Selfie to Soulfie

A Cultural Shift in Self-Portrayal

It’s been more than two decades since the word selfie was coined—originating in Australia—and in 2013, it was announced as the “Word of the Year” by the Oxford English Dictionary. Around the same time, selfie culture and solo travelling began rising in popularity, often going hand in hand. The smartphone industry quickly caught on, with front-facing camera technology advancing rapidly to meet the new demand. Suddenly, users were more interested in the clarity of the front camera than the back—marking a significant shift in user preferences.

Smartphone brands like Oppo gained immense popularity, particularly among women, for their selfie-optimized features. Samsung, OnePlus, and later, Nothing, co-evolved to cater to this camera-centric demand. As the tourism industry flourished, so did the race to build phones with high-quality cameras. As camera technology progressed, so did the way people shared their lives. People no longer just traveled — they documented their experiences, initially through platforms like Orkut and Facebook, where photos were shared as posts. Later, these moments found more dynamic expression through Instagram stories and, eventually, reels.

This transformation wasn’t just technological — it was psychological and cultural. Social media turned everyday users into the protagonists of their own narratives. Ordinary moments were dramatized and shared, often mimicking a celebrity lifestyle. Many did, in fact, gain fame through these platforms, especially those with the creativity and talent to capture attention in the form of likes and views.

The selfie era marked a shift from interpersonal interaction to self-presentation. For some, selfies became a tool for building confidence and self progress. For others, the pursuit turned obsessive, and in extreme cases, bordered on narcissism. As the trend matured, it diversified: mirror selfies, gym selfies, couple selfies, pet selfies, food selfies, content selfies — the list kept growing.

This hyper-focus on external appearance — on curating the perfect portrait for the world — gradually started taking its toll. With so much energy directed outward, there was little left for inward reflection. The soul, in majority cases, was left out of the frame.

As with any cultural wave, saturation eventually sets in. And now, the selfie seems to be giving way to a deeper, more meaningful alternative: the soulfie. Unlike the selfie, which fixates on how we look, the soulfie invites us to explore and express how we feel and who we truly are beneath the surface. It’s less about framing the face and more about revealing the soul.

Each one has a self so probably expressing oneself isn’t unnatural. Perhaps, the shift from selfie to soulfie marks the beginning of a more conscious, mindful era of self-expression — where how we see ourselves finally matters more than how we are seen. A soulfie is not just a photograph, but a pause — a moment to turn inward through practices like meditation, journaling, blogging or simply being present with oneself. It’s an invitation to reflect, to reconnect with one’s inner world, and to express not just the face, but the feeling. In this evolving culture, the soulfie becomes a mirror to the soul — quiet, authentic, and deeply human.