Has Instagram Ruined Nature? 

This isn’t my usual type of video, but its a meaningful topic I have wanted to discuss for awhile. I would love to hear your thoughts on this style of video, and what you think we should do about the Instagram Effect. Don’t worry, more fun adventure videos are coming soon!

As a photographer who posts on instagram I never share my locations and I see alot of others who do the same thing. Things need to be kept a secret and then only then you can find it when the sole purpose is to go out and to explore.

I can't even walk around Paris without accidentally photobombing someone...

I’ve always disliked the thought of doing something for the sake of being able to post about it, it takes the value away from experience and drains the beauty. How can you truly appreciate culture and nature when you’re thinking about how you can exploit it to gain a couple likes? Smell the roses people, run towards unfamiliar terrains and live your life for you, that’s where the beauty is. That’s my thought of the day, be happy and be safe (Edit) When I have those truly special experiences on trips I like to sit down and draw what’s around me, this allows me to carefully study everything around me as I translate it to paper and I find that the drawings I draw are much more special to me then the pictures I take and I would totally recommend taking a small sketch book next time you go out and do something new.

Instagram has ruined "easy to get to" nature places. Luckily there are still so many places out there that hasnt been touched but popularity syndrome

That rock is gonna break prob

You should link up with Yes Theory, both of your channels are so similar.

This video will make hippo rock the next viral instagram photo location.

I’ve been waiting for a video like this.

I can’t stand when everyone lives in California... and I’m here in Connecticut

Instagram doesn’t ruin nature, people ruin nature 🙃 edit: why is this so popular i was just being cringey

thats why i take pictures of abandoned places nobody will track me down

I love your style, in that you can make a video on a varied array of topics without having to worry about a certain “style”. Definitely going to adopt the idea in my own videos!

In short: yes Serenity and peace is internal, find it wherever you are and photograph when you see a shot, not the same 10k. As an outdoor educator/guide, environmental science and photographer who has always adventured since childhood, this is real. I live in the Sydney region and what was within an hr or 2 was generally peaceful, now I need go 3-4hrs or days away. However, this gets me deeper in nature which I appreciate more than a photo.

I like the idea of 'you have to earn the photo'. I realized that this is how Norway likely manages its most popular, Instagram-overcrowded places. To get to Trolltunga (the super iconic rock sticking out like a tongue) you have to hike 13 kilometers (one way) and pay roughly 60 USD for parking that finances keeping the place clean. And by no means they want to make it more accessible, which is really good. At the end of the hike, it's a happy moment where you share your achievement. You feel how people are connected better, helpful to each other and more respectful to the nature.

This reminds me of the quote from "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty": "Sometimes I don't. If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don't like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it."

Ive never made instagram account bragging about where I've been has never been my idea of fun

Damn! I've just watched an episode of We Bear Bears about tagging location ruined the nature!! Props to them for bringing the issues up! :>

Lets put a sign in ever photo op saying “No one cares about your photo, there is millions like it and yours will not be any better”

The way i am seeing this in my recommendation... Bruh it is going viral.. The kind of video that gets million views in short time!

4:05 they could have at least had some picnic benches or somethin'

Such a good concept man and you've approached the problem so well by opening up this discussion!

PREACH!! I think this is a topic that everyone does, but like you said, most don't realize of their negative impacts. Great meaningful video! PS, what microphone do you use?

Really well-made video Andrew! This topic has always been at the back of my mind, but I never seriously thought about it. Like you mentioned in the video, I also like to follow less frequented paths.

A good example of doing excercise for a view is the Abel Tasman in New Zealand. People hike the full trail over three days. What’s amazing is there are so many places along this hike that are truly beautiful and secret. Having been there myself, me and my siblings and cousins discovered a little cove next to a camp site. The only way to get there is by swimming around. We couldn’t take photos because our phones couldn’t go through water. Truly an awesome experience. Biking trails can be especially rewarding too. I went mountain biking in Wellington and discovered some truly beautiful views, the harsh winds made everything just that extra bit challenging, it felt like such a rewarding experience. Things like these are great because you can stop anywhere to take a photo instead of having one crowded ass place full of people. You can discover your own favourite spots on an adventure.

