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.

It's all very Idiocracy. The west is done.

@User135644 yes! That's exactly it. We as a society have allowed these apps actually change our behaviour. They are developed by people who try to change our behaviour to increase profit and we have let them.

100%
And those who opt opt are still affected for example at a concert or in a library.
There's no escaping, that's how it feels.

What would you suggest then?

OP is interested in her reaction and wondering why she feels that way. Hence asking MN posters, some of whom are being helpful and not snarky. That is looking into it IMO.

Oh, I dunno... I'd maybe try getting a life!? 🤷‍♀️

I've been expecting a lump of society to break off as some kind of new Luddite movement TBH. If I had another child now (mine range from adult to KS2), I'd like them to be able to have a tech free or tech lite childhood through to at least the age of 9 or 11. Which would be difficult compared to the first 20 years of the millennium when my other DC were small.

I keep thinking that others will feel similarly and group together.

It doesn't seem evident yet.

Well that's refuted the idiocracy theory. 🙄

But there's no rhyme or reason why someone should be 'angry' about people taking photos for Instagram.
Unless they have anger issues. Which obviously has nothing to do with people taking photos on Instagram.

People sure do like to throw around the 'sanctimonious' and 'controlling' trope.

You can feel any way you like about it, OP, I share your views. I don't truly care what these people do or how daft they look, unless they don't look where they're going and walking into me/get in my way.

It is sad. They can crack on with it and you/I and anybody else can feel about it how we want to.

But there's no rhyme or reason why someone should be 'angry' about people taking photos for Instagram.

It's a visceral reaction to cultural change. "Future shock" is as much discussed in the 60s, and at that time they thought all the progress was positive.

Actually there are well-researched psychological reasons for her reactions, just as there is extensive psychological research into your own kind of reaction on this thread.

I agree.

It's such a noticeable societal shift, why would we not look into it?

I understand that - but to get 'angry' about it (especially enough to write a post about it), seems a little excessive...

Personally, I kinda admire people who are out there, living life and capturing those little moments on camera. Those against it should try it. Sounds like they drastically need cheering up!

It's all just clout chasing and showing off. It's the app that's the problem, it all feeds into narcissism.

People taking photos is fine but when it's all for the purpose of taking the perfect photo for Instagram to show off, it's just decadent.

Anger isn't something I've felt but the pushy narcissists trying to get a perfect photo in front of the Roman Ruins for e.g or Ground Zero (when it was ground Zero) not seeming to give a shiny one that people's lives were sacrificed there etc (dare I say not even aware of the history(.

Idk. There's no reverence. It's jarring to me to be all about the likes.

I agree with you OP. There's something very narcissistic about it all.
I was at a nice restaurant with my DH recently and as we sat and talked and laughed and enjoyed our meal, there were so many couples and friends sat with their phones out, messaging, taking photos etc and barely talking. It's pretty sad. Fwiw I'm early 30s.

Personally, I kinda admire people who are out there, living life and capturing those little moments on camera. Those against it should try it. Sounds like they drastically need cheering up!

I don't admire them, I personally don't think that's 'living life' so it's not for me. I also don't admire posters who make stupid and vacuous statements that other people should 'cheer up' because they feel differently to you. Try to accept that other people are not the same as you and nor do they need to be.

'Societal shift' is a recognised thing. If it has passed you by or you're not interested in that point then that's fine. Let those of us who are, talk about it. That was what the OP wanted to do without being shouted down.

I think the Instagram idiocy feeds into some of the anti-tourism sentiment sweeping Europe as well. It's other factors like housing as well of course, but so many people sweeping on these places, in many cases just so they can show off on bloody Instagram.

People used to go to these places to explore new cultures and broaden their horizons, now they just want likes.

I think I was ahead of the curve in that as a teenager I always had a camera in my bag. But it was a 35mm film camera, so although I took photos on nights out and random times, I’d have no idea what they’d look like until I got them developed, so it was a quick snap and done. And social media didn’t exist so they were just photos for me and my memories. I agree it’s kind of painful that people lives their lives through the lens of how others will perceive them on SM.

people didn’t use the self timer so much for selfies though. It was more in order to include yourself in a group photo. The word selfie didn’t appear until after phone cameras came in.

Accuses people of 'technophobia' then complains about drones 😂

Drove from Perth to Sydney a few months ago. Lovely remote locations, so much beauty, then got to the Twelve Apostles and it was truly horrific. Hundreds of people, all arriving in coaches, taking selfies and even videoblogs. Made us both feel queasy, and it utterly ruined the experience. Yet a few miles down the road the scenery was just as good and barely anyone there at all.

They're not living their lives though, are they? They're on their phones, and barely taking anything in.

Gives me the ick too my friend although I don't keep out of their way I just walk through the middle. My priority is visiting whatever I'm seeing not their stupid fucking vacuous photographs.

You’re absolutely right OP, but I wouldn’t get worked up about it. It definitely seems to be the case since social media exploded into society that certain people only visit places/take part in activities JUST to snap a carefully posed photo for the ‘Gram (e.g. for likes). It doesn’t really bother me that much, unless they were stopping people who are genuinely interested from visiting/taking part and then it would be annoying. My DCs and I always find it quite amusing when we spot them. They nearly always do the same poses and we usually discreetly nudge eachother “look, it’s for Insta!” 😊