bibiche Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Do you have a life if you don't document it and put it out there for people to "like?" I see a lot of what seems like Instagram/twitter one-upmanship and I have to wonder if people are really enjoying their experiences and living their lives normally or if it is all a frenzied competition in the end. I find it fascinating and often quite enjoy watching it, but it makes me a little nostalgic because of what I perceive to be its superficiality at the same time. But maybe life has always been like that and it is just easier now to notice...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Long before social media existed I had the same thought about people (DH most definitely included) who spent much of their time photographing vacations and other special events. It seemed to me they tended to concentrate so much on documenting the event with pictures that they missed the actual, real life experience. And of course it's only gotten worse with the rise of social media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 I thought of it in relation to this as well. I notice from personal experience that I remember places a lot better when I sketch them rather than photograph them. The social media life passes so quickly that you have to photograph things or you are left behind. This is sort of what had me thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I thought of it in relation to this as well. I notice from personal experience that I remember places a lot better when I sketch them rather than photograph them. The social media life passes so quickly that you have to photograph things or you are left behind. This is sort of what had me thinking about it. This makes sense to me - sketching a place helps preserve the memory better than a photograph. If I could sketch, I think I would like that. But I am not sure what you mean by "left behind." Of course people have always been documenting experiences rather than enjoying them. I remember many occasions, being at a beautiful scenic place, enjoying it, and seeing people zoom up, snap photos, and zoom off again. A few times I have heard people bragging about how much they could "see" in one day. It never made sense to me but it is a personal preference. Now with some people documenting their every move on social media, I suppose it is more obvious. ETA: I am not anti-photo. We take photos! We just don't spend all our time taking photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I don't Instagram but I do like to post photos of trips or special events on Facebook or my blog. For me it is preserving memories and sharing experiences with loved ones, not any kind of one upmanship. I'm sure there are people that do that, but that's not my intent and I hope most people don't think that! Also, I am usually photographing (or sketching- I do that too!) special moments, not every single thing we do that day. I think there's a balance in there somewhere. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I don't think it is necessary to read negativity into picture sharing. I think that is a choice you are making that probably has little to do with the actual intent of the people who are sharing pictures. In fact, in some ways it can be positive. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/01/15/women-who-tweet-and-share-photos-are-less-stressed-pew-study-finds/ The locations of my last shared pictures that involve people: The dentist office (with a silly story about my nearly 12 yo son being asked what movie he'd like to watch from choices like Dora and Cars) At a site we were planting shrubs and bushes as a project. A lake at the top of a hiking trail My parking lot, where I had found myself with a towel on my head in public. I guess I don't bother following people I think are nasty and playing games, if I am seeing their pictures on facebook for instance, presumably the person means something to me. Maybe assume better intent of your friends or drop fake friends with truly ill intent. Or don't friend and follow people you aren't geniunely and non-judgmentally interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I am an obsessive photographer. I enjoy photography so much that the photography itself is a lot of my enjoyment,of an event, as my main hobby. Most of my photographs don't show up anywhere on social media. My dad is almost 80 and has NO social media accounts of any kind, and he always has been an obsessive photographer. Sometimes it's just someone's hobby more than an opportunity to show pictures off on FB. My dad's whole family is this way, and are all mostly very private about their pictures. :) We're just quirky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 My instagram is filled with the unremarkable, the absurd, and things that just make me laugh. Just the orher day I posted a pic of the horrible pajamas I was wearing when i drove DS to work, musing that one of these days I am going to regret it. Or a pic of ds working in the car he's restoring with his dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 My instagram is filled with the unremarkable, the absurd, and things that just make me laugh. Just the orher day I posted a pic of the horrible pajamas I was wearing when i drove DS to work, musing that one of these days I am going to regret it. Or a pic of ds working in the car he's restoring with his dad. LOL As it should be. And that is the complete opposite of what I am talking about, which is a sort of frenetic, poseurish, self-involved attention grab. An evolved version of duck lips, if you