Maaan!! Thank you for posting this content. This is so So SO true here in the Philippines specifically in El Nido where it went viral and when we visited it was packed with tourist and sad part it is that most of the tourist and the Tour Operators are POLLUTING THE ISLAND! 😥

I have a policy against visiting travel blog destinations, esp. after staying in Bali for a year. - "Oh oh, you should see that overcrowded temple, or that littered to death beach or that architecturally out-of-place building, everybody says it's great". It most likely isn't. By visiting "common interest places" you're doing yourself a disservice. Drive off that road, go to that weird thing over there, explore. If you don't find anything - well, it happens when exploring. But if you do - you just found something travel blogs will never show you.

Your videos are so engaging, i never found they boring

This is a similar problem to a local secret place that is owned by my family in the Philippines. My family owns land that has a small waterfall. Word was spread by mouth and now more and more people are trespassing my family's land by creating a path from the road to the place. My family is too kind and doesn't want to stop people from coming in. It's getting worse every year with sharing on social media and we do not know what to do.

I didn’t find your channel until recently, so this just popped up into my recommended. I’m so glad you made this video! I keep trying to explain the harmful effects of geo tagging to my friends but no one else seems to see the problem with it! Thank you so so much for making this (: your content is great dude, keep it up

My partner and I couldn't believe the line at a desert monument we visited recently. We wanted a photo for our own memories but to wait in line for an hour in that heat, while people took forever taking different poses meant we walked away without.

This video is awesome. This is what I have concerns about too. There is no doubt we are the problem, but seeing people being respectful to each other, and especially to the nature is a very positive signal. There are places that have quota or requirement for permits, that sucks-yes. But knowing that it’s necessary, I’m fine with it. For me personally, I see this effect almost every where I’ve been (Grand Canyon, sequoia nps, sedona, even 20 miles from my home: Huntington beach). I always try to go a bit further, to a less attractive spots, spend time in there alone or with my friends. And then try to capture the beauty of those not so popular spots. I agree with you, it’s about the experience, not just the photo

I live in cornwall, very much discovered part of england, at the very south. We get ignorant tourists with huge cars driving around our narrow country lanes all the time, beeping at everyone. It'[s ridiculous.

I'm not into taking photos for likes. It just sounds stupid to me. I would rather look at the beautiful views for memories then just selfie and quick photo.

00:51 there I live

literally describes Utah. I was born and raised here, and there's more and more people coming to all of the "local secret spots", if you will, every single year.

If I’m the one who saw that kind of place & view. I’d probably cry because it’s so beautiful.

Andrew let me know if you are ever interested in the story of offroaders and their relationship with land use in CA - especially regarding certain parts of the Mojave and Pismo/Oceano dunes recreation areas. I think it would be something that would fit your channel

beautiful camera work this is a way underrated channel

This is so trueeee ... I´m a photographer and filmmaker and i love the nature because in small tropical island... and i love take photos ... but i spend lot a time watching the view before ever taking any photo... This is why more and more i'm not scrolling on instagram spots to see ... i just walk and walk and see differents "tourist" spots.... anyway ...great video .. you should one day visit my island ( Madeira island ) Best regards Rob

Potato chip rock is like Clingmans Dome! You gotta hike to it.

Recreating the Apple wallpapers convinced me to subscribe.. this video convinced me to turn notifications on. I like what you do.. it’s real and I hope you keep it real down the line.

Wow dude, you're on a new level! I think this kinda stuff is the best content on youtube. So many trash, vids for children, boring vlogs, etc. A interesting docu about traveling, places and the modern world, this is where i've been waiting for!

This topic is super important! I travel and hike a lot and use Instagram to share my photos but have stopped specifically geotagging locations! i.e. I recently went to Colorado and did a ton of hiking there and posted a lot of pictures but left the geotag as just Colorado for most of them.

1. Early 2. I didnt know this was a problem! Thank you for bringing this to light, makes me appreciate natuee a bit more

Andrew: Goes to Big Sur Apple: Makes OS with the same name

I honestly only take pictures of gorgeous sites so I can have them as a memory. I never have posted them but damn, the fact that people are willing to harm the environment and act like it’s nothing.

