I feel so sad, angry and disappointed at what Instagram - and travel - have become.⁣ ⁣ 👉🏼 I’ve tried not to spend much time on the app in the past few months, but every time I do, I just cringe. Instead of encouraging creativity and originality, it tends to promote shallow reels, annoying “trending” music, and pretty landscapes that only tend to encourage mass, mindless tourism.⁣ ⁣ 👉🏼 It feels like travel and all that it encompasses - stunning but fragile ecosystems, communities with a strong living culture, fleeting encounters, an inner transformation - have been reduced to background noise. IRL and on the ‘gram, people seem to be “travelling” only to get the perfect photos or videos - hardly ever delving deeper into what a place or its people are about, or questioning the impact of our travels and Instagram posts on them.⁣ ⁣ 👉🏼 By posting about or geotagging the “hidden,” “undiscovered, “offbeat,” “untouched,” and “pristine,” we’re causing so much damage. Many idyllic mountain villages are now bombarded with selfie tourists, vehicles kicking up dust and honking all day long, and sightseeing trips that give back little to the local economy. Many waterfalls have now become dumping grounds with plastic trash and beer bottles left behind by visitors.⁣ ⁣ 👉🏼 As much as I hate to admit it, at their core, both Instagram and travel are deeply rooted in capitalism. Is there even a slight possibility that that could change?⁣ ⁣ I must confess that I’ve lost a lot of my optimism for the travel industry. But I also know that if we’re not part of the solution, we’re part of the problem. Which side are you on, and what does travel and IG look like from your lens?⁣