“Selfie” is the word of the year and a reason for me to go thematic — for the first time — with a list of seven stories dedicated to the selfie.

• The theory of selfie: Alicia Eler breaks it down for us. (Bonus link to another Eler piece worth reading, also about selfies.)
• My Selfie, Myself: by Jenna Wortham is the definitive piece on selfie culture.
• Petra Collins and Kim Kardashian in the Age of Selfie: Vogue Magazine’s Katherine Bernard explains why Instagram and selfies are such a powerful tool of communication and change.
• Why we take selfies?: The Week’s Chris Gayomali explains what drives a whole generation to take photos of themselves.
• In the praise of selfies: Obviously it is new kind of art, says Pacific Standard’s Casey Cep.
• Sorry your selfie isn’t art: argues Stephen Marche in Esquire
• Selfies in space: Okay you know you want to see this.