To Feel Angered by People Taking So Many Photos for the 'Gram...?

[LilacCatt]

I am feeling so nostalgic right now for life pre-social media and pre-smart phones.

I am mid 30s. When I was 17 I had MySpace. When I was 19 I had Facebook. I deleted social media when I was 21 and have been without ever since. I use WhatsApp and occasionally have a peruse of Mumsnet.

Anyway.

Lately (for the past few years), I feel like whenever I visit a remotely interesting place (days out are my favourite thing to do) I am just so distracted from my own enjoyment by people around me posing for photos. Sometimes I see people doing really cringey things such as taking a few steps forward whilst getting their photo taken as if "candid", then quickly checking the result, and then going back to their original spot to take the same few steps forward whilst posing again.

Oh my god. This is all with people around them who are trying to enjoy the moment of the place of interest.

I feel it really repulses me, and actually angers me.

But I can't articulate WHY that is.

I don't want to be a bitter or angry person.

So I just want to explore this emotion a bit more, and open up the floor for a debate here.

Am I being unreasonable to have the inner emotional reaction when I see this sort of thing going on around me?

Should I live and let live?

Is it a symbol of everything wrong in society???

Questioning myself and my thoughts.

Thanks.

You said your mum didn’t take any photos of anything including family. The OP hasn’t inferred in anyway that she has done this.

I know what you mean op, living in moment but at same time it's wish I'd had this when I was younger.

She has and she has already addressed this. Keep up!

I just took a tour of Versailles and loved seeing the instagram preening in the Hall of Mirrors. It reminded me that this is just human nature. But admit to feeling sanctimonious.

Irony? Why?

I'm not angry, far from it, why do you think that?!

Does it really need explaining?

As I’ve said repeatedly I think it’s a weird take to read the OP and link it back to your own experience with your mum. It sounds like you have some unresolved anger and upset over it. That’s all.

I've spent time overnight thinking.

I think it is a control thing.

I think the whole situation has gotten out of control, and it angers and saddens me, because of how much nicer life could be, and then I feel that anger towards the people who are actively participating and contributing to it all

For you maybe, not for others. Why so judgemental? I can think of many worse activities taking.plsve near me than people taking photographs.

Thank you! Ive had a little look and will return this weekend to read in a bit more detail..

McLuhan very ahead of his time. How did he have that insight??

Sorry place, not plsve.

I was sharing an experience related to picture taking and one of the consequences of not taking pictures.

The op had implied she takes no pictures as she shows people Google images of places she has been. After I posted this, she replied to me and it was quickly cleared up.

I'm not sure where you got anger from me in any of this, it's really weird!!!

It's like your pouncing on me and replying to me with a conversation you're having in your own head.

There's nothing wrong with sharing a real life situation that's related to a topic. Most people do, yet you think it means I'm holding on to anger?!

So then the anger could be misplaced. What's allowed them to get to that point? The availability of social media? The improvements in phone technology? Peer pressure? How larger companies have switched how they advertise?

Many of them are raised in this culture so to them it's normal. Everyone outside of this thinks it's ridiculous because we have a before to compare it to

Not too bothered about pictures at a beauty spot. However, what gives me the irrational rage is people filming things like concerts and fireworks shows. Just be in the moment and enjoy it 😡 How many times are they really going to watch back that crappy grainy video??

The OPs 2nd post literally says

“I like photos. I take a few snaps to look back on. As memories. This is totally fine. Memories from places I have particularly enjoyed being.”

Hence why I thought it was weird to compare it to your mum who never photographed you growing up or whatever. Which I’ve already explained.

It's like your pouncing on me and replying to me with a conversation you're having in your own head.

Again I’m baffled by your take, you have responded to my posts & asked me questions. Am I not meant to reply? If you don’t like or agree with my responses that’s fine but the only person I’m conversing with is you. This is surely obvious & presumably you won’t now reply back to me. 😆

There's nothing wrong with sharing a real life situation that's related to a topic

How have you missed that I didn’t think it was related, fair enough you do. Agree to disagree.

Most people do, yet you think it means I'm holding on to anger?!

The post I called ironic (which you asked me to explain) & your original post came across as you being quite hurt & a little bitter. That’s just my opinion & again you can disagree.