When im on a special trip, like going in nature or going to another place, i NEVER get my phone to take a stupid pic, cuz its so much fun outside than just holding a phone almost every single time to just take a photo, for me its annoying sometimes. I dont mind others doing it, I just want to just relax and just watch...

If you have ever been to China this situation is much worse. I’ve been to a state park of China for videography contest, almost half of my footages are unavoidably contains massive groups of people

The effort you guys put into the videos are very appreciated, the editing, the images and also, honestly, I haven't thought about the effect Instagram had on nature until now. Love your videos

Social networks in general have destroyed quite a lot of beautiful places. Especially in Asia. More people, more often bad behavior and trash. It's sad but true

I am very glad that I have stumbled upon your channel today. It gives me motivation to change what I do in order to make my life feel better. I just watched your video on "Using Flip Phones for 30 Days" and I am stunned at how much I spend on my phone, and I am now wanting to push away from that. And now this video, while it saddens me that people are more for the influence than the experience, is amazing to watch and see what the mass public do. I see that a lot, and it upsets me that people go so far as to endanger their own life for an okay photo. TL;DR: I am so glad I found your channel, thank you so much for showing me things I missed and should fix in my own life. I will take some of the stories you tell and put them to action in my own life. :)

I agree about the case with the poppies, but the rest of it is a bit of stretch. This isn't really saying much except to take in your surroundings and not ruin nature.

Love love love this channel. I just found it and wow. I’ve subscribed and I think you need to have so many more subs. Glad im here before the 100k tho. Kinda special

I can really feel this cuz I love traveling and going to national parks in America. I always see this happening. It really sucks for my family/personality. It is really hard to get campsites in national parks. I have a park hack, but don’t want to share it as it could ruin it. Maybe I’ll share it if u ask tho. Also, if you want photos, I have another hack. Just ask for either and maybe I’ll share them. Edit: I subscribed as this is definitely the channel for me.

It's just those places that are easy to get to. There are less crowd in places that you have to hike for whole day. People always take the easy route.

I really love nature and taking photos of nature. However, it is impossible to see anything like those within my own country. That’s why I treasure and mind my step when I visit such places. Seeing people treat nature like it will never go away pains me

Your content definitely deserves much more attention. Keep up the good work:)

Man, I love the documentary style of your videos, man. You find a standpoint and then make content around that message. Love it 🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

Interesting topic! Personally i get so turned off by these instagram spots and i don't get the point about taking the exact same photo as everyone else. Instagram can feel like an endless re-run sometimes.

Other people Just destroy the parts of our nature just to get Attention.

6 months later, Apple sent you back to Big Sur. Just in a different vehicle...

I think that the more people out in nature the better. I love being out in the countryside and it has a special feeling of peace and wildness and I want other people to be able to experience that, especially when there is very little people there which I suppose is where the problem begins. I hope that all these people just snapping and leaving would eventually explore for themselves as thats true nature. I think if it's a hidden or secret location, don't share its location or tell people in the caption after saying about exploring for yourself. For me, I love taking pictures to capture and remember the memory and experience there and take it home with me, I almost don't like it when I cannot take a picture as I don't want to forget the great time I had there, I don't actually share pictures publicly at the moment and I think "exploiting nature for likes" is just stupid, but it gets the people out there as long as it doesn't damage the environment (e.g. the poppies or the people wanting to build an airport near Machu Picchu). Here in the UK, we don't actually have really any unexplored locations but what we do have is well managed and beautiful, moorland, fells, wooded valleys and even man-made reservoirs are lovely sometimes.

1.) Explore the unbeaten paths. 2.) Actually experience the place, rather than looking on a screen. 3.) Use photos as memories, not trophies. That can also include being artistic. 4.) Geotag, but don't give the precise location. For example, only the name of the park or mountain. This doesn't only preserve these places, but it also makes your Instagram account more unique from others.

