Hundreds of Jordanians responded to social media calls over the weekend to try and create the world’s largest ”selfie” – a self portrait usually taken on a smartphone or webcam.
About five hundred Jordanians gathered in Amman’s Citadel to take the selfie hoping to make it the largest in the world.
But the number of those participating in the photo wasn’t enough to break world’s record, which is believed to have included over thousand people.
Despite not being able to accomplish the mission, the photo was still considered as one of Jordan’s largest selfies.
Organisers say it was a good reason to bring people together.
Jordanian media personality Aroub Soubh, who was invited to take the selfie, explained how the self-portrait has gained momentum throughout the world.
“There is no doubt that the selfie has not only been a popular thing in Jordan but has also become a global cultural trend and part of the international photography. All the people who are interested in photography will find locations and topics of interest in Jordan if they visit them. We hope that this event will be part of promoting tourism in Jordan,” Soubh told Reuters TV.
The event was organised by Camerji, a local initiative that was launched to promote the art of photography in Jordan.
Its founder, Ammar Alubani, said the initiative aimed at bringing together as many Jordanians as possible for a joint photo that represents the Kingdom.
“We wanted to bring together as many people as we can from the young generation and people representing all segments of society to put them together in one photo that represents Jordan. Around 500 people came today from all ages including young men and women,” said Alubani.
Participants such as Laith Zuraigi expressed their delight for taking part in the event.
“I knew about this event through Camerji facebook page and I was informed that here in Jabal Qalaa (Amman Citadel) the largest selfie in Jordan will be taken. I was excited about the idea, which is really beautiful because the idea of the selfie has become popular in the world and it is really beautiful. I hope that we will break the international, local and regional record. The idea is important because it represents the spirit of young people and it is beautiful because the ones who are in charge of it are young people,” said Zuraigi.
The “Selfie” was selected word of the year in 2013 by the Oxford Dictionaries, based on a 17,000 percent rise in its usage from 2012.
The spike in popularity of the word, whose origin can be traced back to an Australian online forum in 2002, was based on “language research conducted by Oxford Dictionaries editors”, the publisher said.
(Reuters)