Click on any video, blog or account offering travel tips, insights and stories and immediately you will be confronted with a talking head barging their way through crowds without as much as Scusi whilst cheerily pointing out their unique travel experience made possible by their multiple sponsors. The camera barely leaves their face to cursorily pan over some yachts bobbing in a marina or a historic town square packed with people taking selfies whilst scaling fountains and statues to get the best shot. And that is the best case scenario. At worst the amazing places this earth has to offer in all their natural beauty are almost wholly obscured by the Barbie Bottoms.These wriggle around in the centre of the photo showing off some skimpy designer creation. Who in their right mind wants to see this person you don´t even know spoil an impression of the place they are visiting?
Why do so many then travel to this location to take a photo of the amazing scenery or awesome view only to find a long line of wannabe Barbie Bottoms waiting in line to take a selfie and fill in their application for a possible Darwin award (selfie-related deaths have risen sharply in the last few years according to the Global Selfie Death Database). All of this to become as cool as the Barbie Bottoms, whose behaviour is not only often destructive to the places they are visiting but also to themselves. The constant race to get a better shot, to get more likes, to post incessantly so as not to loose out to other influencers makes for fertile ground for burn out.
Locations around the world are now hitting back with anti-influencer measures including erecting physical barriers to restrict access at selfie hotspots, or even closing attractions altogether such as the famous Maya Bay in Thailand, countless hiking trails worldwide, Daffodil Hill in California, The Trevi fountain in Rome or the Matapouri Mermaid Pools in New Zealand to name but a few. So, dare to be different. Cast off your FOMO and pack away your camera. We need to learn to see with our own eyes again. Do not stay under the influence.
Add comment
Comments