Whether it's directions, recommendations, or even using our wallets, there isn't much that our phones don't help us with. The vast majority of us are signed up to at least one form of social media, and in many ways, the use of these apps allow us to complete tasks with ease, efficiency and convenience when travelling. However, modern developments aren't all productive. In many ways, our online networks have caused travel to become superficial, especially with people prioritising taking photos for social media over actually experiencing and appreciating the places they visit.
Whilst I certainly think that technology has made travelling more accessible, less dangerous, and helped develop a community of like-minded people, here are just a few dangers it proposes alongside that.
...has social media turned travelling into a way to show off and boost your ego instead of actually living in the moment?
'The Shot'
Many beautiful locations around the world are known from one angle or associated with one iconic 'shot'. As a result of this, we visit a destination or landmark to capture stories and share our version, to then forget to invest time in any of the history, culture or other beauty surrounding said location. Often we're no longer capturing natural moments.
Disposable cameras and other analogue devices force us to take pictures and hope for the best. We can spend hours taking and storing hundreds of photos to make sure the image is 'perfect'. As a result, instead of having carefree photos that represent our experience, we often end up with posed and forced memories.
No intuition
Booking flights, hotels, and experiences has become so easy, you could book a months-long holiday and plan each day from your bed in a few hours. Years ago, you'd have to go to a shop in person and book through an agent. The world is more connected today than ever before, and social media makes planning an itinerary easier than ever. Whilst this is, one on hand, extremely convenient and takes the stress away from arriving with no plan, it can often feel like you already know a place before getting there and take away from any intuitive and natural exploration.
Expectations
Piggybacking off intuition, planning a trip in detail or looking for recommendations online, may leave us with exceeded expectations of a place or an experience. Seeing a tourist attraction through a thirty-second video of curated clips which hide any large crowds, long queues, or littered corners can present it in a way that is devoid of reality. As a result, this can make something breathtaking seem underwhelming in real life compared to the expectations set by social media.
Storytelling
Often, people can get so caught up with social media that they're not truly present. Rather than engaging with the destination with intention, it's easy to forget to fully absorb it as they're distracted by trying to document the story of their experience for their followers.
So, has social media turned travelling into a way to show off instead of actually living in the moment? To an extent, yes, but only for the people who value and give into that. For those who still want to travel and experience a place authentically, social media and modern technology has just made that a lot easier as long as we use it practically and not obsessively.