I'm from Germany and for 6 months @New Zealand right now. I travel around in a Van alone and often go on High and /or lonely places. I sometimes go on boat trips with some family friends there (e.g. Volcano Crater Snorkeling). On those i've never taken my phone with me. O little hikes i do i have it for safety and listening to music via headphones if i feel like it. The very few pictures i take are only for family and important friends. Note: I'm 18 y.o. and just finished school. Therefore highly unusual. At least whilst travelling i won't share anything about it on social media - no Instagram or Snapchat Storys. Why? I dont think there is any great value in taking those Pictures. Lots of old school friends share all shit from their typical gap year travels, and honestly for 99% of those i couldn't care less. I don't need to share my life / discoverys to be happy about them. I might forget how stuff looked like but i won't ever lose the experience. I can't really enjoy those crowded tourist places so when i'm at one of those i usually find a more lonely place and isolate myself from the groups. Having a look at stuff by yourself is a whole different experience and you might learn something whilst doing it. Nothing wrong with taking pictures when enjoying doing it tho. Photography is a great hobby.

I travel a lot and see lot of people(mostly Asian) coming somewhere to just take a picture and leaving few minutes and I try not to take too many pictures because I want to have the place and the traveling captured inside me instead of inside a phone. Also love the fact that u say that by doing this, u r part of the problem because u realize it.

Glad there is still a beautiful spot near me that has yet to be discovered by this hype. I'll keep treasuring it for as long as it lasts.

the most amazing and scary is that, if you just walk 5 minutes away from those places, you find other breathtaking angles and images. Instead of trying to fill the egomaniac need to prove on IG that you ALSO went to a place, that you are AS GOOD when not better than others and to invent a life that is totally digitalized. People don't even enjoy the places at all, they just go, shoot and leave. I've been traveling for the last 15 years with a camera, now a drone as well and never enjoyed anything more than looking for the gem nobody else's found, the place nobody else goes to... the world is still wide enough to find your own spot, to travel your own path without being a sheep, in a bus with 50 others human seeing exactly the same and not even really taking the time to enjoy the nature. they never sit and stare for an hour. they all look like running after a life they seem not to have. Adventure, curiosity and discovery are the fundament of an exciting life :-)

awesome video man! I kinda figured out where it was going based off the title and I think its cool that someone like you wants to create a conversation with it.

I think the easiest way to tackle these kinds of issues Is to simply not reveal the exact location of these places and let the people find them on their own because it would encourage people to discover more and enjoy the nature as it is

I feel ya, but, let's not give Instagram too much credit here. I think it's the human condition that has caused the problem. I've taken my share of pictures of Bixby bridge, and the like. It's the increasing population is causing the disregard for the beauty of nature. However, I will say the increase of disrespect for the law is very prevalent and I guess has more to do with people saying "I want that too" is causing a problem. During the TX bluebonnet season, everyone wants to use their mobile phone camera to capture that classic photo of their dog in the bluebonnets, while right out of frame is the sign that says please keep off the meadow. Go ahead google this: "tx bluebonnets and dogs" People can be really selfish jerks. Now there is a connection between the ease of access and increased numbers. Like you experienced at Potato Chip Rock. A fee and then a hike? Much like Glacier Point Rock in Yosemite, it takes a bit of work to get there. Good YT title btw.

Great conversation. As a Landscape Photographer I'm travelling the world and my CO2 impact make me think about the contradiction between my love of nature and how I impact it by my travels. btw: there is an # used to not tell the place. #iprotectnature

I absolutely love this channel. All your videos have amazing quality and thoughtfulness put into every second! Great video!

I remember driving back from a family road trip and going through Big Sur, I think we went to that spot but I don’t remember seeing that crowd, maybe the day of the week or something but there was only a very small number of people taking photos. This was in 2017.

I'm honestly surprised on how attached people are to the camera on their phones. It's honestly the least used thing on my phone. I would happily ditch it to have a nice screen and headphone jack. Like I'm fine with a decent back cam but do we really need one on both sides? I'm surprised as even phone companies are compromising their phone designs to incorporate a front camera. Like motorized cameras or outright cutting a hole in the screens.