I suppose it's the pointlessness of it all too. They are expending all this effort taking hundreds of photos to put a few up online.

It doesn't enrich their lives or have any positive effect on them in any way. They could be doing so much more.

The only thing that they get good at is editing photos.

It's the more to life thing

That's one of the many things I don't get about the social media sharers and particularly the family vloggers. Not only taking a grainy video of the firework display at Euro-Disney from the back of the crowd with dozens of heads in the way or their recent attendance at a Taylor Swift concert where they're in the nosebleeds and can't even see the giant screens properly, let alone the stage - but then posting a 30 minute video of it on YT for their followers?

But then I also don't understand why people post and followers watch a 'shopping haul' from Aldi or B and M so I doubt i'm the target audience 😅

Well of course I'm only speaking for me. When did I say I wasn't?

The problem is that normal people can no longer just go about their lives and enjoy nice views and tourist attractions without these self obsessed idiots getting in the way.

It didn't used to be a thing.

Then it was just the odd narcissist who didn't realise everyone was judging them.

Now it's become normalised.

Death of the west indeed, as a PP said.

I grew up without social media but still took plenty of photographs, albeit we were limited due to needing film and only getting 24 or 36 photos to a reel at a time.

However, now I have a digital camera and my phone and still take many photographs - way more than with film obviously. I guess it's a big interest/hobby for me.

The majority of my photographs aren't for social media, even when taken with a phone. I like taking photographs. I like preserving memories to photograph. I spend time editing them to ensure the light, etc is okay on them. I have them saved on my computer, they appear in the attached digital display thing we have at home, and print an annual photo book of key ones.

It's annoying if people keep getting in your way taking their photographs but I don't see how someone else taking photographs bothers others so much outside of that.

Not everyone is going it for the 'gram 🙄

Oh come on we took about 50 to 100 a year on an exciting year. My kids can take that on a day.

I took way more than that even pre digital.
Lots more when I went digital, but pre social media.
Social media isn't what changed the number I took - the vast majority I take will never appear on any social media.

Re the 'selfies being new'

That's what the timer buttons were for, or the clicker in a wire.
You set the camera up with others/a holding prop, in place. You use the viewer to get the right angle, etc - often with camera propped up on a wall, etc. Set the timer or grab the wired clicker, run into position and smile.

Yeah, I've got a lot of time for McLuhan. He was think about TV initially I think, and then the impact of media type on communication.
Interestingly he is given to new hires at Meta to read (I think they give out 'the medium is the massage' which is not the one I mentioned up thread.)

Yeah the TS one was mad. Talk about NOT in the moment - she’d paid £330 to video herself lip syncing.

also I love seeing people take those ‘from behind’ photos of themselves / well someone else has to do it. I walk over London Bridge and it always gives me a smile.

then again I have 90k photos on my phone as I take a lot of photos ! But just for me, not Social media

I’m only 27 and I’m so tired of people watching their lives through a screen. People at concerts are the thing that probably frustrates me the most, EVERYONE has their phone out and watching the concert through the screen on their phone rather than actually watching it and embracing the moment and the music. You cannot even focus on the artist as everyone’s phones are in the way. It makes me sad that this is how we live now.

I also know far too many people who purposely go to places to just take photos for instagram. Not for enjoying the place or venue they’re at - just so they can take a photo of themselves there. I recently saw a church or something have a ‘selfie mirror’ that people were queuing to use (it showed the beautiful art on the ceiling). I think this is everything wrong with the world.

I’m a photographer and I take photos for art, my photos are always raw, unmanipulated, in the moment photos. I’m so sick of people taking photos of themselves/ places and manipulating the moment in person and then using photoshop to manipulate the way that they look like further. As stated, I’m all for people taking photographs but when people live their lives through posting every moment of their lives (manipulated lives) on social media - it’s sad and pretty hard to comprehend.

I know this isn’t the point of your post, but don’t get me started on the people who are in hospital and photograph their hospital bracelet or cannula for the full on purpose of attention seeking. I spent most my life in hospital due to my chronic illness and I have had pretty severe surgeries and never once have I posted a photo of me in hospital for attention.

Well yes, but you didn’t do it every ten seconds in front of every landmark and view.