will, but taken very seriously. Tweeting to famous people you don't know in the hope (I assume) that their allure will be extended to you and you might attract a bigger audience, living in the hope that your Instagram photo will go viral... So what I am talking about is very different to posting photographs. I enjoy seeing photographs from friends and family. If I were more organized, I might even post some myself to record little (and big) moments in my family's life. What I meant by "left behind" was that it doesn't seem possible to relish the things one is doing if one always had to rush to the next thing in order to continue to impress one's "followers" (and this concept is in itself so so bizarre!). I guess I am just wondering what the psychology behind it is. Is it similar to the quest to be the popular kid in school? Do people just never change? That's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 One of my friends is in Australia on a trip. She's posting some really interesting pictures of her and her boyfriend having fun and also a lot of pictures of graffiti art. I don't have the time, money or life situation right now to fly off to Australia. I appreciate the pictures as a little overview of her trip. She's hilarious and I love her and I'm really glad she's not only having a nice trip but also posting some pretty interesting and hilarious pictures. I'm not looking at them like OMG she's rubbing her cool trip in my face. Perspective matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I post to FB because I'm too lazy to keep a babybook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I don't know because photography is my hobby. I spent a lot of fun time thinking up fun angles, feeling the satisfaction of nailing the shot, and then the fun of editing it at home. If my pictures were all just snapshots then it might be overdone or I'd be missing out, but for me the photography itself is a big part of the fun. Now that there are digital cameras and people get instant feedback on their pictures (vs waiting for film to develop) I think people are in love with photography and enjoy the process and sharing their little creative endeavors. ETA: Ok--I missed this before, but someone clarified and said they're referring to people who are seemingly trying to garner followers and such. In that case, it is probably forced. I would need to know their motivation to really judge if they're posting for selfish reasons or just for the fun of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'm too lazy to pull that off. I feel bad I hardly take any pictures of my kids. We did just buy a new camera though so I'll have to work on it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Today, at a cub scout event, a parent delayed the entire event by 20 minutes by demanding that they be allowed to take staged photos of their child participating in the event, even though they had to leave the event ten minutes in. The parent broke the rules for the event by disturbing derby cars that had been weighed in and "checked in" to the race (crossing over a taped off area, and continuing after the event chairperson told them to stop). I have no problem with people who take photos as part of the natural course of the day....Those who value their ability to take photos over others ability to enjoy an event really irk me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I post to FB because I'm too lazy to keep a babybook. Oh, this is so totally us. I am trying to force myself to make a photo book at least once a year so my children have some actual pictures of themselves. But I couldn't even hack the monthly baby photo picture frame a really sweet lady gave me for my younger son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Today, at a cub scout event, a parent delayed the entire event by 20 minutes by demanding that they be allowed to take staged photos of their child participating in the event, even though they had to leave the event ten minutes in. The parent broke the rules for the event by disturbing derby cars that had been weighed in and "checked in" to the race (crossing over a taped off area, and continuing after the event chairperson told them to stop). I have no problem with people who take photos as part of the natural course of the day....Those who value their ability to take photos over others ability to enjoy an event really irk me. Yeah, that would be annoying. I just snap a few here and there. And then get a picture afterwards with my son holding his car and his prize. I suppose posting that is rubbing in my son's sucess in pinewood derby? Jk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 <snip> What I meant by "left behind" was that it doesn't seem possible to relish the things one is doing if one always had to rush to the next thing in order to continue to impress one's "followers" (and this concept is in itself so so bizarre!). <snip> I see what you mean now. There is a difference between sharing for fun and sharing to impress. A friend posted a ton of pictures of her trip to Europe. It was one of those dream of a lifetime trips and she was so excited about it - and humble too, if you know what I mean. It was charming and fun to follow the trip along with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I would rather see an Instagram feed full of things people have done or have enjoyed, than to see one with selfie after selfie. You can figure out what is really important to people by looking at their Instagram IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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