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4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

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Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#41

Post by foxglacier »

Aurornis wrote: post #35

Let people enjoy things. If people want to visit a place, take some photos, and leave, then I don't believe that's morally inferior to someone who visits the same place but doesn't take photos. People enjoy tourist destinations differently and that's fine. At this point, I'm more annoyed by the people who make a display of their sense of superiority over people taking photos or otherwise not enjoying the tourist dest…

I didn't get any sense of criticism or judgement from the article.

I'll add that New Zealand's government does see influencer photography as morally inferior. You're not free to use the otherwise public national parks for commercial activity, which includes taking photos you're going to post on social media if you're a paid influencer. They have some permit process and you have to pay a fee for the privilege.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#42

Post by somenameforme »

lazide wrote: post #20
userbinator wrote: post #13

Before social media, they would be taking photos (and later videos) just the same. In fact, before they became ubiquitous in phones, people used to buy cameras (and extra film) specifically for the purpose of using them in their travels.

Kinda - it used to be the reach of vacation photos was relatively limited, so the degree of aggressiveness was also relatively limited. Going literally to just get photos was also somewhat limited, because who would be crazy enough to go just to get photos for a few friends and acquaintances and never even attempt to enjoy it? A limited number of people. Social media has really amped it up, including the competitive…

Yeah I think people might not have witnessed how absurd this is. I was at a nice hotel pool in a tourist destination and this family of 3 people (quite jacked and lean ~40-50 father, very beautiful wife & ~20 something daughter), probably South Korean, comes over.

In almost military fashion/synchronization they immediately get around the pool and start posing, then into the pool where they they carefully wet their hair, took more pictures with heavily orchestrated poses, a few more poses around the pool, and then they were dried off and out. In total it lasted maybe 3 minutes, probably before they raced off to enjoy the next checkbox on their relaxing vacation.

Maybe they can go look at whatever they end up posting on social media and just imagine how amazing it must have been.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#43

Post by seydor »

pmontra wrote: post #29
seydor wrote: post #11

Beaches are full of people taking photos for an hour and ending up not swimming

Maybe they don't like swimming. I don't. However it's really rare that I end up on a beach. Four times in the last 7 years? The first beach of them really deserved some pictures.

why are they wearing swimsuits then?

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#44

Post by teekert »

p1anecrazy wrote: post #33
teekert wrote: post #12

Was recently in Borneo, picked up a magazine in an accommodation, read an article about how traveling nowadays needs to be documented and is about experience as much as your feeds... I... felt old. I think that in some cultures it's even more than others, for example I often saw hordes of Chinese tourists (but there are of course simply a lot of Chinese people) take turns in front of a waterfall (on flip flop or even…

Polarsteps? Your what now?

Maybe it's a local thing :)

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#46

Post by rhdunn »

eesmith wrote: post #19
userbinator wrote: post #13

Before social media, they would be taking photos (and later videos) just the same. In fact, before they became ubiquitous in phones, people used to buy cameras (and extra film) specifically for the purpose of using them in their travels.

The survey result is 'nearly four in ten travellers (39%) say they have visited a tourist site mainly to take a photo or record a video.' You, I believe, are making a different observation, which is that taking a photo or recording a film has long been a component of many tourist trips. Which is of course true. I'll add that likely more people would have done so had film and film development been a lot cheaper. We ce…

Digital cameras have existed before phones had the capability and have been around for a long time (at least 20 years). They made it a lot easier to take photos as you can take hundreds/thousands of photos and download them when you get home.

When visiting places on holiday, I've taken my camera with me for the purpose of taking photos. I've also seen people with more expensive cameras (mainly larger lenses) camped out near puffins, on boat trips, etc. with the intention of getting a decent wildlife photo.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#47

Post by vasco »

teekert wrote: post #12

Was recently in Borneo, picked up a magazine in an accommodation, read an article about how traveling nowadays needs to be documented and is about experience as much as your feeds... I... felt old. I think that in some cultures it's even more than others, for example I often saw hordes of Chinese tourists (but there are of course simply a lot of Chinese people) take turns in front of a waterfall (on flip flop or even…

> hordes of Chinese tourists (but there are of course simply a lot of Chinese people) take turns in front of a waterfall (on flip flop or even heels), have some pics taken and go back to the bus

In the early 90s in my region in southern europe we'd joke that the only Chinese tourists you'd see would be referred to as "5min for photo". They always only needed 5mins to get out with camera, snap pics, get back in. This is not a new phenomenon.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#48

Post by riffraff »

Less than I expected?

I was in Japan with my family last year and I deeply enjoyed taking pictures of people queued up to take "that perfect instagramnable picture": a person alone in the torii gate, with a hundred people in a line just outside the frame.

I'm sure they enjoyed the trip just as well as I did tho.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#49

Post by pmontra »

seydor wrote: post #43
pmontra wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they don't like swimming. I don't. However it's really rare that I end up on a beach. Four times in the last 7 years? The first beach of them really deserved some pictures.

why are they wearing swimsuits then?

It's the appropriate dress for the place, especially if you sit down on the sand. Easier to clean up. I also wear a swimsuit sometimes.

Re: 4 in 10 travellers visit tourist sites to capture social media content

#50

Post by riffraff »

teekert wrote: post #12

Was recently in Borneo, picked up a magazine in an accommodation, read an article about how traveling nowadays needs to be documented and is about experience as much as your feeds... I... felt old. I think that in some cultures it's even more than others, for example I often saw hordes of Chinese tourists (but there are of course simply a lot of Chinese people) take turns in front of a waterfall (on flip flop or even…

I remember the '80s and people showing you projector slides of their vacations, or picture albums. In the 00s, I recall a friend who made videos of his vacations to make this faster and more bearable :)

Social media is problematic but documenting your vacations and showing it to other people has always been part of traveling.

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