With the ubiquitous “selfie” apparently here to stay, whether we like it or not, The Wall Street Journal writes today that we should be prepared for the rise of another Instagram craze, the “shelfie”!
Yes, despite sounding like a late April Fool’s Day joke, apparently the shelfie is an actual real thing. But what is it? Well, according to the WSJ, it’s exactly what it sounds like: people taking pictures of their shelves, and, more importantly, what is on their shelves! Except that it does n’t have to be a shelf, apparently, it can also be a table, or any other surface, even a lap, as long as it has things on it. Nicely arranged things, that is.
The WSJ cites the example of Alice Gao, who got 13,791 likes for a “shelfie” Instagram picture of a teapot on a tray with some quince blossoms.
Danika So is another such shelfie artist, a 20-year-old political science and business student from Toronto, So told the WSJ about how she composes the perfect shelfie. You can see one of her Instagram’s at the top of this post, courtesty of the WSJ.
“Some of the shots require a lot of preparation,” she said. “I’ll rearrange large pieces of furniture and stand on chairs. It’s a miracle my roommate still thinks I’m sane…It’s wonderful to see mundanity transformed.”
“I’d like to think that I would be taking these photos regardless of Instagram, but the rush of awesome I get when someone likes my posts is really concerning.”
And for all you budding shelfie artists out there, the WSJ even has s list of shelfie clichés to avoid, such as "The Stunning Espresso Foam Design," and "The Haunting Glass Cloche"
The Rise of the 'Shelfie': Instagram's Next Craze - WSJ.com
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