I used to love travelling. But social media has turned it into a chore
I used to enjoy travelling. But social media has turned it into a painful experience. From stopping me from being 'in the moment' to making me act selfishly (and then feeling bad about it), here are all the reasons I hate it.
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Back in 2014, when Facebook was still called Facebook, Instagram was a protected reserve for hipsters and TikTok was a mere glint in a Chinese tech tycoon's eye, smartphones were an innocent tool for travel.
I'd add new hostel friends on Facebook, use BlaBlaCar to get from city to city, and would try to beat my brother's record in Crazy Taxi when I felt homesick.
I used the Notes app on my phone to remember important things like the gender of a baguette, and Youtube to kill time when I was bored by watching old episodes of Q&A (I'm a weirdo, I know).
Life was good.
Now though, in 2023, no one uses Facebook (except for Messenger), Instagram is becoming all about videos, and I'm more addicted to TikTok than your average purple haired 14 year old is to vaping.
While you might think this is teaching me valuable things, like how to bleach my eyebrows or performatively tip on Fred Again, the truth is, it's ruining my life. Especially when it comes to travel.
While I can justify watching videos on how to make a green chickpea curry "for hotties who don't have time to cook" and "three beaches with the most turquoise blue waters" for hours on end while I'm at home, when I catch myself doing it while on holiday, I cringe in shame.
That's just the start of it. Here are 13 more reasons why social media has ruined travelling for me (and a handy guide as to how to tell you're a 'basic' traveller in 2023).
It stops you being 'in the moment'
According to my yoga teacher, not being 'in the moment' can lead to terrible things happening, like you not enjoying your holiday, your downward dog pose being shoddy and you never reaching enlightenment.
It makes us all flock to the same 'hotspots'
Santorini used to be a blissful Greek Island. Now it's just a place for scrums of tourists to joust with selfie sticks.
It stops us from using our own senses to explore
One of Anthony Bourdain's best pieces of travel advice was to do less. Chill out and do nothing. Have a wander. Sit down at a cafe that takes your fancy. No one does this anymore. Instead, we research where to go in advance, relying on listicles and viral videos to tell us which bars to go to, and which secret swimming holes are worth diving into (while our friend films). It's a shame, because one of the most satisfying parts of travel used to be navigating the urban jungle with your eyes, ears and nose.
It makes you worse than a cliché
Gen Z might sneer at millenials following Instagram trends (and getting mustache finger tattoos), but TikTok is even worse. On TikTok, you don't just follow a trend. You follow a trend of a trend of a trend, which was derived from yet another trend. You follow?
Ordinarily I wouldn't think this bad (you could argue it's creative), but when I start to think in stock phrases (like, "yeah, such and such is cool, but have you seen..." or the eponymous "POV: you spend your 20s prioritising travel") I start to think TikTok is honestly rotting my mind from the inside out.
It makes you start to think in 'stock phrases'
Even if you are not a content creator, you start to think like one. This ruins your holidays, even though you're not getting paid for it. I now can't look at a beach without mentally adding it to an imaginary list of "6 places in Australia that don't feel real" in my head.
It makes you act more selfishly
I've become more and more obnoxious taking photos when I travel. And social media is to blame. While I used to take a quick picture or two for my personal memory, I now shamelessly enlist flight attendants to take panoramic videos of me.
It makes you do provocative things on purpose, just to get views
People now do "tone deaf" things, just to go viral. One genius example of this, is Kat Crittenden, who simply asked her followers, while neck deep in peacock coloured water at a beach in Thailand "what are y'all still doing in America," amassing 5.4 million views. Others have done worse things, like disrespecting the local culture in Bali or illegally climbing pyramids in Egypt, just to grow their following.
It sets your expectations too high
After you've seen a certain number of visually stunning Reels - whether it's waterfalls in Iceland or glaciers in New Zealand - you become inured to the beauty of the world. The you go to the Blue Mountains and wonder why you aren't impressed.
It makes you jealous of other people... while you're still on holiday yourself
I'm ashamed to admit, in March this year, while in Hanoi, I got a bit jealous of people doing the Ha Giang Loop on motorbikes, simply because I wasn't there (and it popped up on my feed).
It makes you have a 'conquer' mindset
Forget the bucket list. I now have an 'explore' page screenshot list.
It makes you feel like you should feel something
It's kind of awkward when you find yourself in front of a historic monument and feel... absolutely nothing?
It gives you paradoxical desires
Social media both makes you want to tick off all the "must do" experiences you've seen other people do, while also making you feel like, to be a "real traveller," you must bring back something special to show off to everyone else.
It makes you need other people to certify your experience
If you get engaged while hiking the Sentiero degli Dei, and you don't post a video of it, did it really happen?
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