? Do you have a selfie stick and are not afraid to use it?
