+1. I have about 20 followers and my feed is otherwise private so it's really a glorified text chain that doesn't blow up people's phones. I'm not sharing the pictures with hundreds of people. Mostly grandparents, aunts, uncle's, siblings and a few close friends. |
You know what really impacts how I view your social media posts of your vacation? How you behave and treat me in real life.
If someone who is generally kind and respectful IRL posts vacation photos, even if they post a billion photos of every trip or include braggy captions, I don’t care one way or another. I have a friend who is seriously one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and she recently moved abroad and is using the opportunity to travel extensively. She posts A LOT. I am not always in the mood to look but I have no resentment or criticism. I am really happy for her and it’s like I feel she’s earned the right to brag because I know if it was me traveling, she’d be kind and interested too. On the other hand, I had a friend/colleague a few years back who posted in the same way and I’d wind up hate-looking at the photos and rolling my eyes every time she’s brag about the “Michelin starred” restaurants or the private beaches or whatever. The difference was not her social media behavior but her IRL behavior— she was a huge jerk to me, just extremely superior and competitive about everything. I don’t follow her anymore because I realized I don’t like her, we aren’t friends, and that’s why I found her social media posts annoying. If people seem annoyed by your vacation posts on Instagram, it’s probably just that they don’t like you. |
Yes, shamelessly. I want to be a travel influencer. I also follow places we stay etc. before leaving in case they want to offer any discount or perks. |
Not expensive necessarily, just more cultured than all the drivel I typically see on this board. |
I’m not on social media. Yet I’m still bombarded by stupid travel blogs, public instagram accounts, and YouTube videos everywhere I look. It is impossible to avoid. And doing it privately within your “circle” is no better honestly. |
This thread is precisely why people should limit their contacts on SM. There's no reason to be friends with your neighbor's cousin and parents of classmates that you don't know very well. I trimmed my friend lists to only people that I know/like and would go out to lunch with if invited. Because the list is small, I feel more comfortable sharing 4-5 travel photos, though usually don't dump more than that. I also like seeing where my friends are and what they're up to. |
So which destinations pass your threshold for cultured? |
So now you’re mad that travel content on the internet just generally… exists . You’ve shifted from “my friends post their destinations and that’s not very WASPy of them and I go better places silently” to “people post about travel on YouTube and it bothers me.” Something is really wrong with you. Do you have personal beef with Rick Steves and Lonely Planet travel guides too? Weirdo |
Off the beaten places of significant historical and archaeological significance. Our family has been to more than 110 countries without sharing a single social media photo or post. We travel for ourselves only, which is very rare today unfortunately. |
Of course there is a place for well curated travel writers and content. The problem is that every yahoo with a phone thinks they’re a “photographer” or “travel writer” when they’re actually a moron. I’m so sick of the so called “influencers” that, in my view, have ruined so many destinations and experiences. And I’m equally sick of suburban moms looking for the best European beach or low level travel experience desperate to post pictures for their little “audience” back home. Both are gauche. Why is that so difficult for you to understand? |
Oh no, it’s crystal clear, you’re miserable and hate everyone. We got the point. |
I like to see my friends’ kids, food pics and travel. Yes, some people have braggy posts and some are kind of boring. Just keep scrolling. No big deal. A lot of places added to my travel wish lists are from friend’s posts. If someone posts something that looks delicious, I will want to check it out. |
That’s part of the problem though. Social media is leading to some places becoming absolutely swamped with over tourism. You see a friend post about a place, and then you decide you just HAVE to go there. Key examples in recent years: Portugal and Iceland. Without social media, they would be the pleasant places they were when we went 20 years ago. Now we avoid them. Oh well, there are many other places in this world. |
Tourism is a major economic industry in a lot of these places so as much as I’m sure they’re devastated you don’t have a “secret” country all to yourself anymore, the financial trade offs are probably worth it. You are genuinely one of the most solipsistic, self-absorbed individuals I’ve encountered on this forum. In the most literal sense you really seem to think the world should revolve around you. |
You might enjoy your trip more if you aren’t always scanning for that Instagram-worthy shot. You may notice things you might have otherwise missed. You might realize you’re really having fun with your family doing xyz right now. You might interact more with your family or the locals.
Travels are about getting away. This is harder to do if you’re always thinking how amazing this shot will look on my FB page to my followers. That’s all some of us are saying. |