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Selfie facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Selfie Stick in Rom (16454073048)
Using a selfie stick
Dina Oktavia 2
A selfie enthusiast
Macaca nigra self-portrait (rotated and cropped)
"Monkey selfie" of a macaque who had picked up a camera.

A selfie is a special kind of self-portrait photograph. It's a picture you take of yourself, usually with a digital camera or a camera phone that you hold in your hand.

People often share selfies on social networking services. Popular places to share them include Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr. Selfies are usually casual photos. You might take one by holding your camera at arm's length. Or, you could take one using a mirror. Some people even use a "selfie stick" to hold their camera further away.

One of the very first self-portraits was taken a long time ago in 1839. An American photographer named Robert Cornelius took it. The word "selfie" itself is much newer. A photographer named Jim Krause first used the term in 2005.

Animal Selfies

Did you know animals can take selfies too? A black crested macaque (Macaca nigra) once grabbed a camera. The monkey then took a photo of herself!

This "monkey selfie" became famous. It even led to a legal discussion about who owns the copyright of the photo. The Wikimedia Foundation decided that a non-human animal cannot own a copyright. Also, the camera owner didn't take the picture. So, the photo was not protected by copyright and could be used freely.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selfi para niños

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Selfie Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.