From getting those essential poolside selfies, to posting the inevitable “hot dogs or legs” pics on Instagram there’s not doubt social media has a huge impact on every aspect of our lives, but what about travel? Are we all just doing it for the ‘gram?
While 10 years ago we might have gone on holiday to somewhere cheap and sunny, sent a few postcards and took a few pictures to share on Facebook later. Now social media is more instant than ever with our ability to post live updates from our travels to our Insta-stories. Have you really been on holiday if you haven’t Boomeranged your cocktail by the pool, or uploaded a pic of you on the beach with the caption “I’ve had worse Mondays”?
I’m as guilty as the next, as an adventure travel blogger at www.absolutelylucy. com I’m all about getting great travel pics to share on my social media. With more influencers going viral each day, there is now a whole industry built around those lucky individuals who have built a career on taking amazing travel photos in beautiful places around the world. The more these styled travel photos circulate around social media, the more other travellers are beginning to emulate them in their own holiday snaps.
We’ve all seen those poor Insta-boyfriends being directed by their other half on holidays to get the perfect sunset photo or actionshot.It’snotjustthe posed pics anymore, now everyone is after the super cute faux candid shots of them laughing or tossing their hair in front of yet another Instagrammable backdrop. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just the girls either, there are plenty of guys who have been caught attempting to get the perfect “Daniel Craig walking out of the ocean” photo when they hit the beach.
Perhaps now, after years of being under the influence of social media, we have actually started to think of our lives in the form we will present them in. Are our lives Insta-worthy enough? Let’s be honest, if you’re going on holiday, you want to be going somewhere beautiful and glamorous to show off to your friends, family, and even to the people you don’t like who follow you on social media.
Has updating your Insta-story or posting that perfectly posed picture of you having a good time on holiday become more important than actually having a good time?
Capturing every moment and sharing it with the world instantly has become such a huge part of our lives, and our holidays. But does the issue run even deeper? Has Instagram not only changed the way we share our travels, but actually changed the travels we choose?
When we plan our trips, are we actually choosing locations because of the Instagram potential? From heading to London to snap the infamous bloggers’ photo outside Peggy Porshen’s, to choosing a holiday in Santorini for pictures of those beautiful blue and white buildings with those sunsets in the background.
Many of us are spending a lot of time scrolling through Instagram and looking at travel photos. Perhaps, when the wave of wanderlust hits and we decide to head to a location on our next holiday, our whole decision to travel is centred around the destination being Instagrammable.
Our very first impressions of the place – whether it’s the snowy mountains of Canada or the beaches of Thailand – are based on how great a place looks in photos. Not the culture, the food or the landscape, but how these different aspects of the country will translate into our Insta-feed and how many likes we could get. Are we all just travelling for the ‘gram?
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