'Selfie tourism' - AIBU?

I have thought the same in London, OP, pavements full of people with head tilt, pout, arm outstretched taking a photo of themselves. Not looking around and just being completely oblivious to the busyness of the street or area. It's all about them. Makes me sad as it's like people only exits to post things, rather than to experience them.

Galleries and museums can’t just ban influencers, though. Their money is as good as yours.

They can ban tripods, and if you don’t like places that move people like this along, don’t go to them.

For many people, their identity is inextricably tied to what they post about themselves online which causes a corrosive pressure to post a certain volume of selfies just to stand still. And that's before comparing themselves with the unrealistic standards of professional, full-time social media types.

It's living life at-one-removed from experienced reality or, at the least, imposing an extra burden in order to continually prove something to the rest of the world.

Great, if it leads to people being happy. But it's a happiness that rests on a dependency of social-media-induced dopamine hits. And that's not a fulfilling happiness - and it's certainly not contentment.

It’s just so fake! The sullen teenage niece barely spoke to anyone all through the meal, argued with her mother about 4 times and then there they are skipping through a meadow together laughing as if they hadn’t been rowing half the day

OP taking photos of sunflowers = healthy hobby
Anyone else taking photos of sunflowers = oh the shallow narcissism

I’m 64 and my interest in photography long predates camera phones and selfie sticks and photoshop, and yes I did like it when my instamatic owning friends were green with envy over the quality of my photos taken with my 35mm camera!

I got in trouble last week for laughing at DSIL and DNiece taking ‘candid, oh look you just caught us trotting casually through a field ‘ type pics in floaty dresses … I did think they were over dressed for a pub lunch when they arrived but it turned out that the location had been special on chosen because it’s a Insta location for people pretending that they serenely waft through meadows while coyly looking back over their shoulder at the photographer/their loved one.
I felt sorry for DBro who had to taken the photo over and over and over until it was perfect.
twits.
The rest of us sat there going ‘what ARE they doing?’

I noticed this on holiday in Italy this month. On one beach there was a woman rolling around in the surf/shore while her husband took photos of her in all different poses, back arched and heaving chest up, head back in the surf etc. it all looked boring and uncomfortable!

It’s not about people daring to want a picture

it’s how they go about it - farting around , taking ages and showing off is the problem - not the snap . The how , how many, how long - not the what

people have died taking their perfect picture - it really smacks of self obsessed stupidity

and it’s been shown that people who take lots of pictures have weaker memories of the event than those who just enjoy being there

How dare people want a picture of themselves for the memories!!

And every sunflower photo is different?

You literally say in your OP ‘Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this is crazy’. You are seeking validation for your view that you’re using a field of sunflowers in the right way as a photographer and other people aren’t.

I’m not even of an “older generation” and I totally agree. I actually find the level of self-obsession so gross and quite worrying for the future of society (if everyone is becoming this self-obsessed what will kindness and compassion for others look like in the future etc.). A few years ago I climbed to the top of a mountain in Asia to see the stunning view (and take a photo of the stunning view, without me in it!) but when I got there there was literally a queue to get to the top, filled with people waiting their turn to get the perfect selfie, usually a “natural”, mysterious, wistful looking side-profile that they thought made them look really profound 🤢 I swear some of them didn’t even see the view, all they were concerned about was getting the perfect picture to put on social media to say “look how awesome and adventurous and athletic I am, I climbed all the way to the top of this very tough mountain” (and probably filtered out all the sweat pouring from their faces!) it was actually dangerous…people were crowding around a tiny ledge at the top, putting themselves at serious risk of falling off just to get a bloody selfie. It was pathetic. One of the most worrying things I see in these situations is people aren’t even embarrassed anymore about how self-obsessed they’re being when trying to get a photo. It’s become socially acceptable to be this awful cos so many people are doing it. It properly gives me the rage!

Doesn't bother me. Although I did find it funny at the Acropolis when the staff would scream at people for daring to pause on the steps for a photo. It was August and absolutely packed so we had to keep it moving at all times. Anyone caught dawdling would get loudly bollocked by the Greek workers.

Same thing happens at the Trevi fountain in Rome - you’ll get shouted at if you dare to sit on the edge for a photo. Wasn’t the case when we visited 30 years ago, and I've got the photo to prove it!

The fact is times change.

This is nothing personal to you OP, but I always think it's ironic when people moan about trends they don't like by furiously typing there gripes to 8 billion people on the internet.

Life was so much simpler when people couldn't vent on the Internet or use selfie sticks in sunflower fields.

OP does any of your annoyance come from the automation of photography. It used to be a real skill and that has now been stripped away with pre settings and editing software

No wonder they hate tourists

If they budged up and shared the view/picture/building/whatever then I wouldn't give two hoots but they won't as they seem to be so self obsessed that they genuinely think them taking their perfect selfie trumps everything else. If they would just share I really wouldn't mind and would find it rather sweet that they've gone to so much effort to get a photo somewhere lovely but as it is nobody else can even get a glimpse of a view as they and their vast hats and billowy dresses are plonked right in the middle for ages, trying to get the perfect angle 😄

Doesn't bother me. Although I did find it funny at the Acropolis when the staff would scream at people for daring to pause on the steps for a photo. It was August and absolutely packed so we had to keep it moving at all times. Anyone caught dawdling would get loudly bollocked by the Greek workers.

A lot of people make a living online from photos and videos in exotic locations. Tara Milk Tea has become a millionaire from her photos, and Kyra-Mae gets flown all over the world and sent incredible PR packages because of her travel videos on Tiktok. Good luck to them I say, I'd love to get paid for rolling around in a field of sun flowers.

I think the problem with digital photography is that it has turned photography into another form of instant gratification, as you can see the image immediately, which was not the case in the days of film.

🤷🏽‍♀️ this place exists because people want to visit it. As long as they are respectful and don't damage the set up/ place, who cares what they do when they are actually there?

Again, why does the OP's right to be in said sunflower field, (to take 2 photos of sunflowers - coz she will only take two after all 🙄) trump the rights of people going there to take selfies with the sunflowers in the background?!

It's absolute cobblers that ALL these Insta people are pushing the 'real photographers' out of the way, stampedeing through the field, taking dozens of photos, and getting in the way of the 'real photographers!' 🙄 It literally does. not. happen. And as I said, they have as much right to be there as the OP, or you, or anyone else!

Entitled much @SunflowerPosers ?!!! Seriously, what a daft thread!

This. ^