In leavingtheirmarkon
the#superbloomhashtag,
visitorsalsoleftone
onthephysicalplace:
Poppiesareeasily
killedbytrampling,and
footstepsthroughthe
flowerscreatedthe
appearanceof a trail,
invitingstillothers
to followandtrample
themfurther.
Theeffectsdidnot
gounnoticed.Storiesof
inconsiderate#super
bloomInstagrammers
causeda backlash.In this
context,eachphoto
lookedlesslikea dreamy
escapethanan
irresponsiblefauxpas,
showinga subject
destroyedin realtimeby
itsrepresentation.
Photographic
representationsof places
havealwaysaffected
thosesameplaces,from
visitorsto Yosemite
seekinganIRLAnsel
Adamsphototo people
overrunninganIcelandic
canyonafterseeingit in
a JustinBiebermusic
video.Alreadyin 1977,
SusanSontagcalledthe
photograph“experience
captured”andthe
camera“theidealarmof
consciousnessin its
acquisitivemood.”
Sincethen,Instagram
hasencourageda
contagiousrashof
acquisitiveness,sincethe
purposeof many
Instagrampostsis notjust
to declare“I washere”
butto gainattentionand
inspireimitators.Butthe
consequencesof
Instagramfueleddesire
area harshreminderthat
theworldis notaninert
shopof wondersforour
consumption.Anyday
now,geotagginga photo
to a suddenlypopular
areamightbeseenlike
littering,a digitalaction
withphysical
consequences.Betteryet,
maybewewon’tbe
therein thefirstplace—
andI won’t knoweither
way,becauseyouwon’t
PHOTOGRAPHS,tellme. —JENNYODELL
FROM
LEFT
TO
RIGHT:
BRKLYNWILDE/INST
AGRAM;
FURLEIGHFOT
OGRAPHY/INSTAGRAM;
KARLY
SAURMAN/INSTAGRAM;
_EARTHS
OULSPIRIT_/INSTAGRAM;
KARISSAR
OSAS/INSTAGRAM BY
_LACAZE/INSTAGRAM;
JAYDENHBECKER/INSTAGRAM;
MISS._.MEL
GAR/INSTAGRAM;
I_RUN_WITH_SCISS
ORS_/INSTAGRAM;
EAR
THMOMMA_/INSTAGRAM;
AWSEIBT/INST
AGRAM;
BOOMGAL_2
7/INSTAGRAM;
ERICCHRONICLES/INSTAGRAM
IL BE
LY UNC OL
