Why this is not ‘the best selfie ever’

First and foremost, because the photograph is not a selfie.

Somewhere along the line, the definition of a selfie – a photograph taken with one’s camera phone by oneself and including oneself in the image – has been bastardized to encompass any old photo of oneself, preferably with someone notable.

The photograph above, if you don’t know, pictures a 26-year-old British man, Ben Innes, right, and Seif Eldin Mustafa, who is credibly alleged to have hijacked an EgyptAir flight yesterday. During an ensuing hostage standoff, Innes asked a flight attendant to translate his request to Mustafa that they pose for what Innes and countless headline writers would later contend “has to be the best selfie ever.”

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