And this is why I go to the “Most boring” city in my country and take photos. It’s actually a really cool place, people just hear it’s boring so they don’t go then the people who hear that say that it’s boring too and It goes on a cycle.

Mate DONT BLAME POEPLES ACTIONS ON INSTAGRAM. IM AN ARTIST AND INSTAGRAM HELPS SPREAD MY WORK. INSTAGRAM DOESN'T RUIN NATURE. PEOPLE DO. I believe there's someone who said this . Great vid tho

I think the solution is pretty simple, allow just a number of visitors at day per location :) And make pay a ticket, develop the money raised to infrastructure that will level up the local people lives and as well level up the tourist experience. Thanks for the video, I love landscape photography and I love being in nature, after this video I will definitely stop geo taggin' my photos

If I go to these places, I take photos for myself, not instagram. I dont even own instagram Edit: I dont like the effect of the instagram effect tho

If i went to Yosemite national park, i would take a few photos, put the camera or phone away, and just admire it because its beautiful of what i've seen in this video :3 Same with potato chip rock! Theres literally an amazing view of san diego right next to it!

As someone who doesn't use most social media platforms, the idea of everyone taking the same picture seems alien to me. I'd want to take pictures that people haven't taken, not pictures that I could easily find. I love hiking up into the mountains, so I guess I don't understand the motivation behind doing it just to take a picture. It's odd, I've just never seen this before.

Wow! You really got to the bottom of that one. It's like Pokemon. Gotta collect em all. There are no more geographic secrets or roads untraveled. The only limits are now set by how remote the locations are and the wealth, will and cool factor of the people to reach those locations. This has been going on forever. It has definitely been going on long before Instagram. It is happening with architecture, art exhibits and natural wonders. Inanimate objects are the new celebrity the common person can get next to and show how cultured and cool they are without having a body a bodyguard tackle you. Hell, the celebrities want to get their pictures with em too so maybe architecture, art exhibits and natural wonders are the new celebrity. Wouldn't that be nice.

Mount Rainier isn't a "Local Secret" it's a geological landmark

"... people appreciating nature more than ever before" sounds like a false statement to me. We appreciate what we make of nature... huge hiking trails, comfortable roads and paths, nice pictures after we edit them for hours, cut off trees for better views, shortcuts to get to a places faster, lifts, parking lots, trash bins... or leaving trash when there is none etc. The adventure per hit of a button which is advocated by Instagram is highly stressing for nature since we want to be able to reach more remote places more and more fast and easy just for the sake of showing off

I travel alot to photograph whatever picks up my interest and I also post alot of it on Instagram. But I just give a nearby location like a whole city in where I found this spot which is shown. Also I mostly look on Google maps where I can find the most interesting locations. That can be beaches with no one else near it which I just found by swiping along a whole coast. It worked out for me quite well.

i love u andrew u inspire(keep it up almost to 100k i know for a fact to will make it to 1 mil one day

Do you think not posting a location would just cause a user to go trash some other place? I couldn't imagine seeing a post that hides location and having that discourage me from going outdoors.

I told my friend that I would sponsor him flight tickets, hotel stay, food and + extra money for shopping on his favorite international destination but only rule is that he can take photos and videos but shouldn't post any of it on Instagram. He said no.

People are getting more and more crazy over social media

4:58 Rest in peace to that guy's cellphone

Not just Instagram but all of the social media out there 😉

We just need to adapt, change is hard but necessary.

5:12 *PERSONALITY: went to the crisp rock everyone knows but still gets intruige every time it's seen*

Imagine your peace house and town, flooded by sweaty people with phones taking photos for personal gain

In the next 100 years anthropologists would say "Ahh yes foot stands among other artifacts like smartphones some with apple brands still be working till this day."

Travelling and photography are not wrong but we should be more responsible!! Sometimes, enjoying the moment is more important than capturing it! Responsibility is what we need!

Awesome video! Love the narrative. Very well thought out

How do you only have 75k subscribers? Great videos and really high production quality

If someone slipped on a rock trying to go to the edge to capture some pics the authority will probably be held responsible

Who uses social media for following game developers