① Social Media Becomes a Travel Journal
With the lifting of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, a significant number of people embarked on summer vacations this year, both domestically and abroad. As a result, social media platforms were filled with various summer vacation photos.
People use social media to document their travels and share memories with others. However, these posts can sometimes trigger envy in others.
While one or two envy-inducing photos can be tolerated, an influx of such pictures can make others weary of seeing more vacation posts.
To understand this phenomenon better, the Hilton-affiliated hotel brand, ‘Hampton by Hilton,’ surveyed people worldwide.
What types of travel photos do people dislike the most? Let’s find out.
② The Most Disliked Types of Photos
10th place: Sunrise and sunset photos. Whether it’s a mountain, the sea, or any destination, people always try to capture the sunrise and sunset. While witnessing the beauty of the rising and setting sun is undoubtedly mesmerizing, social media users expressed fatigue at seeing numerous similar photos.
9th place: Photos taken by professional photographers. This might be a surprise, as one would expect professional-quality photos to be more appealing. However, these expertly taken shots were seen as overly idealized and exaggerated, detracting from the authenticity of the travel experience.
8th place: Photos posted long after returning from the trip. Many travelers upload their photos long after the journey, often in a single, overwhelming burst. It’s advisable to pace the sharing of travel memories to avoid overwhelming your audience.
7th place: Photos taken inside the airplane. Despite being a customary photo for all travelers, many people expressed discomfort with airplane photos. Some felt it was overdone, especially when Business or First Class passengers posted them, seemingly flaunting their wealth.
6th & 5th place: Beach chair photos and beach posing photos. Beaches are famous photo spots, but pictures taken in beach chairs or with specific poses were considered too cliché and unoriginal.
4th place: Photos of drinks. Many travelers enjoy taking pictures of their food and beverages. However, social media users felt that excessive color correction made these photos look less authentic and more artificial, especially for cocktails and colorful drinks.
③ Do people also dislike these types of photos?
3rd place: Swimsuit photos. About 20% of respondents disliked swimsuit photos. Particularly, photos with overly revealing poses were met with discomfort.
2nd place: Posts flaunting wealth. Social media is often used to showcase one’s achievements and wealth. However, many respondents felt that posts excessively displaying money were distasteful.
1st place: Hotdog legs photos. The infamous “hotdog legs” pose involves lying down with knees bent, making the legs resemble hotdogs. While this pose is popular among women for making their legs appear slimmer, it received an overwhelmingly negative response, becoming the most disliked type of travel photo.
Although these types of photos didn’t make it to the top ranks, there are still posts that can irritate viewers. One common example is photos that obscure landmarks or important sights.
Most travel destinations have iconic landmarks or attractions visitors want to capture in their photos. However, there are occasions when people unintentionally prioritize their own faces over these significant landmarks in their photos. This can be disappointing for those who visit social media to see the main attractions of a city.
Therefore, when posting travel photos, it’s crucial to ensure that the intended subject is well-captured and not overshadowed by other elements, such as faces.
In addition, other types of photos were considered undesirable, including pictures of homeless individuals, desecration of graves, and shirtless photos.
The variety of disliked photos might leave some people wondering, “What types of photos should I post?” Responding to the survey results, some netizens argued that choosing pictures to post on social media should ultimately be a matter of personal expression.
By. Han Mi-a (miumia___12@mememedia.co.kr)
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