It can be tempting to tag your location on Instagram, especially if you are traveling somewhere you know will make other people jealous. Not everyone agrees with geotagging social media posts though, and they see it as a real danger to precious landmarks. This is why you shouldn’t tag your traveling locations on Instagram.
Raising awareness
People want to go out and explore as much of the world as they possibly can. You might think tourism does wonders for communities that few people have ever heard of, but that’s not how everyone sees it.
Not so long ago, Roys Peak in New Zealand was unheard of, but in the past year, an estimated 76,000 people have visited this remote site. It all started when people began tagging their location on social media, which brought more and more people to this spot in New Zealand.
The popular selfie to take at Roys Peak is a solo traveler at the edge of the peak, seemingly looking out over the edge of the world. What you don’t realize is 100 feet behind that person is a line of hundreds more travelers, all looking to take the exact same shot.
Blaming social media
The locals near Roys Peak blame social media for the rise in tourists, which now feels as though it’s on the brink of over-tourism. So many people want that picture, even though thousands of other people have also taken it, so they make their way to this spot. Geotagging leaves an exact location for people to find, which means some of the world’s most remote spots are now places for the masses to visit.
Most of the time, idyllic locations are pristine, but with the arrival of more and more tourists, that’s no longer the case. At the summit of Machu Picchu is an ancient site where people lived many generations ago. Thanks to social media pictures that everyone has to take, it’s now often covered in trash.
Tag responsibly
In response to the devastation that over-tourism can have on pristine and remote locations, travelers and backpackers are being asked to ‘tag responsibly.’ This initiative is receiving more and more coverage in the media as it asks tourists to stop geotagging if they want the amazing things they see to stay the same.
It’s hard to find the right balance because people want to share their experiences. If you watch a movie you think is great, you might recommend it to a friend, so it’s natural you would do the same with a vacation spot too.
The issue may be when social media influencers come into town with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers. They can raise awareness to somewhere not equipped for a horde of like-minded travelers arriving.
People want to share their experiences, but there is such a thing as oversharing. It seems geotagging your travel pics is now going to be a thing of the past as we try to preserve what natural beauty of the planet is left.
