42
IMPACT
The Influence
time to put an end to
Cairo, Egypt. A long-haired girl glides forwards, her arm outstretched behind her, as if beckoning a friend. In the background, a pyramid towers majestically over ancient ivory ruins, framed by candy-floss clouds of salmon and grey. No one else can be seen for miles. A few metres behind the camera, a dozen tourists chatter as they wait in line for their identical shot, clutching their cameras in anticipation.
Travel photos are now “ about looking in rather
“
than looking out
In a world where ‘instagrammability’ has become a destination’s number one selling point, influencers have become the biggest advocates for discovering new places. They promote what, for many of us, is the possibility of adventure, curiosity, spontaneity and meaningful experiences which challenge who we are and how we view the world.
But what are they really promoting? In their quest for fame, travel influencers have inverted the very essence of travel. While photography was once a means of capturing spontaneous moments of exploration, travel photos are now about looking in rather than looking out. Rather than focusing on the scenery, influencers encourage us to focus on the camera, building our egos rather than our personal experiences. In their quests for self-promotion, the world’s most striking landscapes have been reduced to mere backdrops for our selfies, at the expense of adventure and real cultural immersion.
“ Some of us just want to
“
see the sights without a selfie stick blocking the view