Thais somehow lose selfie race

[webfact]

ASIA ALIVE: PHILIPPINE TOP SELFIE CAPITALS
Thais somehow lose selfie race
Raul Dancel
The Straits Times
Asia News Network


Filipino teens grab a selfie against the Makati skyline. The city and neighbouring Pasig are together the world

Incredibly, only one Thai "city" (not Bangkok) made Time's list of the world's top 50 selfie capitals

BANGKOK: -- Time magazine on Tuesday named two neighbouring cities in the Philippines as the "selfie capital of the world", with 258 persons out of every 100,000 taking a selfie on any given day.

In a graphic titled "Selfiest Cities in the World", Time said Makati, the Philippines' financial centre, and Pasig together "produce more selfies per capita than any other city in the world". Makati and Pasig - both in Metro Manila, which comprises the capital and several surrounding cities - have a combined population of about 1.2 million.

A third Philippine city, Cebu, was ranked ninth, and a fourth, Baguio, was in the top 20. Two Malaysian cities - Petaling Jaya in Selangor state and George Town in Penang - were also in the top 10. Singapore ranked 53rd at 46 per 100,000.

Thailand edged onto the list with Nonthaburi placing 44th at 50 selfie-takers per 100,000 people. Why Bangkok's neighbouring province - largely urban but without a distinct "city" identity of its own - outranked the capital isn't clear from the magazine graphic.

Time editor Chris Wilson says the numbers were culled from a database of 400,000 Instagram photos tagged "selfie" that were posted across 459 cities. The photos were uploaded between January 28 and February 2 and from March 3 to 7.

"While the metric of 'people who take selfies per capita' is far from a perfect measure, it was far and away the most comprehensive means of comparing the 459 world cities that turned up at least 25 individual users in the database," says Wilson.

"Of course, this measure takes in more variables than just a penchant for selfies, such as smartphone adoption rates and median income. As such, this list tends to favour regions just outside major urban areas."

A "selfie" is a low-resolution, self-shot photograph taken typically with a mobile phone.

The practice is hugely popular among the younger set, but world leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, have been seen taking selfies.

A selfie taken by popular talk-show host Ellen Degeneres with a group of actors who attended the Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month went viral.


-- The Nation 2014-03-17

[Seastallion]

If they'd used Facebook instead of Instagram as the yardstick, I think Thailand would have been up there.

I think all this shows is that Instagram is more popular in PI than in Thai.

[Zpete]

Filipinos must be narcissistic.

Narcissus, means "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love

[chooka]

Australia has a lot to answer for, this word "Selfie" is annoying.

the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary, which gave the word itself an Australian origin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj7nnws8Zo8&feature=player_detailpage

[wym]

it measured the relative frequency of photos TAGGED with the text string "selfie"

has little to do with what is purported to be measured.

[seajae]

cant go anywhere these days without people doing "selfies", every restaurant you go to they are doing it with all the meals, who in the hell wants to see what you are eating, these people have a total lack of brains. Even when they are sitting back doing nothing they are taking continual pics of themselves, pathetic really sums up their own little worlds if this is all they are capable of.

[bonobo]

I live in Nonthanburi, and I can assure everyone that the reason Nonthanburi made the list is 100% because of my wife and her niece. If there was a list of most photos posted of your cat, then Nonthanburi would be close to the top of that, too.

[Claude Balls]

probably because the thais are constantly looking at themselves in rear vision mirrors

[Claude Balls]

Filipinos must be narcissistic.

Narcissus, means "inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love

yes from memory Narcissus used to love admiring his reflection in a certain pool of water. Unfortunately for him he was so pre-occupied doing this one day he fell into the pool and drowned

[Krataiboy]

Could this narcissistic "selfie" trend be rooted in low self-esteem? It does seem to be most pronounced among underdeveloped countries where the explosion in digital technology has outstripped all other forms of social, political and economic development. A quick snap posted on Facebook is, I guess, one way of achieving instant "celebrity". A bit sad, really, but understandable where how one looks is increasingly more important than any other quality.

[Krataiboy]

One race you would think any nation would be proud to come last in.

[DrTuner]

Come on Thai gals, just a few hundred more pics with puckered up lips and snow white warpaint + photoshop and you'll re-establish your supremacy.

[namdocmai]

probably because the thais are constantly looking at themselves in rear vision mirrors

Not only in the rearmirrors. I was at the office where my wife works and ALL the desks had a big mirror standing on it. There also work men.

When i look in the house of the neighbours the first thing i see on their dinnertable.......yep, of course.....

[thailiketoo]

If my memory is correct Makati is the big university town in the Philippines.

[louthlincs]

this is an easy one - the data was taken from instagram folders tagged 'selfie'. of course being an English word, Thais would either not know it, refuse to use it because it would be unpatriotic to accept another language (of course thai will become the worlds lingua franca one day - durr) or the would have elevated the final vowel sound - if it was based on folders tagged selfiiiiiee we all know who'd be top on the podium - 3-2-1 - pepsiiiii

[Rykbanlor]

Did you know, If you analysed the movements and habits of millions of people across the globe to try and detect a pattern in the numbers of people taking selfies...

..

You'd be a frightful bore.

I hate fads. Why do we need a name for taking a picture of oneself. Selfie is possibly slightly less irritating than planking, the worlds eyes focused on either of these things is downright retarded.

(I am hating myself for even spending this much time acknowledging the phenomenon)

[bonobo]

If my memory is correct Makati is the big university town in the Philippines.

Makati is Manila's business center and one of the main shopping centers.

[LaraC]

If they'd used Facebook instead of Instagram as the yardstick, I think Thailand would have been up there.

I think all this shows is that Instagram is more popular in PI than in Thai.

+1 lol

[thailiketoo]

If my memory is correct Makati is the big university town in the Philippines.

Makati is Manila's business center and one of the main shopping centers.

You're right. I was thinking of Du maguate. The end of the words are pronounced close to the same.

[Songhua]

Not much sense searching for 'selfie' in english from Thailand. They're probably called goo-ies or phom-ies.

[JoeThePoster]

In the good old days wasn't a selfie administered by hand with sparing use of Vaseline as necessary.

[Morakot]

Thais somehow lose selfie race

The Nation doing a satire piece?

[dighambara]

HMMM - Apparently not counted are selfies of sex acts, as Thailand would easily win that one.

[thailiketoo]

HMMM - Apparently not counted are selfies of sex acts, as Thailand would easily win that one.

Link one. Can't? Awwww. Maybe because it is illegal in Thailand. Thailand used to be a wild place Thaksin shut it down years ago and it has never recovered.

So dighambara you are 100% wrong. Too bad it would have been fun. Did you ever wonder why on line porn is not a major income source here? Because it is illegal.

[wym]

It is a HUGE income source here, was fifteen years ago when I first arrived, still is now.

Just done very discretely, without any explicit indicators they're streaming from the Kingdom.

[thailiketoo]

It is a HUGE income source here, was fifteen years ago when I first arrived, still is now.

Just done very discretely, without any explicit indicators they're streaming from the Kingdom.

The large content providers won't touch Thailand. Go on line and check. 1 Thai person to 350 from the Philippines.

[wym]

As I said the operators here - and yes the ones I'm familiar with, mostly through the girls working there, are pretty small operators - make sure there isn't anything identifying the location as Thailand.

Illegal in the Philippines too, but obviously more effectively enforced here.

I guess they don't want to damage the reputation of the country. 8-)