Remember when vacations were getaways? When you wouldn't see or talk to people for an extended period, then when you got back people might have actually cared about where you went and what you did? Those were the good ol' days.
The annual hiatus of education that is Spring Break just passed and while the time away was appreciated I kept kicking myself when I was still glued to my phone. Sure the 80+ degree weather in Florida made going on my phone a little nicer, but I did not fly down with some of my best friends just to talk to people who weren't there with me. More disturbing though is I wasn't the only one; my friends, others on the beach, and yes people on my social networks were doing the same as me. It seems more and more that an experience isn't complete anymore if you don't Tweet, Instagram, or Snapchat it as it happens, and forget the seemingly now obligatory mass posting of photos on Facebook post trip.
Understandably these companies are going to promote these kind of activities, but some of these advertisements are cleverly disguised. Snapchat for instance, only a few months ago added what they called "Live" Stories which are curated Snapchat Stories that are organized by the company, combining many users' Stories into a video anyone with the app can watch. To be honest I have loved watching them, they focus on events like College Football or Music Festivals, and would't you know it they had a Spring Break story that lasted all week and that is when I realized the inspiration for them. By showing you short peaks into strangers lives, they have formed the most streamlined form of jealousy yet; 1) I wanted to do everything that I saw those strangers doing in the videos and 2) you are damn sure that I was going to Snapchat about it when I did. This new feature wasn't done to entertain the user, it was done to inspire them to use it more. In my last blog I talked about how the internet and its users are some of the best forms of advertising for products and companies now, but Snapchat went above that and made one of its core entertainment offerings an advertisement.
So it's not the worst that the conversation for this next week isn't going to be "What'd you do over Spring Break?' but rather "How was Florida?", but the real problem will be when my honest response can't completely dismiss that sometimes I just used my phone with nicer scenery.
I completely agree with your post. Times when I am supposed to be relaxing or enjoying myself I find myself thinking "oh this would be a great snapchat" or "I need to post a picture of this on Instagram". This post connected with a few topic I have written about before. I think Snapchat is a perfect example of social pressures, when someone snaps you feel obligated to snap back and even sometimes show off whatever you are doing. I also agree with what your points about the "Live" Stories. Brilliant on their part to make you want to use it more.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about how we have gotten comparative with how much we enjoy ourselves. We feel the need to show everyone we know that we are having a good time by sharing the event on social media. I think this behavior can only lead to people enjoying their lives less.
ReplyDeleteI've been seeing this more and more. The one situation I hate the most is when people record or take pictures of fireworks. Fireworks are the ultimate in-the-moment sensation. By the time you take the picture, it's already over. In regards to actually just using the phone while on vacation, I think it depends where you go and the kind of vacation people want to take. A lot of people take vacations just to relax while others actively do activities. And I think even using a cellphone in a different environment can really change a person's mood for the better. I'm not condoning the use of phones on vacation, especially while traveling or visiting a new place, but I can see why some people do what they do.
ReplyDelete